2009 Philadelphia Regional

[phanofrobotics]

Thanks Phil, I did come across that. Unfortunately I'm not sure which payload specialist we were using because lately we have been switching off.

[pacoliketaco]

Hooray for 56, 365, 395!!! 56, you guys did it again! i was watching your last few matches, cheering for you. those last matches were so intense. 2 for 2 regionals aint bad...

[Barry Bonzack]

HUGE congrats to 433 the FIREBIRDS! Way to win Chairman's, I knew you had it in you. See you all in Atlanta.

[Danny McC]

Another year of Philly down. Another year of me wondering how some teams look so bad in the Quals and then look so amazingly awesome in Elims. hmmm. All in all it was an amazing weekend. We had a lot of fun matches and played with a lot of good teams. I am very proud of my team because it was the most energy I have ever seen them have in the stands when it came time for cheering us on. It made me feel really good inside to know we had so much support.

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by Barry Bonzack

HUGE congrats to 433 the FIREBIRDS! Way to win Chairman's, I knew you had it in you. See you all in Atlanta.

433 Won Chairmans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WhoooooooHoooooooooooooooooo way to go.
433, I always knew you were going to walk away with chairmans from Philly one year and I am surprised that you haven't until now.
Great Job wish I could have been their to congratulate all of you in Person.

[Jared Russell]

Frustrating event for us. We had a tough-as-nails schedule that wasn't helped by a few unfortunately timed mishaps (including such highlights as an orbit ball getting jammed in an opening not 2" across, getting all of the "fingers" of our intake roller taken off at once, and my personal favorite...the match where we got two empty cells back to one of our payload specialists only to watch him then grab the empty cells rather than the super cells at the 20 second mark).

Congratulations to MOE, 2 Train, and Robbe on a well deserved win. On Thursday I was extremely impressed by how effectively MOE threw their weight around; sure enough, they pulled off the repeat in a typical Philadelphia Regional (defense, defense, and more defense). The three "blue alliance" bots simply played through the defense they faced better than anyone else.

1923 and 272 - we gave it a good fight. I think that we had the robots and the strategy to make it all work. We nearly 968'd 103 and 1153 in round 1, but that one dump in the final 5 seconds did us in. And then round 2 brought even more bad luck with the machine for Daisy...

Thanks to the FTA, event coordinator, and staff for another well-run event. The troubles of Trenton are now a distant memory for many of us.

[SammyKay]

Congrats to teams 56, 395, 365 on winning the regional!!!!!!!!! You guys were amazing today.

Congrats to team 433 on winning Chairman's award!!!!! Good luck at Nationals!!!

[Akash Rastogi]

First of all thank you to 222 for inviting us to the 4th alliance, it was a pleasure working with one of the Northeast's oldest teams. Things were looking up for us when 222 snagged 316 as the second pick. Things were so close in the first two matches and then all hell broke loose in that third match in favor of the powerful combination of 1391, 1279, and 834. We are truly sorry if we let you down.

The quarterfinals is definitely not where we wanted to end it all but unfortunately that's what happened and we walked home empty handed, but not without full hearts and spirits. In qualifications MORT proved what we came to Philly to prove, that we could compete and be strong in a field with the best of the best. I am EXTREMELY proud of my entire team for showing spirit, determination, and true teamwork. The improvements in both driver skill and strategy were awesome even in our first qualification match when we went 1 vs 3 and scored half the points of the other alliance with a third of the robots (44 to 86). I cannot express how proud I am of all of you. 7-2-0 earned us the 7th seed and we fought hard for it, never forget that.

There are a few teams I really want to thank out there who either helped us out a lot this weekend via parts and sincere friendship.

365- MOE, you really are the shining example FIRST has of GP. We repeatedly came to your pit asking for critical parts for our robot and you never disappointed us. Match 30 was exhilarating as we paired up with 103 to put up a nice showing. Glad you kept that MOEmentum going and won the regional once again. Sincere congrats with a heartfelt thank you.

