2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!

[Ryan Simpson]

This was a really fun event! First off, thanks to the referees, volunteers, and everyone else who ran this event. You guys handed all problems gracefully and should be commended.

1086 and 1418: Thanks for being awesome alliance partners. Your robots were great, as were your teams. I had an awesome time talking and cheering with you guys in the stands. I had a lot of fun adding some Blue Cheese and Vae Victus spirit onto the Pi-oneer mascot costume which I was wearing.

346, 617 and 1895: You put up a great fight with us in the finals. We were honored to play such great teams.

122: Great job on the Chairman's win. From what I've heard about you guys, you really deserve this victory.

1086: This whole weekend, it was clear that you guys are a fantastic team. Your EI victory only reaffirms that.

3168: I remember being impressed with you guys throughout the entire weekend. With your volume in the stands and your dancing off to the side of the field, your presence was felt. Congrats on the Rookie All-Star award. You earned it!

388: Playing Jenga with you in your pit was really fun. Even though I always lost, I truly had a great time with you guys.

75 and 293: It was great to bring some NJ spirit to VA with you. Also, I'm glad to have spent time with you guys all weekend long.

This event was extremely fun, and I'm glad to have had the pleasure to attend it. For all who are going, see you in Atlanta!

[JoshD]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

975, you guys are a great team, and the #2 seed proves it. We are glad we could help you out, and hope to meet up with you guys some time in the future. Say hello to your German kid from me, too and watch that metal dust!

Thank you, I know our team enjoyed playing with you guys, and I'll pass on the hello to Kevin, I know we are going to miss him next year.

Originally Posted by JOClarke

To team 975 you guys don't know how lucky you are to have Lloyd O'hara and Bob Benway - we would have gladly accepted your offer to alli with you -great robot, great team and great mentors.

Thank you so much for the kinds words, it means a lot coming from the team that has won the past three years! We have made some great pick ups on mentors in the past few years, and their help and insight have been invaluable to our team, and we only hope to keep on expanding.

And of course, congratulations on winning the Woodie Flowers award!

[fnsnet]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

From what I can see all rules were followed to the letter (with the possible exception of an additional <G16> penalty), which is what I would hope would happen. By doing it any other way you will get variations in refereeing, which is exactly what we don't want.

39 points in penalties is a bit excessive, but I betcha no one will make that mistake again

I see this long discussion going on, so I will give you a little insight. I'm Matt Glennon, the Field Supervisor for the VA regional (and I'll be FS on one of the fields in Atlanta too.) As far as the large DOGMA penalties, the rules state that the team must return the ball using the provided slide. This much I know. I do not know (someone help me here) if their is actually a rule stating the penalty for throwing the ball over the glass or otherwise bringing it into play by another means.

As for your "but I betcha no one will make that mistake again" comment; they did. We only had this happen twice. Both times it was the same human player. He kept getting the ball stuck in the end of the slide when taking it off of the trident. In order to get it unstuck, he would smack the bottom of the ball, launching it over the upright wall. He came up after the second time and questioned the build of the field. While I have no control over the score nor the rulings given by Lisa, I was brought into the conversation because I am in charge of the field (to include setup and breakdown.) I simply told him it was build to standard and that he was the only one that had popped balls over the wall. I would have offered him more suggestions toward not doing it again if it weren't for his really poor attitude and lack of GP while talking to me.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by fnsnet

I see this long discussion going on, so I will give you a little insight. I'm Matt Glennon, the Field Supervisor for the VA regional (and I'll be FS on one of the fields in Atlanta too.) As far as the large DOGMA penalties, the rules state that the team must return the ball using the provided slide. This much I know. I do not know (someone help me here) if their is actually a rule stating the penalty for throwing the ball over the glass or otherwise bringing it into play by another means.

As for your "but I betcha no one will make that mistake again" comment; they did. We only had this happen twice. Both times it was the same human player. He kept getting the ball stuck in the end of the slide when taking it off of the trident. In order to get it unstuck, he would smack the bottom of the ball, launching it over the upright wall. He came up after the second time and questioned the build of the field. While I have no control over the score nor the rulings given by Lisa, I was brought into the conversation because I am in charge of the field (to include setup and breakdown.) I simply told him it was build to standard and that he was the only one that had popped balls over the wall. I would have offered him more suggestions toward not doing it again if it weren't for his really poor attitude and lack of GP while talking to me.

As far as a rule goes ... here you go (emphisis mine):

<G17> BALL Return Timing - BALLS must be returned to the FIELD within a specified period of time to prevent delaying the game according to the following algorithm:
Texpire = Tscore
• where T - [11 + (4 * n)] expire
• T, is the match time, in seconds, assigned to each individual BALL, at which point the Field Management System automatically assigns a PENALTY if a BALL is not passed through the BALL RETURN COUNTER,score
• n is the number of balls that have passed through either BALL COUNTER of the ALLIANCE, but not yet passed through the BALL RETURN COUNTER. is the remaining match time, in seconds, on the match timer when the ball enters the BALL COUNTER, and
Violation: One initial PENALTY plus one additional PENALTY for every 2 seconds that a BALL is not returned.

