Never been to championship before got questions

[Bruceb]

Well since 706 has committed to go to Atlanta I have a couple of questions. First, how many team members do you usually bring?
How do the teams get from the hotel to the arena and how long does it take?
Is the pit realy far from the playing field? I have heard a mile and I can't believe that.
Do most teams go out for lunch? 45 minutes is not a long time to make that happen.
Can you bring food to the pits?
I'll probably have more but answers to these would be a big help.
Thanks
Bruce

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by Bruceb

Well since 706 has committed to go to Atlanta I have a couple of questions. First, how many team members do you usually bring?

As many as possible!

Originally Posted by Bruceb

How do the teams get from the hotel to the arena and how long does it take?

Either walking or MARTA subway. Either takes up to 20 minutes, depending on where in downtown your hotel is (close hotels usually walk, further ones use the subway). A week long unlimited subway pass was about $12-$15, and can also be used to get from the Airport to downtown.

Originally Posted by Bruceb

Is the pit realy far from the playing field? I have heard a mile and I can't believe that.

Half mile is more accurate.

Originally Posted by Bruceb

Do most teams go out for lunch? 45 minutes is not a long time to make that happen.

It's enough. There are numberous places to eat in the GWCC (the pits), the Dome, or the nearby CNN Center Food Court.

Originally Posted by Bruceb

Can you bring food to the pits?

No.

Originally Posted by Bruceb

I'll probably have more but answers to these would be a big help.
Thanks
Bruce

[Tom Bishop]

How do the teams get from the hotel to the arena and how long does it take?
There are plenty of hotel rooms within walking distance. Most teams stay at one of those hotels in the downtown area.
Is the pit realy far from the playing field? I have heard a mile and I can't believe that.
Never measured, but it takes about 10 minutes to walk from the pits to the field without traffic. I'd say that's about a half mile.
Do most teams go out for lunch? 45 minutes is not a long time to make that happen.
Lots of food choices including a picnic outside. GWCC has the best food at the lowest cost. That's where the pits are.
Can you bring food to the pits?
Not supposed to.

[Jimmy Cao]

Originally Posted by Bruceb

Well since 706 has committed to go to Atlanta I have a couple of questions. First, how many team members do you usually bring?

The whole team. We bring a bus and often share it with another team. Championships are a great opportunity, take the whole team along for the fun!

How do the teams get from the hotel to the arena and how long does it take?

The bus we came with. Depends on where you stay, it could be as little as maybe 10 minutes, but the bus queue can get rather long

Is the pit realy far from the playing field? I have heard a mile and I can't believe that.

Its a good half mile at least if you're on the furthest field. The driveteam gets a shortcut, so maybe only a quarter mile for them, worst case. Best case is not much better.

Do most teams go out for lunch? 45 minutes is not a long time to make that happen.

I can't speak for others, but my team usually buys lunch and a parent/mentor/someone goes to pick it up and bring it back to the courtyard area. A lot of teams eat in the courtyard.

Can you bring food to the pits?

Same rules as everywhere else, no.

EDIT: Dang, sniped twice >.<

[JaneYoung]

There's a lot of wisdom in this thread. It would be worth your while to read through it. If any more questions come to mind, ask them.

I would suggest that you:
1. be prepared for the unexpected. That would include being prepared for emergencies such as medical, financial, family. The more organized your team is, the better the experience will be. The Championships can be overwhelming for first time attendees and the organization will help keep that in control.

2. have a meeting place and run a buddy system. That way, no one is running around alone and everyone knows when and where to meet up. (Because the pits and the stands/fields are so far apart - the team is separated. That takes extra thought as far as coordinating arrivals/departures, etc.)

3. attend the Championship conferences. This is the time of the season when teams have the opportunity to listen to and meet members of other teams that are so valued in the FRC/FIRST community.

4. make sure that you keep up with the Championship schedules/information. An example is the Thursday qualifying rounds that are being introduced this year.

I don't think it matters how many team members go. If everyone can go, that's great. Just make sure you can handle that. If only a few can go, make arrangements to keep a travel log or blog or video to share with the rest of the team. Take lots of pictures - and not just of all the robots, but of everything. That's where memories can be stored.

Have a great time!
Jane

[JesseK]

Tips for Atlanta:

They can't call out when it's time for your team to queue over the speaker system. It's too loud and there are 4 divisions. You're responsible for knowing when your next match is. A tip is to watch the score board for what match is when and leave 20 minutes in advance for the first couple of matches. That will give you an idea of how long the walk takes (10-15 mins) and how far ahead/behind they are in the schedule.

If you're part of the drive team, you will want GOOD SHOES, especially if you're the one pushing/pulling the robot.

Make friends, ask for help directly from teams. Unfortunately, it's difficult to hear even the sparse requests for help or parts. Many veteran teams have a network of friends they can go to if you need something specific, so they should at least be able to point you in the right direction.

