Questions about the WORLD championship, so far.

[Freddy Schurr]

Well, when I attend the Champs, I want to meet up with alot of people on CD and talk to them!

[gburlison]

The last two years we have flown to Atlanta and used MARTA to get around. Last year we packed the crate light to save money and hauled tools through the airport. About half of the team members had a bag with tools in it. I used a toolbox on wheels. It came in handy as other bags could be stacked on top.

[Bharat Nain]

Originally Posted by Freddy204

My team and I are planning to go to the WORLD championship and I was wondering what I should know before hand and anything to look forward towards?

Some questions so far.

1. Plane or bus? Which is better? I am worried that if we take a plane that our materials and tools will be lost.

2. Wrap party any good? Should we attend?

Taking the plane is an easier option. I am not sure how you would take care of the tools. I guess you could put it in our crate. If you do end up taking a bus, make sure your team gets to Atlanta on Saturday night(latest). Last year, we had the bright idea of taking the bus after school on Wednesday and reached Thursday morning. To make this post short, all of us were majorly exhausted and were not able to perform to even 1/4 our abilities and we didn't do that well in the competition. I would suggest to look at your budget and see what you can afford.

The wrap party was decent. It was relaxing after a tough weekend. Alternately, you can stay at your hotel and have a team party or just chill in the pool.

-Bharat

[kjohnson]

How you get your tools to Atlanta depends on how big your robot is. Last year, we happened to have a very short robot so we built two level crate with the robot on top and all of the tools on the bottom. It worked out great I don't think there not much that we needed that we didn't ship in the crate.

[Andy Baker]

Keep in mind that your tools don't have to be shipped and they don't have to travel with your team.

Many teams ride a bus or fly to the Championships. As this is happening, some energetic parent or mentor can drive the tools to Atlanta. We've done this every year since 1998. You'll see many small to medium-sized trailers at the Championships with a few team members unloading their tools, totes, and pit supplies.

If you want to put much effort into a pit display, this is the way to go. Ask around to see if parents have a cargo trailer and see if they want to help by driving this trailer to Atlanta. Then, once this is secured, you can make your neighboring teams happy by offering them a service of tool transport to Atlanta.

Andy B.

[RoboMom]

I assisted a team with planning a trip to the Championship on a shoestring last year.
They rented a bus and saved on two nights hotel by sleeping/traveling on Wed. night (12 hours with a stop for breakfast) and Sat. night (leaving after the wrap party). Coach buses are not cheap, but it was more affordable because of saving on the hotels. Although not my idea of a good time, they said it was fine, unlike Bharat's experience. The trip, for about 25 worked out to be about $400/pp, including bus, 2 nights hotel (booked outside the THS system, free breakfast), wrap party, vex party, and money for other meals.

Many school systems have an approved bus company list you have to use.

Lots of teams are restricted not only by money, but by time missed from school. Having a bus gives you a little more flexibility.
In 2002, before I got involved in helping plan travel, a travel agent booked us on a flight that had to change planes. Although there were about 10 non-stop flights, changing planes turned the trip into an all day thing.

My advice would be to start investigating the options now, looking at not just bus vs. plane, but with hotel, food, etc. The NEMO forums have some helpful hints.

[Carol]

MOE 365 took a bus last year - as Robomom said, the trip was overnight and you don't get much sleep, but it did save on one night at a hotel. I can get you the name of the bus company we used if you need it. This year, thanks to a suggestion from the NEMO conference at Ramp Riot, we got group rates on air tickets from Philly to Atlanta on AirTrans.

We had looked at traveling by Amtrak, which you could do from either Philly or Newark. It is an overnight trip similar to the bus. However, you would have to skip the wrap party Sat. night as it leaves about 8:00 PM.

We also have some mentors/parents who drive and take tools and other pit supplies. And of course buckets of buttons as well.

If you can make it the Atlanta, do so - it's an experience your team will never forget!

[RoboMom]

NEMO has white paper on "Tips for Travel" thanks mainly to KathieK.

[KTorak]

I personally flew with both coaches, my father, and another team member(I depise long trips in cars and busses). Others on my team drove, it was about 11 hours, so I can't answer about having EVERYONE go together.

However, the food and entertainment was pretty good last year at the party, it was just too cold. Me and 5 others from my team ran to The Omni and hopped in the hot tub becuase every other time we went, the place was jam packed with people.

