pic: Dez hits the big red button!!

[EddieMcD]

It was just an ordinary quarterfinal 3.1 at Beantown Blitz. Teams 178 and126 were facing 69 and 213. All was going well. Then, halfway through the match, something happened. Eyewitnesses couldn’t tell me why it happened, but we sure know what happened. All of a sudden, Aidan Browne, head referee at Blitz, came over to the scorekeeper’s table with a distraught look on his face. Two words came out of his mouth: “Kill it.” Sitting at the scorekeeper’s position was head scorekeeper Mike “Dez” Dessingue. Dez inquired which robot needed disablement. But Aidan wasn’t referring to disablement. “Kill it all. Stop this.” Dez gave a quick glance before catching on. And he saw his target in front of him. It was a red button which was meant for shutting down the entire match and all the robots connected to the field. Without a second thought, Mike slammed down on the now titled “Big Red Button”. The two-toned buzzer sounded through the Mathews Arena, and the four robots on the field ceased to function. In a fraction of a second, it was all over. The match was successfully killed. High fives went all around the scorekeeper’s table due to the excitement over the Big Red Button. Aidan couldn’t be reached for comment afterwards, but Dez gave us a small sound byte. “YES!” Apparently, he was excited at actually getting to use the Big Red Button. Will it ever get use again? Only time will tell. Until next time, this is Eddie McDonnell of the Chief Delphi Daily News.

[Astronouth7303]

Can I have that job next year?

[Tom Bottiglieri]

i want a big red button

[Devin L.]

what REALLY happened was the light at the driver station wasnt working. our robot was off (we forgot to turn it on ) and the light should have been blinking to let the refs know so that we could have turned it on. BTW, awesome job Mike!!

[Michael Corsetto]

What happened?

Oh yeah, I want a big red button too.

[Devin L.]

Originally Posted by Rex114

What happened?

alright, basically, we (myself and mike m.) forgot to turn on our robot when we put it on the field. so they ended up restarting the match.
note: i may be talking about the wrong match...

[Marc P.]

That was quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life. Aidan runs over to the scoring table waving his arms yelling "Kill it!!" Dez reaches over and smacks the big red kill button. The loud foghorn sounds, indicating an early end to a match, followed quickly by Dez screaming "YES!!!"

If it doesn't sound too funny now, you had to be there. Everyone around the scoring table cracked up.

(I was sitting right next to Mike (Dez) when it happened, so I couldn't help but snap a picture)

[Astronouth7303]

Good reflexes. It's hard to get a real pic like that (not posed after the fact)

[Melissa Nute]

Originally Posted by Astronouth7303

Good reflexes. It's hard to get a real pic like that (not posed after the fact)

I dunno...something makes me think that is posed b/c usually people are watching the field during a match rather than well...dez...

[Marc P.]

Yeah.. it's posed... but I got Dez to the same position and put on the same face he had when it actually happened.

The picture was posed about 40 seconds after it actually happened anyway, so the emotion is authentic

<edit> Rather than post again, I'll put my reply to the blow comment here-


It's a very crappy cheapo digital camera... were there aperture and flash controls on it, I'd have adjusted them. It's basically a point and shoot.

It was more a spur the moment pose, so I didnt' think to get people or the ref in on it. Besides, they were off doing other things (like resetting the field for the replay of the match )

[Astronouth7303]

a. Who's watching? (other than photographer)
b. the head ref was running and screamming.
I don't want to turn this into a debate.
[Actually, your missing the ref and the people staring at him]
(Turn down flash, turn up apperature/exposure, by the way.)
And who's hand is on the keyboard?

[Jay H 237]

Originally Posted by ToMMan b182

i want a big red button

Originally Posted by Rex114

Oh yeah, I want a big red button too.

I suggest that FIRST should include a "big red button" in the KOP next year to make everyone happy.

[Mike M.]

Originally Posted by Jay H 237

I suggest that FIRST should include a "big red button" in the KOP next year to make everyone happy.

I second that motion.

And something to tell you hey dummy you forgot to turn on the robot oops

[Astronouth7303]

Yeah! BRBs for everyone

(Actually, Our team wanted one for real. When we hook the bar, slam the button. It causes the robot to ignore user commands, play siren/lights, and pull itself up. Red alert! Red alert! 1227 is going up! :Star Trek SFX: )

[Billfred]

Dude! Those things work?

I recall on Thursday on Archimedes that we had to stop matches for a few while NASA re-did the network, and we were trying to figure out if it was possible to run matches with that little panel. But nobody, FIRST, IFI, or volunteer, could figure out how to run the darn thing. So we waited for the network to work.