Florida offseason event, Mission Mayhem

[Stephen Kowski]

Originally Posted by nehalita

Just an interesting note: If you thought Friday was a lot of rain, check out the news, we have a Tropical Depression heading our way!

great i have a test on tuesday, hopefully this postpones it....

[vic burg]

Well, yesterday was quite interesting... and I had so much fun driving well....shooting for 108..... and basically killing both of hands in the span of 24 hours....taking apart, put back together the field.....and working on our robot....watch the videos....108 had one heck of a day yesterday...our poor baby......but oh how fun it was too when we twice accidentally had our controllers on the opposite side of our robots on the field.....got two announcers confused with that one....and Tropical Storm Alberto hit today. That was lovely.
Hope everyone got home safe from this weekend!!!! And hope you had a lot of fun!

[hoorayforpink]

while we were waiting for our match we were right in front of the filed in the hallway next to the ramp and we saw 108 just get tipped and heard it crash we were well to say the least a little sorry for the machine

[Arefin Bari]

Mission Mayhem 2006 was yet the most risk taking but the most fun off season I have ever seen/worked on. Just a little background… On Thursday, the committee and bunch of other volunteer shows up at DeVry at 9 in the morning to setup. Tent went up by 3 p.m. Then the field. We were there till about midnight working on the field. Next day (Friday) we show up there around 7 in the morning to get the field up an running to start the event at 10 a.m. Everything was going smooth. We even ran the fun competitions outside under the tent. Then we had lunch. During lunch it started raining. Knowing the mayhem crew, they all go run out to the field and try to keep it dry. In about 10 minutes one side of the field was floating on water (about 3 inches off of the ground). It was a mess. I was to a point when I was about to cry to see this situation. Mayhem crew didn’t give up. While many people from other team and I were outside was there to make sure that the field is fine. Mike walker led up a committee with team 233 and came up with a new game while Mr. John Burke was talking to DeVry people to see what can be done. In about two hours, Mike and Billfred present us with a new game. All the plans change and we start moving inside. Crew was there till 1 in the morning getting the new field ready. Saturday was a new day. The competition ran very smooth and it was very exciting. Thanks to all teams for coming and sticking with us.

Now few people that I need to thank…


Mike Walker – It has been two years that you came down and took care of the field. You didn’t let any of us complain.


David Ellich – You have been a great mentor to team 1251 and a great friend to broward country teams. Anytime we have an event here, you always help.


Kent Stolley – You were only there to compete, but when the rain came down, you were the first one to go out there and tried to protect the field.


Billfred – You came down all the way from South Carolina to ref for us. South Florida FIRST committee appreciates you.


Andrew Rudolph and Tytus Gerrish – You two have done a great job getting the trophies done. Andrew is the man when it comes to make trophies. Not only that you helped for Mayhem, you have always offered your help for ANY teams in Florida. The state of Florida teams misses you.


Neha Batra – You have been by my side ever since I started working on Mayhem.


Dan Richardson – Thanks for coming out again and DJ for us both days. I don’t think I ever had complains about the music you play.


Sam Lipscomb – You don’t even live in Florida, but you never hesitated to help with the website even if I imed you or called you at midnight. Thank you.


Jaine Perotti – Your logo has become the official logo for Mayhem. Thank you.


James Payne – The Woodie Flower’s award winning mentor showed up to Mayhem and helped with putting the field together as well as taking it down. I have never seen this man sit down and breathe for the past 3 days. He also ran the concession stand.


Team 1251 crew – You guys have been involved with FIRST only for 3 years. Whenever I needed something, you guys never said no to me. Thanks for sticking with us this past weekend.

It was great to see all the teams come together and say that it was their competition and they want to compete. Teams made it possible. They stayed late, helped taking down the real field and making the new field. Team 233 worked with the game committee and came up with the new game. We have gotten a lot of feedback about this game and everyone seems to love it. I was always told that we are crazy (Florida people). I would have to agree with that after this event. We all worked as a team to come out with all the possibilities possible and still had a great event.

p.s. – I am very worn out from Mayhem. I am sure I have missed many people on my list. I will come back and edit this post if I need to add anyone else on the list.

[nehalita]

Mission Mayhem was in the Miami Herald Newspaper . Check it out!

Fifteen teams of high school students gathered in Miramar on Saturday to compete at basketball.