[Silent_Stryker]

last year, our whole team & most of the engineers flew from detroit to atlanta, and had two of our engineers drive a truck down with our supplies + tools

[Wayne C.]

Originally Posted by Freddy204

My team and I are planning to go to the WORLD championship and I was wondering what I should know before hand and anything to look forward towards?

Some questions so far.

1. Plane or bus? Which is better? I am worried that if we take a plane that our materials and tools will be lost.

2. Wrap party any good? Should we attend?

NEVER TAKE A BUS UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Ship your tools with the robot. Pack light.

From NJ the bus trip is a killer and you will be so tired by the time you get there the whole event will be tainted. We did the bus trip last year. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Plan to go to the party- team members need to socialize with the teams from the rest of the country and have some fun. The whole point of FIRST is to get these kind of experiences. Why would you want to pass them up?

See you in the airport.......we always meet the other NJ teams on the way out.

WC

[KTorak]

I saw another FIRST team at DTW, but the name slips my mind, I kinda wish there would have been another FIRST team on the plane with us. However, I conversed with an engineer who sat next to me on the way home. I intend on flying next year and using the airport shuttle to get to our hotel. I was told not to rely solely on MARTA for transportation to the airport (but they do have a station right between the Dome and The Omni). Looks like a nonstop flight will run me around $250...I payed like $220 last year.

[Barry Bonzack]

Must Do's at championship:

Bring lots of extra team t-shirts and buttons. Use this as an icebreaker to trade with other people and meet as many as possible. This is usually done at regionals, but not to the extent as it is at the championship

Many people will start making lists of everyone they want to meet from CD. Make your list before you go and carry it with you. It'll remind you of who you have yet to meet.

Attend the workshops if you have time. There are lots of topics to help one become a better mentor or better builder. Check out the topics before the competition and pre register.

I didn't spend a whole lot of time watching actual matches, but most people want to. I figure there will be lots of promovideos later and many matches are archived.

The Vex party was a pretty good, I don't know if they'll do that again or not... But the Wrap party was awesome. I highly recomend it.

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

I know that if you are active in the forums like many of us are, you will have people to meet and things to see. However, I'd like to speak for a moment from the point of view of the average not-CD team member when I give this advice.

There are a few things you need to get done at Champs, but in my opinion the team always comes first. Make sure you set aside enough time each evening for your drive crews to meet with your scouts or however you arrange this. ATL is a big place, and the Georgia Dome is an awesome but colossal venue. There is a lot to do, but more important than which transport you use is when you meet as a team in the evening to go back to your hotel.

Set a time. Be persistent. Know where everybody is, because if you're about to get on a plane and suddenly little Johnny and Susie are missing, you have a problem, and the plane won't wait too long.

Fro the past few years, Team 461 has travelled from Indianapolis, IN to Championships by plane. This year, we will embark from the bursting metropolis of West Lafayette, IN by bus. A lot of people have been really apprehensive, but for the sake of money it can be very helpful, especially if you have a particularly large team.

Here are a few bus-travelling tips that I have learned from travelling to regionals as well as on band trips:

1) Recommend that people bring pillows. Really. Unless you have a super-compliant neighbor, bring a pillow.

2) Aisles are kind of like beds, in that they're flat and you can stretch out. Use the said aisles if necessary.

3) Please don't use the bathroom unless it's an emergency. For the sake of your team...

4) Bring ample snacks, and lots of water. Whether or not you've noticed, travelling is very exhausting, and dehydration is something that a lot of people forget about. They try to justify tiredness the next day with "lack of sleep", but lack of water can play a big role.

5) Keep in mind that you'll be eating a lot of fast food on your trip, which isn't always going to give you what you need nutrition-wise. I'm not your mother, but I'm a healthy eater. Apples are tasty. Bring one, or two, or three...

With those tips in mind, I will now speak from the view of the average team member who will get very annoyed with their CDified teammates for not wanting to go on tours or go see stuff. I've been guilty of this..."but I want to meet my friends!".

Not your entire team is in touch with the community. Sure, sucks for them, but try to make sure the team comes first. If you're a lone attender, that doesn't apply.

Good luck, and have a safe trip.
Oh, and I support the trailer thing. We take one too.

- Genia