1089- Chris, your team was awesome to talk to and it was a wonderful opportunity getting to know them better. Our mentors enjoyed talking to you as well. We look forward to building a relationship with your team. Congrats on both awards and a greatly improved performance! Not sure if you know what I mean, but you are one of those teams that makes others really proud when you succeed without even knowing your team very well, its just something about you guys...Can't wait to see you in Atlanta!

1403- Its something about our teams that just clicks when we're around each other. Your students are very committed to the team not only on the robot aspect, but the relationship aspect. We've found a new friend in FIRST and I thank you for that. Congrats on your well deserved team spirit award.

And finally, 816- What can I say guys, this regional just wasn't in the cards for us no matter how strong both of our robots were. We make an amazing team on and off the field. We truly know how you feel right now and I hope you can find your way to Atlanta. Your friendship is priceless.

Everyone who staffed, volunteered, and competed at Philly really made this a great regional. It was full of intense competition, energy, and many many strong friends. We hope to return to Philly to compete with you all again. It was a blast.

Hope to see many of you in Atlanta.

P.S.- Thank you to the many people who complimented our drivers and robot, it means more than you'll know whenever our robots get complimented. We put our hearts and souls into them. Good luck with the rest of your seasons.

btw 222, we will not be missing PARC. ^_^

I am disappointed in the outcome, but proud as hell of my team. We're glad we came to Philly.

[Shelbo]

Awww...Philly is over and so is my last "official" robotics season. . Congratulations to ALL the teams that participated in the Philly Regional.
Thanks to teams 222 and 11. It was nice working with you guys.
And congrats to 433 on their Chairmans Award and Kirsten on her Woodie Flowers.

[coldfusion1279]

1279 had a great time competing in Philly. We enjoyed it a lot and will likely return in the future.

Thank you to our partners, 1391 and 834. Really there wasn't anything we could do better. The semi's were close matches and we don't regret any part of our alliances match play. Good job to both of you and I hope you succeed throughout the remainder of the season.

Congrats to 395, 365, and 56 on a regional win.

Congrats to 433 on Chairman's Award.

See you all next year.

[robonunez]

On behalf of Team 56 , ROBBE Xtreme, we would like to thank 395 and 365 for picking us and forming an awesome alliance. We had tough qualification rounds but were able to come together and have a series of tremendous elimination matches.

We are looking forward to many old friends in Atlanta.

Congrats to team 433 on your chairman's award.

[Phil Ross]

Okay, so FIRST thing is first. Everyone who put their best foot forward today both in qualifications and eliminations did an absolutely fantastic job. The queuing went smoothly today and we have you all to thank...if you guys didn't show up we would have no one to que.

A HUGE congratulations to team 433 on your regional chairmans. I can't wait to see you guys again in Atlanta and good luck next week in Connecticut.

Another congratulations to team 341 on your regional Engineering Inspiration award. Although your team did not walk away with a fancy banner you sure do have a lot to be proud of this weekend. A WFFA (perceived to be an individual award, but really shows how good the team is), and an EI...not too shabby in my opinion. Congrats again.

So, here is my bystander opinion on what went down in the elimination matches.

Alliance #1: 103, 1153, and 708. Between the three of them I don't believe there were enough orbit balls on the field to share with their own alliance let alone alliance #8. 103 used the strategy of runner around the perimeter of the field gathering as many orbit balls as they could and then eventually took a huge hit on an opposing alliance. 1153 used their fantastic shooter to sneak up on unsuspecting robots and score an enormous about of points all at once. 708 was a great 2nd round pick and I was surprised they were still there for 103 to nab. They were a human loaded slow dumper but when it scored, it scored. Between the three of them, they were an almost unstoppable alliance.

Alliance #2: 378, 1507, and 250. Firstly, you guys were a pleasure to hang out with in the queuing area. 1507, although you were not the alliance captain you put on a fabulous show and really shined when your alliance needed you. Although your manipulator was somewhat slow it stored ALOT of balls. 378, your solution to the game this year was something that I never thought I would see a team do so effectively. Congratulations on making it this far. Team 250, congratulations on the safety award...So, my question to you is; "What do you do at the Philadelphia Regional in case of battery leakage?"

