What to Expect In Atlanta

[mtaman02]

The one thing not mentioned in all of this, is not only are there nearly hundreds of teams and thousands of teams but they're not just from the US. They are from schools around the globe that compete in FIRST that will be there... Someone correct me if I'm wrong but close to 2 dozen countries will be competing for FRC Champ. Gold, FTC Champ. Gold and FLL Champ. Gold.

Breathtaking is hardly the word to describe it. I guarantee that if there's an event you will leave crying from this will be it... Many new friends formed, many new things learned, many new experiences in general and 3 days is not even enough to really take in all of it. All you can do is try =). The saddest part for me isn't packing the field back up but the wrap party which always symbolizes a year well done in every aspect.

You will truly have a good time and no matter how prepared we try and make you, you will still pass out b/c it's unbelieavable. As a volunteer we have 1-2 days to set it all up and 3 days to put on one of the most unforgettable shows for all Championship Event Attendees. The only reward we accept is a smile on each and every attendees face =].

[James1902]

What too bring to champoinships:
1) water
2) water
3) energy drink of your choice
hydration is even more important here than at a regional, you'll end up walking more than most marathon runners do in the weekend, be ready for it
4) Money, so you can buy cool FIRST brand stuff at the store, i'm not sure who runs it but it's really cool and from what I've seen it's the only place to get non team FIRST clothing.
5) Your post-high school aspirations, in between the pits and the dome there will be a maze of tables from all of the universitys that offer FIRST scholarships, take a stroll down the tables, find out who wants to give you money.
6) really comfy shoes, for the aforementioned walking
7) A camera is always good too.

Atlanta always manages to stand out in my memory every year. You will never forget the feeling you get as your cheering your head off along with 50,000 other FIRSTers all together in one stadium, crammed into seats all trying to get a good view of the final matches of the year on Einstein. This will be the event you will remember for the rest of you life, enjoy it.

15 days and counting

[DUCKIE]

The company that runs the store has been Logo-Loc (if that has changed I do not know)... they park a trailer full of hot presses off one of the docks and press almost all of the logos for the fabric products on site.

I recommend not "putting off" going down there if you want to buy something... as they usually get backed-up on orders as the event goes on. [Which increases the chance of them loosing/not completing your order on site and you having to wait for it to be mailed to you.]

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Carol

And to be technical, the Einstein field is only put up on Saturday. The space where the Einstein field used for FLL on Friday and Saturday (and maybe Thursday? I don't remember).

To be technical, the field border is up all three days. However, anything in the middle, other than carpet, typically is replaced by about 3-6 FLL tables Thursday and Friday, and then put in Saturday morning, if I remember the timeline I've seen in action.

[wendymom]

Make sure you take time to walk through the FLL and FTC pits. It is truely a WORLD championship. In FLL you will see teams from all over the world and they bring all kinds of treats from their countries. They are just as excited to talk to you as you are to them. Some of the displays in the FTC pits last year were really impressive as well. Sometimes teams get so wrapped up in FRC that they forget about the other two competitions.

Convince your team to get a team pass to the conferences. You can send several different team members to different seminars. Parents can go to. You can learn all sorts of things there.

[DUCKIE]

Other things to remember / bring...

-Bag/Backpack to carry your stuff... and to carry (or pin) all the buttons, bling, and items you may trade with/gather from other teams throughout the day.

-Water Bottle (I'd recommend another drink... but I do not know how strict the Dome is on bringing in drinks)

-Safety Glasses!!!

-Appropriate Shoes (Pit Area Legal & Good for lots of walking)

-Team Spirit Items (Colored Hair Spray, Face Paint, ect...)

-Chief Delphi Web-Hug Tickets if you are attending.

[JaneYoung]

These are always a few things I suggest for travel in general, and especially at the Championship.

1. have a buddy system and use it. Let an adult with the team know where you are at all times. There is a lot of distance between the stands and the pits, for example. Check in and out with a chaperone or mentor.

2. have a central meeting place. The team will be spread out in different areas of the venue. Have a plan and have a meeting location.

3. make sure that the lead mentor and parent chaperones have a current cell phone list of all the traveling members. Keep your phone charged and check it for messages on a regular basis.

4. It's always good to to have a nightly team meeting and go over the plans for the next day and what to expect. Schedule, shifts, lunch plans, dinner plans., etc.

The more organized the team is, the more the team can relax and enjoy the experience. It is a very special time.

[jennifer_1547]

okay so the georgia dome is hugeeee and its like a 5-10 minute walk from the pits to the playing area
also its tons fo fun and you get to meet a lot of different people
the after party which is about a 5 minute walk from the geogia dome is very fun
i loveeee atlanta

[Drivencrazy]

WOW! I wasn't expecting so much advice! Thanks alot. I still have a few questions...

1. What are the names of the four devisions?

2. Is it very likely that there will be several teams in our hotel?

3. As a member of scouting should I worry about scouting teams not in my division or focus just on those teams?

4. Will there be an indoor passage from the pits to the field in case of inclimate weather?


Once again thank you so much on your help. Can't wait to see you all there.

Oh, and I heard something about limiting the amount of cheering. Can someone give some specifics on this? Thanks.

