2010 Philadelphia Regional!

[petek]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

I made a quick map to describe food near the venue (marked a "A").

You missed one: Lemon Grass.



Their menu was featured extensively in the 2007 Philly Announcer Game. Who can forget such crowd pleasers as "tutti fruty duck" "Buddha dumplings", and my all-time favorite: "also helpful for the relief of muscle pain and cramps"?

[Graham Donaldson]

Originally Posted by Rich Kressly

Both wrong.
Abner's 38th & Chesnut. Cheesesteak wit and Waffle-cut fries.
Young people are so misinformed nowadays.

You're all wrong if you listen to my two friends from Philly (I haven't been there long enough to cast my own vote). One says Pat's for steaks, Geno's for fries, but the other says Tony Luke's is better for both.

And for George: Since it is Drexel, you need to fit in something about a dragon, or dragons. Inflatable dragons would be even better, so I'll give you bonus points for that (and can explain the very odd story behind it on the field between matches - field reset team ).

[rcoren22]

[quote=Graham Donaldson;941734]You're all wrong if you listen to my two friends from Philly (I haven't been there long enough to cast my own vote). One says Pat's for steaks, Geno's for fries, but the other says Tony Luke's is better for both.

Hey Don...

Team 223 goes to Tony Luke's.
I didn't want to say anything because it is so small that everyone can fight over Geno's and Pat's and leave Tony's empty for us.

(Congrats on all the success in Virginia and thanks for the new camera cable.)

[thefro526]

So, in the absence of Looking Forward, I figured I'd do some predictions for Philly.

The Philadelphia Regional is always an interesting event, and this year looks no different. Last year we saw a surprisingly strong alliance created in the 6th position storm through the Eliminations and take down the number one seed. If Philly defense is still alive and well, we could see the same happen again…

Onto the teams though; of the 44 teams competing in Philly this weekend 17 have already competed in the Eliminations, but only 2 Champions and 2 Finalists are in the Field. On top of that, 12 teams have not yet competed in 2010, and some of these could prove to be wild cards. In my usual fashion, I’ll break my predictions into Locks, Tips, and “Others”.

Locks:

341 – Of all of the teams going to Philly this weekend, Miss Daisy may have the largest Target on their back. 341 Pulled off seeding in the top spot even after getting a DQ Friday afternoon for “Aggressive Play”. They looked Dominant throughout Saturday Morning, and went on to win their Fourth Regional in Four Years. Expect Miss Daisy to make an impact this weekend, especially if they have some help.

103 – The Cybersonics are always a force to be reckoned with, and this year is no different. Their low and powerful machine uses a kicking mechanism derived from their 2008 trackball launcher combined with a “Wind Tunnel” ball possession mechanism similar to 25’s. 103 may have exited the Florida Eliminations in the Quarter-Finals, but I doubt they’ll let it happen again. Expect them to make some tweaks and go out in Philly as strong as ever.

365 – Once again MOE has fielded a competitive machine. With its Adjustable Kicker, Ball Possession System and Autonomous Targeting, MOEmentum is sure to stir things up a bit. With some help, 365 might be able to take home their Third Philly win in Three years.

2753 – The Wildly successful Rookie from 2009 is back again with an equally capable Machine. With some smart driving and Game play there’s no doubt in my mind that Overdrive will make it into the Eliminations, if not into the Finals. We’ve already seen that their design is proven, as their Pseudo-Twin,
2016, has already taking home two trophies, one Champion and one Finalist.

1218 – Vulcan Robotics is one of the two Finalists competing in Philly this weekend, and I wouldn’t expect anything less than a Semi-Final Appearance from them. 1218 has a Holonomic Drive coupled with a Capable Vertical bar Hanger and the ability to score well at times.

Tips:

56 – Robbe Extreme has fielded a Capable Robot once again. 56’s Kicker was a great asset in New Jersey and they were able to kick from the far zone with ease, this kicker coupled with a decent hanger made them a strong opponent or ally on the field.

272 – The Cyber Crusaders have a powerful adjustable kicker and a vacuum ball handler that should help them out a lot throughout the weekend. According to my sources they kick a bit too high though, so we’ll see if this ends up becoming a problem in the long run.

816 – The Westech Anomaly was one of the top “strikers” at New Jersey… when they moved. After being plagued with numerous control system problems throughout the weekend, The Anomaly managed to make their way to the Finals as a member of the Number two alliance. If they can get the kinks out of their machine in Philly, they should be one of the top strikers once again.

1647 – LRR has yet to play a match in 2010, but they’re planning capitalize on the Ball redirection strategy that seems to be all the rage right now. While they may not be able to control the falling balls as well as 469 or 51, they can without a doubt get them into their near zone with their mechanism. With some smart play and a strong offensive partner, 1647 may be a part of a pretty strong alliance.

395 – 2Train Robotics was part of the Winning Alliance in Philly in 2009. They’re back this year with another capable machine. 395 should be a player in the elims for sure.

3123 – I’ll admit that I don’t know much about the Wildcogs, but any Rookie that manages to get onto a regional winning alliance and has an 11-5-1 record from that event must be good, right?