Alliance #3: 223, 816, and 87. Although individually each of your teams played well individually you seemed to have a hard time getting a working strategy together. In your first match you certainly had no idea how the number 6 alliance was going to play together and it was a complete surprise to all of us how they came right out of the pits and played liked champions. Your second match against them went much better than the first but it was still not enough. Congratulations to all of your teams on a job well done.

Alliance #4: 222, 11, and 316. You guys were awesome. Individually each of your teams showed great ability to carry an alliance. When you were put together I thought you guys were going to be unstoppable. Unfortunately, alliance number 5 had other plans. After emerging victorious in match 1 Cold Fusion, Spartechs, and Metal Moose were not going to let you guys go any further. 222, you showed a consistent promise of racking up tons of orbits balls each match. Also, congratulations on the Industrial Design award, truly deserved. Team 11, I am glad you guys traveled from Jersey to compete with us here in Philly. 316, as the weekend progressed, so did your abilities on the field. The drive team you sent to the field had an exceptionable ability to control that robot and every match I saw there was improvement.

Alliance #5: 1279, 834, and 1391. Each one of these teams had competed at least once before this event. After seeing Cold Fusion go all the way to the finals in DC I knew they were going to play a huge role in this weekends event. By their first match on Saturday morning they were set and ready to go with their new and improved dumper. Once they fixed the jamming, that thing was lethal. 834, finalist in NJ had a lot to live up to and they were sure not to disappoint. 1391 was one of the biggest improvements I have seen so far this year. Coming into Philly with a 1-6-0 record left over from NJ they managed to make it all the way up to the 8th seed and found their way into the 5th alliance. You guys came and really tore up the place. Congrats to your entire alliance.

Alliance #6: 395, 365, and 56. Another huge congrats to all of you on becoming the 2009 Philadelphia Regional Champions. Team 395, fantastic choice of teammates. As a NY team I didn't know much about you guys until this weekend. All throughout the matches your robot continued to catch my attention and impress me. Team 365, you never cease to amaze me. Coming from losing in the quarter final in DC to Regional Champions...thats quite impressive. I was honestly surprised that you weren't picked sooner. You worked well with all of your teammates and really pulled this alliance through a lot. Also, your human player was fantastic...he's a keeper. Team 56, this is regional #2 for you guys. This is a huge accomplishment. If the the title of two regional champions wasn't enough for you then its a good thing you were also awarded the Quality Award. Your robot and human player were both consistent and of a high caliber. Congratulations again and I look forward to seeing all of you in Atlanta.

Alliance #7: 204, 1089, and 224. Although the scores don't show it, you guys put up one hell of a fight in the quarter finals. Even though you walked away without a win in the elimination matches you need to realize that there were 30+ other teams that didn't get the chance to even play Saturday afternoon and you were part of Philly's 2009 creme de la creme. Once again, Congratulations to all of you.

Alliance #8: 272, 1923, 341. Although this 8th seeded alliance had two Regional Champions (341 San Diego, and 1923 New Jersey) it was not enough to beat out the #1 seed. Under the conditions you guys did a fantastic job. Congratulations again to 341 and 1923 and see you in Atlanta. 272 you guys did a great job and each year you guys come up with another solution to the game that continues to amaze me.

To sum all of this up, every team out there this weekend has something to be proud of. Whether it is an award or trophy or something less tangible you all competed like crazy while remembering the spirit of first. I am glad that I was apart of that this year an the incredible Philadelphia Regional. See you all in Atlanta.

-Phil

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Phil Ross

Alliance #4: 222, 11, and 316. You guys were awesome. Individually each of your teams showed great ability to carry an alliance. When you were put together I thought you guys were going to be unstoppable. Unfortunately, alliance number 5 had other plans. After emerging victorious in match 1 Cold Fusion, Spartechs, and Metal Moose were not going to let you guys go any further. 222, you showed a consistent promise of racking up tons of orbits balls each match. Also, congratulations on the Industrial Design award, truly deserved. Team 11, I am glad you guys traveled from Jersey to compete with us here in Philly. 316, as the weekend progressed, so did your abilities on the field. The drive team you sent to the field had an exceptionable ability to control that robot and every match I saw there was improvement.