[Robyn Needel]

First of all, I want to re-emphasize what everyone else has said, Atlanta is like no other FIRST event, it is amazing!

To answer your questions: the four divisions are Archimedes, Curie, Galileo, and Newton - sense a theme going on?

About teams in your hotel - it's very likely that there will be lots of other teams staying where you are. There's actually a thread here on CD where you can check that out and post your location.

For pre-scouting, you should probably look at all the teams. Once all the regionals are done, the divisions are set up within a couple of days and will be posted on the Championship website. For competition, you will be scouting your own division...unless your team gets to the finals, and you'll have to get info on the other Einstein teams.

The passage from the pits to the floor of the Georgia Dome is indoors through a series of roped off walkways and loading docks so you don't have to worry about inclement weather. Just hope that it's nice for Saturday night, because the party's held in Centennial Park - where you and 20,000 of your closest friends will have a blast together!

Limiting cheering? Not that I've heard about - it gets pretty noisy in the Georgia Dome!

I hope we get to meet up. I'm a mentor for 768 from Baltimore. We are staying at the Days Inn downtown, along with our rookie team 2866, some extra friends from 2199, a team from Tennessee, 2775, and a couple of other teams that I read about on CD.

Robyn

Originally Posted by Drivencrazy

WOW! I wasn't expecting so much advice! Thanks alot. I still have a few questions...

1. What are the names of the four devisions?

2. Is it very likely that there will be several teams in our hotel?

3. As a member of scouting should I worry about scouting teams not in my division or focus just on those teams?

4. Will there be an indoor passage from the pits to the field in case of inclimate weather?


Once again thank you so much on your help. Can't wait to see you all there.

Oh, and I heard something about limiting the amount of cheering. Can someone give some specifics on this? Thanks.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Robyn Needel

To answer your questions: the four divisions are Archimedes, Curie, Galileo, and Newton - sense a theme going on?

The passage from the pits to the floor of the Georgia Dome is indoors through a series of roped off walkways and loading docks so you don't have to worry about inclement weather. Just hope that it's nice for Saturday night, because the party's held in Centennial Park - where you and 20,000 of your closest friends will have a blast together!

You forgot da Vinci (Edison and Frankin divisions) for FTC, and Einstein field...

If you aren't on the drive crew/team media, you can't go the indoor route to the floor. That's robots only. There are ways to get to the Dome's seating area without exposing yourself too much to the weather, but they involve lots of escalators and going well out of your way, or lots of running from shelter to shelter. The team party may be moved if the weather's too bad, but don't worry about that yet. If it is moved, they'll tell you.

[jennifer_1547]

Originally Posted by Drivencrazy

WOW! I wasn't expecting so much advice! Thanks alot. I still have a few questions...

1. What are the names of the four devisions?

2. Is it very likely that there will be several teams in our hotel?

3. As a member of scouting should I worry about scouting teams not in my division or focus just on those teams?

4. Will there be an indoor passage from the pits to the field in case of inclimate weather?


Once again thank you so much on your help. Can't wait to see you all there.

Oh, and I heard something about limiting the amount of cheering. Can someone give some specifics on this? Thanks.

okay

1. Curie, Newton, Archemedies and Galileo
2. Yes it is a big posibility
3. Put most of your focus on the teams in your division
4. The one that we always use is indoor, but from the stands to the pits is outdoors, its not very far though

[rspurlin]

For those who want to get a feeling for locations, try this:

1 go to maps.google.com and search for 'georgia dome'.

2 zoom out and adjust the map so that you can see Centennial Olympic Park on the right side of the satellite view, then adjust the map down just a bit so you can see the whole building directly north of the Dome (which is hall C of the Georgia World Congress Center).

The Dome houses a full football field plus surrounding seating. The park/plaza between the Dome and hall C is roughly the size of a football field itself. With the pits in Hall C, you'll have to cross this area to go from the matches to the pits. Robots and their drive teams have a covered but longer route to the dome floor.

Centennial Olympic Park is where the after party is held unless the weather is not cooperating. It is bordered on the north by the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coke.

[Jeff Pahl]

What to expect in Atlanta... Pollen!!!

If you have any sort of allergy to tree pollen, make sure you bring plenty of medication. I usually have to start taking something about two days before leaving to go down there, personally.

Here is the link to the Atlanta Pollen Count web page: http://www.atlantaallergy.com/pollenCount.aspx

Today's count is 1284. Anything over 120 is considered "Extremely High". It's not uncommon for it to reach 4000+ around the time of Championship.

[dtengineering]

If you're a Chief Delphi regular you'll get to meet lots of people who you've only known on-line so far.

We (we being the FTC teams I was travelling with... still have to qualify our FRC team) were in Atlanta about half an hour... just long enough to pick up our bags and get on the train from the airport to downtown when I spotted a fellow carrying a big FRC tote of stuff on the train. It was Dave Brinza, who warmly welcomed us to the championships and got an amazing weekend off to a great start for us. Later that evening Al and the Wildstang team, who were one of probably a dozen FRC and FTC teams at our hotel were helping us out as we thought we might have to rebuild our FTC robots as they had been seized by the TSA in Dallas.

It was a great time, and I look forward to going back one year with the FRC team. You won't be disappointed!

Jason