Others

In addition the 11 teams listed above, the Elimination Alliances will be probably be composed from some of the following teams: 84, 223, 316, 321, 433, 639, 708, 709, 1143, 1391, 1640, 1712, 2729

Notes:

There are 32 Breakaway “Veterans” competing in Philly this weekend. Hopefully this will lead to a higher level of game play and fewer penalties.

Seeding will be interesting. “Philly Defense” will have a huge effect on where teams seed, should teams choose to play defense. Smart teams will probably begin to score for their opponents to drive their scores up – but hopefully it won’t come to this.

And if your team wasn't mentioned, or you didn't like what I predicted, then go out there and prove me wrong. (Seriously, do it.)

[The Lucas]

Great job, Dustin!
I've got a couple things to add.:

Originally Posted by thefro526

3123 – I’ll admit that I don’t know much about the Wildcogs, but any Rookie that manages to get onto a regional winning alliance and has an 11-5-1 record from that event must be good, right?

The Wildcogs have a very good striker with mecanum wheels. They also have a flare for the dramatic, scoring multiple goals during the finale period to win several DC elim matches.

Here is my prediction from another thread:

Originally Posted by The Lucas

One storyline I am looking forward to this week is:
Will the #1 seed win Philly?
A #1 seed hasn't won Philly since 2001 when the game was played 4v0. There is similar depth at the top and in the field at Philly this year, that would suggest similar parity. However, I am predicting that this is the year a #1 allaince will win Philly.

[Martinez]

Good Luck Chuck!

[rcmolloy]

Dustin, Great JOB!

Originally Posted by thefro526

1647 – LRR has yet to play a match in 2010, but they’re planning capitalize on the Ball redirection strategy that seems to be all the rage right now. While they may not be able to control the falling balls as well as 469 or 51, they can without a doubt get them into their near zone with their mechanism. With some smart play and a strong offensive partner, 1647 may be a part of a pretty strong alliance.

I would like to add a few things as well to us. Since the robot has multiple kickers, we can defend the opposing alliances goals from far distance kickers and redirect them instantaneously. Also, we are capable of being an offensive threat and autonomous threat as well.

I know the entire team is very stoked for the competition. It should be a great 3 days!

[thefro526]

Originally Posted by rcmolloy

I would like to add a few things as well to us. Since the robot has multiple kickers, we can defend the opposing alliances goals from far distance kickers and redirect them instantaneously. Also, we are capable of being an offensive threat and autonomous threat as well.

Robert,

I've seen your robot in action... I know it can kick.

But why kick when you can sit under the ball return and do the same thing...

[Lowfategg]

Originally Posted by thefro526

2753 – The Wildly successful Rookie from 2009 is back again with an equally capable Machine. With some smart driving and Game play there’s no doubt in my mind that Overdrive will make it into the Eliminations, if not into the Finals. We’ve already seen that their design is proven, as their Pseudo-Twin,
2016, has already taking home two trophies, one Champion and one Finalist.

Thanks Dustin for the kind words,

2753 has been hard at work on getting their machine up to Team Overdrive standards for the Philly regional. You can expect to see a much more reliable kicker and roller system along with a fully fixed and functioning lifting arm. Hopefully they can implement these fixes and get out on the field early Thursday.

Hope to see everyone there!

[rcmolloy]

Originally Posted by thefro526

Robert,

I've seen your robot in action... I know it can kick.

But why kick when you can sit under the ball return and do the same thing...

That day back during the build season didn't cross my mind 2 hours ago haha. I should have just said we're versatile.

[George A.]

Originally Posted by petek

You missed one: Lemon Grass.



Their menu was featured extensively in the 2007 Philly Announcer Game. Who can forget such crowd pleasers as "tutti fruty duck" "Buddha dumplings", and my all-time favorite: "also helpful for the relief of muscle pain and cramps"?

Is this the same restaurant that has spinsch?!?

[ShortBang]

Originally Posted by The Lucas

Great job, Dustin!
I've got a couple things to add.:


The Wildcogs have a very good striker with mecanum wheels. They also have a flare for the dramatic, scoring multiple goals during the finale period to win several DC elim matches.

Here is my prediction from another thread:

After meeting you at Chesapeake, I am looking forward to meeting you guys again.

If anyone is interested, 2199 has completely redone our kicking mechanism, so that it works 100% of the time now, and we added a roller "ball magnet." After dipping out in the Semi Finals in Chesapeake, we are looking forward to try and improve with an improved robot.

[petek]

Originally Posted by George A.

Is this the same restaurant that has spinsch?!?

Yup - the very same. Also featuring "shirmp in the blanket". I'm thinking I better go there for dinner Friday to see if they've made any changes.

[Graham Donaldson]

Originally Posted by petek

Yup - the very same. Also featuring "shirmp in the blanket". I'm thinking I better go there for dinner Friday to see if they've made any changes.

Hmm... the dining hall isn't open this week. I may have to try this "shrimp in the blanket" dish...

[petek]

Originally Posted by Graham Donaldson

Hmm... the dining hall isn't open this week. I may have to try this "shrimp in the blanket" dish...

That would be "shirmp" (sic), and I can recommend the "evil jungle princess" (if you like it hot) and the pad thai, haven't had the shirmp, though.