Haha, thanks man, that means a lot.

[OZ_341]

On behalf of Team 341 I would like to thank all of the volunteers, sponsors and FIRST folks that made the Philly Regional possible. I know the change of venue put a lot of strain on the planning and coordination of the event. But you would never know it by how smoothly it ran. Awesome Job!

A special thank you to our alliance partners 272 and 1923. We gave it our best shot and all most had them. It was almost 10 years ago that 272 LC picked an untested rookie team as their alliance partner. I never forget how amazing you guys really are. In so many ways, our team still looks up to Lansdale Catholic.

Congratulations to the winners 365, 56, and 395. A truly impressive showing from three amazing teams.

Congratulations to Team 433 for winning the Chairman's Award. You are very desrving and have been for many years. The problem in Philly is that their are about 6 teams that deserve the award each year. Its probably one of the toughest regionals in FIRST in terms of Chairmans competition. It was truly your year.

and finally... I wanted to thank our amazing media coach and 341 alum Kirsten Jahn for winning the WFFA. Since she joined our team as a kid back in 2000, she has truly been the "Face" of Miss Daisy. All of the incredible graphics, web pages, posters and videos that you see produced by our team are due to her guidance of a small band of kids that do a ton of work. "MissDaisyGirl" often says she has been "slaving" for the Daisy since 2000. We would not be who we are without her tireless efforts and the way she inspires her students. Congratulations Kir!

Good luck to everyone in their remaining regionals and to everyone heading to Atlanta.

[Dillon Compton]

The Philadelphia regional is always a fantastic experience for us, but this year was particularily exciting. Going in I was unsure about the (temporary) venue change, the lack of some familiar teams, and our spotty record in NJ.

None of these things, luckily, made the tiniest amount of difference this weekend.

Going 6-0 on Friday was fantastic - going into Saturday undefeated is a brilliant feeling that I hope I have at all FIRST events in the future... This is a nice change of pace for our team and I think we really showed what our robot and especially our driver are capable of. We expected to do far better than we did in NJ, but it was gratifying to show everyone else that we weren't just crazy.

1279 and 834 thank you for a fantastic run in eliminations. With a little more luck (loosing by 2 points one match and 6 points the next is very close) we'd have taken it to the finals and put some heat on the winning alliance. I hope we managed to make 103, 1153 and 708 sweat a little during the semis and I really think that if we did it again it might go either direction. Very evenly matched alliances. We got shut down by 708 in that last match and coulden't pull through for you guys.


222, 316, and 11 - you guys were tough. Our first-round loss had us worried and we barely squeaked by in the second round. Good defense, especially from 316. 11 and 222 you stepped up the scoring and slammed our trailers more than any of our qualifying match opponents. Something clicked on our alliance between our 2nd and 3rd matches and it definitiely showed - without that luck on our part you could easily have taken it to the semis or finals.

103, 1153, and 708 - well fought. You guys were a powerhouse of an alliance and (rightfully so) the 103-1153 team-up worried us from the moment it happened. You both showed fantastically this weekend. 708, you did a fantastic job shutting us down in the second semi-final match. It was frustrating to watch from the stands as we sat there with a full hopper, unable to get even a few moon rocks into a trailer. You did what you needed to defend against us and took the match because of it. As I said before, a fantastic, powerhouse alliance. I was frankly surprised you did not take the regional.

The rest of the alliances (from what few matches I saw) solid games and great strategy. Very impressed all around.


Fantastic regional, fantastic teams, and fantastic people. As usual the Philadelphia Regional was incredibly competitive with a deep field, had good, vibrant energy about it (somewhat dissapated due to the size of the liacouras center when compared with the Drexel Atheletic Center), and was overall one of my best FIRST experiences to date.