2009 IRI entries? Volunteers? Spectators?

[RMiller]

I plan to attend personally and probably volunteer as well. What is another (half) day of vacation when you have already taken 4.5 days out of the 12 you have?

[IndySam]

829 will also be applying and I'll be volunteering.

[Taylor]

Originally Posted by Travis Hoffman

Team 48 will be applying. *crickets*

Travis has once again proven the adage that the more modest you are, the more others will sing your praises. Looks like I'm the yodeler.

1529 has their fingers crossed, and will likely bring the seasoned drive team (we'll have a rookie team at another lower-level offseason event). We've probably got a few folks that will volunteer if needed.

[offtopic] I just saw these tee hee [/offtopic]

[The Lucas]

MOE will be applying for the first time on our 10th anniversary!
Hopefully, it will be a happy anniversary and we will get accepted.
It will be a "last hurrah" for our only 2 year driver in history.

[offtopic] My favorite smiley was bumped from the main list [/offtopic]

[ATannahill]

Team 79 will be applying and probably giving the reigns to our main drivers from this year, although neither is graduating.

[lav]

Team 107 is going to apply and hopes to return for another go at it!

[dwaynetrip3119]

I never been to IRI and i never really heard of it till this season( since its my first time in FRC) but, it seems as though IRI is bigger than the championship on account of how much its talked about and how many team can go. Hopefully 3119 can go!

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by dwaynetrip3119

I never been to IRI and i never really heard of it till this season( since its my first time in FRC) but, it seems as though IRI is bigger than the championship on account of how much its talked about and how many team can go.

This is an opinion only and everyone who is passionate about IRI and about the Championship has an opinion about them, I'm sure.

IRI is not bigger than the Championship. It has steadily built a reputation over time and this reputation is very strong and very solid. The off-season organizers have taken the time to develop the competition (and all of the other areas that are a part of the competition and aspects of the event), making it run like a well-oiled machine and a powerful one.

It is an extraordinary off-season. That said, it is not the Championship and never will be. Comparing them is not fair to either event, really. It's fun to talk about the teams and the rankings and the excitement of IRI and you can talk about the caliber of teams and people involved in IRI. It is still not the Championship.

The white papers that one of the organizers, Chris Fultz, puts out regarding IRI are excellent guides in how to develop and run an off-season event like IRI. Those prove very helpful in regions like mine where there have not been any off-seasons for a long time and we are just now starting to offer one again. The information that Chris makes available is invaluable and generous and I, for one, am very appreciative.

The Championship is the Championship. FLL, FTC, FRC - everyone gathered from all over the world in Atlanta. That's pretty good stuff there. It is the official culmination of the build and competition season and is a celebration. IRI extends the season into an off-season and it allows teams to let new drive teams gain some experience during the downtime and to compete again before the official season begins anew. Off-season events are great for that.

You can go back and search for/find threads regarding the IRI event for past years. They can be interesting reads and can give you a little added insight into the event and the planning of it.

[IndySam]

Like Jane said IRI isn't the championship. It's more like a regional where the competition is on the level of the championship.

And it's like a massive CD webhug. You get to see so many people that you didn't get to see in Atlanta because ATL is just too big.

[dwaynetrip3119]

Ok thanks for the intel

[knittinggears]

I believe that 2265 will give IRI a shot this year, actually.

[hayleybayley217]

The ThunderChickens will be applying again this year. This year is definitely going to be a lot of fun.

[Phil Ross]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

My team wants to enter but I yself will apply again to que.
I just have to see if I can do one or two days.

I'm also trying to find a way up there to volunteer. Team Queuing would be fantastic. Anybody when the volunteer info comes out/ how we register for that?

[Mrpresident1776]

Team 1507 is thinking about applying. It would be self funded rather than team funded though as we don't have a whole lot of dough.

How does the selection process work for IRI? I've never been so I'm just a tad curious.

[AndyB]

After teams apply, invitations are decided upon and awarded by a committee. I don't remember exactly who was on the committee but I believe Chris Fultz and Andy Baker kind of headlined it. I could be wrong though.

Team 171 will be applying and hopes to attend for the second consecutive year.