... and Yeah, I heard he did it again. Just goes to show that not everyone learns the first time through.

Oh, and in case nobodys done it recently, Thank you for volunteering. Without the volunteers FIRST couldn't exist, nevermind inspire the next generation of problem solvers.

[JMT]

Thank you everyone for the kind words! 122 worked really hard all season (and the 12 prior) to be able to win our first ever RCA.

1676, 1086, and 1418: Congratulations on the win! You had some very good robots out there.

1086: Can't wait to see your team again in NC (and Atlanta.)

617, 346, and 1895: You were a great alliance. I know my team will remember those semi-finals for a long time. Your win was hard earned and well deserved.

To all the volunteers: The tournament was amazing! The field issues were dealt with accordingly and the teams kept informed of the problems.

[FIRSTtm134]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

134, I wish we could've figured out what caused that problem coming out of Autonomous. You guys were on our very short list of "first pick" because of your performance as a team both on and off the field.

Wish we could have figured it out. No one on our team is to happy about the way those semi-finals went down. I am sure our alliance members weren't too happy about it either. It would have been fun competing against you guys and had our robot been running we would have given you a run for your money.

[chessking132]

Team 75 had a great time this past weekend. All the volunteers were great and welcoming. In my four years of first i never seen a better team of volunteers, i watched as they went out of their way to help teams that had communications issues and help resolve their problems and re take the field. Kyle the FTAA was a great help and he would go out of his way to insure that every team was able to communicate with the field. The team social was allot of fun and provide a great opportunity to hang out with not only our team but the other teams as well. The whole event was well organized especially the inspection process and i would suggest that other events model themselves off of Virginia. I would predict that our team will return next year.

Matthew Simpson
Team 75 Vice president of Technical

[McVey]

Originally Posted by fnsnet

As for your "but I betcha no one will make that mistake again" comment; they did. We only had this happen twice. Both times it was the same human player.

I felt truly awful as I looked up at the scoreboard and saw a 44 point penalty assessed against them. How rough! It was almost graceful, though, the way the ball hopped perfectly over the sensor. For a brief moment there, I could have sworn it was going to land back on the railing and travel down anyway, as if to display the human player's incredible trident skill or something.

Also, I didn't get to say much to you, Matt, but it was great to get to see you again. I already had serious respect for you after the FLL regional in Richmond, but the way you handled VCU was brilliant - you had numerous awful situations to deal with and did a great job keeping things afloat despite it all. I hope to see you again at other regionals!

Originally Posted by Bsteckler

On another note, did anybody notice the scoreboard dropping points (before they made the announcement)? We were affected by this in a subsequent match, and one of the spectators from a team on our alliance caught the event on tape. The refs also admitted to the problem and acknowledged that it would be fixed We took the issue up after the match and they said it would be rectified once the day was complete, but at the end of play they said that the recording could not be used as evidence to dispute the claim. I have heard of this happening with several other teams and I was wondering if anyone has successfully pressed the refs and judges to deal with this issue.

Lisa Evans gave me a rundown on this and had me make announcements about it every now and again. I don't think I gave a proper explanation, so allow me to do so now:

According to the FTA and Head Referee, the score counting backwards was an automatically assessed penalty for balls (or hands/arms or something) being pushed backwards through the goal sensor. Evidently not only does the field management system not give you the point for scoring should a ball go back through the sensor, but it also counts backwards - a one point penalty. Hopefully that helps a bit.

There were a lot of strange hiccups at the Virginia competition that I am not used to, even after five years of FRC, but that's all a part of the experience I guess - rising from maximum strangeness is what we can all pride ourselves in. For those of you who did not have the opportunity to see FTA Glen on the phone with the creator of the field management system trying to bring everything back to life, that man provided so many answers to my infinite questions through mere facial expressions as he talked and pressed buttons. I really must give him my thanks. So many people in the stands were probably frustrated if not furious at the situation, but despite it all there was Glen who managed to stay calm throughout everything. I am also proud to say that after three years of FLL volunteering, this was my first FRC event as a volunteer and I had an amazing time. Every team that took the field and every student I got to talk to made my day over and over. The ability of the FIRST teams and students at VCU to hold together and stay cooperative despite the setbacks really proves the value of the camaraderie that exists between FIRST folk from all over.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by McVey

So many people in the stands were probably frustrated if not furious at the situation, but despite it all there was Glen who managed to stay calm throughout everything.

Yes, it was mildly frustrating, but I can't say anyone was even mildly angry (much less furious): It was plainly obvious how hard the field tech folks were working to bring the field back to life. Like seeing a way-overworked waitress, how can you do anything but sympathize (and give thanks it isn't you)?