Eat in the courtyard between the GWCC and GA Dome. There are often times other fun things happening there too.

In 2006/2007 we stayed in downtown Atlanta at a FIRST hotel, booked in TIMS. The walk took 20 mins, though it may take you a little more or less since some hotels are further/closer.

In 2008/2009 we stayed at a hotel in Marietta and rented 3 12-passenger vans for a cost savings of ~$500 for 40 people (also had a truck/trailer for tools). So far we plan to do this again for 2010, but with a much smaller team (only FTC for us this year).

FIRST hotels are a bit pricey, relative to what else is available in the city, yet the cost of a car (12-passenger van = $400 for Wed night to Sat. night) may offset that price depending on how many students you bring. It's an engineering feat in and of itself to find the best bang for your buck for the whole trip, so be sure to research. As an example, we had to consider that if we drove a bus down our County's regulations stipulate no overnight driving; thus the cost savings of a bus were offset by the cost of an extra night in the hotel. I'd recommend making several different options on various tabs for a spreadsheet, and then figure out which option gives you the best value (e.g. perhaps you're willing to pay a little extra money for a little less headache, etc).

I definitely recommend staying at a hotel that serves a free hot breakfast. When we attended Philadelphia in 2008, we made the mistake of staying at the Sheraton downtown. There's nothing worse than a grumpy team full of hungry kids since 2 scrambled eggs with toast cost $6 (ran out for doughnuts instead, but that still doesn't nourish enough for a day of competition...). Typical continental breakfasts are an ok substitute so long as you get enough.

[ebarker]

if you look at this picture

you will see the dome and the GWCC. The lobby of building 'C' of the GWCC is just above the dome and to the left.

It is roughly the shape of a ship. In fact the Titanic ship would fit inside the lobby. It is around 1,000 feet or 1/5 mile long. Just to give you perspective.

To get from the pits to the dome floor will require a minimum travel of probably 0.4 mile. Allow for distance and traffic on the way there.

Because if you are not at the field on time you are out of luck.

[Bethie42]

Another first-timer at Atlanta.....thanks for the link to the older thread, that was extremely helpful.
I just wanted to check this, as I've got friends coming: Championships are free to the public like regionals, right?

thank you!

[Kristian Calhoun]

Originally Posted by Bethie42

Another first-timer at Atlanta.....thanks for the link to the older thread, that was extremely helpful.
I just wanted to check this, as I've got friends coming: Championships are free to the public like regionals, right?

thank you!

Correct—like all other FIRST events, the Championships are free and open to the public.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Bethie42

Another first-timer at Atlanta.....thanks for the link to the older thread, that was extremely helpful.
I just wanted to check this, as I've got friends coming: Championships are free to the public like regionals, right?

thank you!

Yes, and stay in touch with your friends regarding where to meet you. It would be good for you to establish that with them before they head your direction.

Funny story, I was trying to find my team last year at the Championship. Our main team color is purple and I was looking for purple in the stands. They chose to wear their gray shirts that day and I wasn't looking for gray. Luckily, they spotted me (in my PURPLE), looking for them.

Jane

[DUCKIE]

http://www.usfirst.org/uploadedFiles...mpus%20Map.pdf

Official 2010 diagrams are not up yet, but was able to find this one on the FLL page.

Pits are usually in GWCC Bldg C, and non-drive team members use ground-level C entrance to access the Georgia Dome.

What they call "west plaza gold deck" is the grassy area where most teams eat lunch / toss frisbees / where the annual Chief Delphi Web-hug is held.

[Bruceb]

So where do we park to unload our pit and where do we go to park for the day?
Bruce

[familyguyfreak]

Originally Posted by DUCKY

http://www.usfirst.org/uploadedFiles...mpus%20Map.pdf

Official 2010 diagrams are not up yet, but was able to find this one on the FLL page.

Pits are usually in GWCC Bldg C, and non-drive team members use ground-level C entrance to access the Georgia Dome.

What they call "west plaza gold deck" is the grassy area where most teams eat lunch / toss frisbees / where the annual Chief Delphi Web-hug is held.

Using the map in the link above, teams unload and bring their stuff in for their pits using the Northside Dr. entrance. I don't where you can park for the day, when we went, we went in a bus and the buses parked in the Yellow Lot that's further down Northside Dr.

[Katie_UPS]

DON'T FORGET TO HAVE FUN AT THE WRAP-UP PARTY!
And cheer and scream and have fun.
And go to RoboProm (assuming that it's happening this year).
Championships is the best place to network, so meet people from other teams and have too much fun.

[IndySam]

Encourage a few team members to volunteer at the event. It is a lot of fun and you meet so many cool people. Plus free lunch and access to the floor. Hard deal too beat.

It's also really a great thing for recent team alumni to do if they come along with your team.