OCCRA Banner

[frcguy]

As I was browsing tonight a box at the top of the screen appeared with a link to the OCCRA forum. Does anyone know what it is? I've never seen it before. Just curious.

Edit: I know what OCCRA is, I'm just wondering why there is a banner for it at the top of my screen.

[saikiranra]

From the AdamBot's website:

OCCRA

OCCRA stands for the Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association. Each fall 20 teams, each from a different high school, compete with each other in Oakland County, Michigan. Every year we play a new game, which requires students to build a new robot in order to play. These robots are similar to the ones you would see in FIRST.

Focus

OCCRA is not just to keep FIRST students working during the fall (although part of the reason that OCCRA began was to give the students something to do during the long off-season period.) The main purpose of OCCRA is to create a tournament in which the students are making and building a robot by themselves. In FIRST mentors are allowed to help the students design and even build their robot. Also, teams are allowed to use heavy machinery in their construction, which results in some very high tech and very expensive robots. But in OCCRA, the designing, building, and other aspects of robot construction are solely done by the students. This gives them more responsibility in controlling their own projects from start to finish. Another regulation is a limit on students. This gives them more responsibility in controlling their own projects from start to finish. Another regulation is a limit on “heavy machinery.” Teams build these robots with simple tools, like rulers, hacksaws and cordless drills. Machines such as lathes and welders cannot be used. Teams are also not permitted to have any kind of corporate sponsorship for OCCRA, forcing students to work together in order to raise money for their robot. It also teaches students how to operate on a limited budget.

What Does it Look Like?

OCCRA is much smaller than FIRST. The robots are much simpler and competitions mostly take place in high school gymnasiums. To see what your typical OCCRA competition is like, click on the video to the right to view an OCCRA match from the 2008 game Football Frenzy

EDIT: I believe the banner has at least been there since I started FRC. 47/51 are from Michigan so I'm assuming it is there because they compete and are trying to support it.

[Knufire]

Originally Posted by frcguy

As I was browsing tonight a box at the top of the screen appeared with a link to the OCCRA forum. Does anyone know what it is? I've never seen it before. Just curious.

Edit: I know what OCCRA is, I'm just wondering why there is a banner for it at the top of my screen.

It's been there as long as I can remember.

[frcguy]

Well this is weird. I've been using CD since December of last year and the first time I saw it was about 30 minutes ago. I've checked and my Adblock is disabled, so it wasn't blocking it.

Edit: just called a few of my friends who are Chief Delphi users, and they've never seen it before either. Something strange is happening here.

[tjf]

Never seen the banner before in my life, with or without ad-blocker. Curiouser and curiouser...

[Lili_1868]

Same here. I just now saw it.

[Knufire]

Strange, maybe I'm just remembering wrong? Or it could have been location based, as my registration IP would have been in Oakland County.

[jaredhk]

Originally Posted by frcguy

Something is happening here.

What it is ain't exactly clear.

[frcguy]

Originally Posted by Knufire

Strange, maybe I'm just remembering wrong? Or it could have been location based, as my registration IP would have been in Oakland County.

Well, my friends, Lili_1868, and myself are in California and tjf is in New Jersey...

Maybe it is IP based and the code that displays it is having an issue.

[Sperkowsky]

I've never noticed it until I saw this thread. It's possible it's always been there and no one ever noticed.

[saikiranra]

Originally Posted by frcguy

Well, my friends, Lili_1868, and myself are in California and tjf is in New Jersey...

Maybe it is IP based and the code that displays it is having an issue.

I too am from California. It is at the top of the page and isn't really in your face. It could be that you just missed it until now.

[EricH]

I think it's mainly up during the fall, when OCCRA is competing. Speaking of which... It's getting close to that time of year known as pre-season!

[Rachel Lim]

Originally Posted by EricH

I think it's mainly up during the fall, when OCCRA is competing. Speaking of which... It's getting close to that time of year known as pre-season!

I think this is correct. Web Archive shows the banner up on 8/8/15 but down on 5/27/16. It also matches what I remember as I've definitely seen it up before but don't remember it being there during build season.

http://web.archive.org/web/201509080...ums/portal.php

http://web.archive.org/web/201605270...ums/portal.php