Someone else said it: The volunteers at Virginia last weekend were the best of the best.

[PayneTrain]

Not going to lie, the regional was mentally tough. Our build manager wanted me to coach for most of the day one matches, and I'm sure there was at least a 10 minute stoppage of competition at least 3 of those times. The last match we were in had us queued up and waiting for 40 minutes. I was sweating from nerves and the building conditions, thirsty from waiting so long in the heat, and upset that I felt deserted by the volunteers. It was really tough to get through. When I get home around 11 though, I thought about how the FTA and all of the Field Volunteers had to WORK through the darkness of the frazzled FMS. It was understandable. They could have just given up all together, but they didn't. Thanks.

Also, the guys from Jersey or any Week one regional can tell you that a 44-point penalty is small. i remember match one in Trenton had somewhere around 70 or 90 points in penalties, and two matches Team 422 played in assessed 20 and 40 penalties, resulting in some 4-0 and 12-10 to become 0-0 and 0-10 matches. Glad TU16 fixed some of that.

[coolyrd]

Thank you from Synergy 975

We had a blast this weekend and it is in no small part due to the following...

1731 and 1908: Thanks for being great alliance partners! It was a pleasure to compete along side you guys! We'll get 'em next time!

1676: Thanks for all the help this weekend. You guys are a real inspiration and a pleasure to get to know. We'll be pulling for you guys in Atlanta. Best of luck!

2363: Congratulations on the Motorola Quality Award! You guys are a great team and continue to impress! You guys have come so far in such a short time! Always a pleasure.

1571: You guys are a class act. Top to bottom. Thank you for the battery support in the elimination round. Also, you guys "quietly" add another two trophies to the case... congrats on Imagery and Safety (again!) this year! And of course Brian, Dean's List finalist. Go Midlo!

346, 617, and 1895: Thanks for a great quarterfinal round. It was great to play against (and nearly get the better of) you guys. Glad to see you guys fight your way into the finals in an incredible way. 346: Congrats on the Engineering Excellence Award! Go RoboHawks!

3136: Very, very impressed. Would never guess you guys were rookies. Was a pleasure to play with you guys in qualifying. Looking forward to see you guys grow!

1086: Again you guys represent the competitive gold standard by which we judge our progress. Congratulations on another great Regional and best of luck in Atlanta! Hope you guys continue to take your game to the next level.

Thank you to everyone (all the volunteers, judges, refs, field crew) who made this a great Regional! Can't wait to see everyone back next year!

[msmalik428]

First off, the volunteers, referees, and FIRST officials did a great job this year, especially dealing with all the field issues. They were there to help us every step of the way, including getting our robot inspected during the opening ceremonies ><. Although things did not go as we hoped this year (our bot faltered due to various minor issues), the entire Regional served as a huge learning experience for us.

I would like to congratulate teams 1676, 1418, and 1086 for the huge win! All of you guys deserve it! It seemed to be the perfect alliance, each robot complemented one another.

Also, teams 1895, 617, and 346 also did an amazing job! Going from the 7th seed all the way to Regional finalists is no easy task!

Team 122!! You guys are amazing. You were there whenever we needed anything and serve as the epitome of gracious professionalism and coopertition. Y'all deserved it!

Mr. Clarke from 1086: Congrats again on the WFFA!! After seeing your various interactions with our team and others, you no doubt deserved the award.

Special shout out to:

Team 3168. You guys kept our spirits up throughout competition, helped us whenever we needed it. Congratulations again on the Rookie All Star!! I can't wait to see all of you guys at worlds!! Love you Mama Tree!!!

Teams 75, 2108, 1137, 617: Thanks for all of your help with our Robot during the Regional. Whether it was our programming, mechanical issues, or tools that we needed, all of you guys were there to help us out! Thanks.

I'm sure I left out a bunch of teams that helped us, so thanks everyone!!! You really made this Regionals great!! We could not have got our bot up and running for Worlds without you!

See you soon!
TALON 540

[Kevka]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

975, you guys are a great team, and the #2 seed proves it. We are glad we could help you out, and hope to meet up with you guys some time in the future. Say hello to your German kid from me, too and watch that metal dust!

Vell, greetings from the German kid and thank you very much for helping us with our issue, the 3.142oneers are a truly great team.

best regards Kevin

ps: I guess I will remember all my life long to keep that metal dust away from the circuit board.

[vlad1418]

Congratulations to all of the teams that attended the regional because everybody played very well out there. And it was an honor to be there with all those great teams. Cya next year

[Sky Captain]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I was wondering though, as a driver you enter a zen mode when you are driving and you kind of ignore all else. I heard that the last matches between us and the number one alliance were spectacular and I wish to see them from someplace thats not behind plastic. Did anyone get the video from the field or the uplink that was offered?