But the actual players were robots designed by the students.

The FIRST Robotics invitational tournament and showcase at DeVry University pit the teams from Central and South Florida against each other in engineering and problem-solving.

''It allows people to channel their competitive juices into something that's also good for academic skills,'' said Julio Torres, president of DeVry, which sponsored the tournament along with the Broward Schools magnet programs.

In January, each team had been given a kit with motors and basic parts. They had six weeks to design, build and program a robot to shoot foam basketballs into nets -- and stop other robots from doing the same.

They brought their inventions to competitions put on by FIRST -- For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The nonprofit organization uses robotics contests around the world to encourage students to get involved in science and technology careers.

The contests this weekend -- dubbed Mission Mayhem -- in Broward were off-season events that gave the students another chance to put their robots to the test.

On Friday, the contestants had to go back to the drawing board before they could even compete. Rain had flooded their outdoor field and they had to design a new one and move the games indoors. They did it in three hours.

That ingenuity was matched in the contest.

Pine Crest High School's Panther Bot had two net panels raised by a pneumatic mechanism to block opponents' shots. Elliot Brodzki, 17, said it's the only robot his team has seen that has that type of mechanism.

Team member Aaron Lewis said they won the Motorola Quality Award at the 2006 FIRST regional competition because of the robot's strong design.

''It's pretty much a tank without the gun,'' he said.

In one match, the team, after shooting all of its balls, maneuvered the robot onto a ramp in the middle of the field, a task worth an extra 15 points. While the competing robots struggled, the Panther Bot lifted its shot-blocking nets in victory.

In the final eliminations, teams partnered with two other teams to form an alliance. Panther Bot teamed up with the Platinum Dragons from Stranahan High School and The Pink Team from Rockledge High School and Cocoa Beach High School to win the Championship Robot Alliance.

Wolvcat team co-captains Jimmy Bourne, 17, and Frank Azcuy, 16, of Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, said they plan to make a career out of technology.

Bourne will attend the Summer Academy for Mathematics and Science at Carnegie Mellon University this summer, and Azcuy hopes to attend the University of Florida to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.

[Specialagentjim]

Originally Posted by Arefin Bari

Mission Mayhem 2006 was yet the most risk taking but the most fun off season I have ever seen/worked on. Just a little background… On Thursday, the committee and bunch of other volunteer shows up at DeVry at 9 in the morning to setup. Tent went up by 3 p.m. Then the field. We were there till about midnight working on the field. Next day (Friday) we show up there around 7 in the morning to get the field up an running to start the event at 10 a.m. Everything was going smooth. We even ran the fun competitions outside under the tent. Then we had lunch. During lunch it started raining. Knowing the mayhem crew, they all go run out to the field and try to keep it dry. In about 10 minutes one side of the field was floating on water (about 3 inches off of the ground). It was a mess. I was to a point when I was about to cry to see this situation. Mayhem crew didn’t give up. While many people from other team and I were outside was there to make sure that the field is fine. Mike walker led up a committee with team 233 and came up with a new game while Mr. John Burke was talking to DeVry people to see what can be done. In about two hours, Mike and Billfred present us with a new game. All the plans change and we start moving inside. Crew was there till 1 in the morning getting the new field ready. Saturday was a new day. The competition ran very smooth and it was very exciting. Thanks to all teams for coming and sticking with us.

Now few people that I need to thank…


Mike Walker – It has been two years that you came down and took care of the field. You didn’t let any of us complain.


David Ellich – You have been a great mentor to team 1251 and a great friend to broward country teams. Anytime we have an event here, you always help.


Kent Stolley – You were only there to compete, but when the rain came down, you were the first one to go out there and tried to protect the field.


Billfred – You came down all the way from South Carolina to ref for us. South Florida FIRST committee appreciates you.


Andrew Rudolph and Tytus Gerrish – You two have done a great job getting the trophies done. Andrew is the man when it comes to make trophies. Not only that you helped for Mayhem, you have always offered your help for ANY teams in Florida. The state of Florida teams misses you.


Neha Batra – You have been by my side ever since I started working on Mayhem.


Dan Richardson – Thanks for coming out again and DJ for us both days. I don’t think I ever had complains about the music you play.


Sam Lipscomb – You don’t even live in Florida, but you never hesitated to help with the website even if I imed you or called you at midnight. Thank you.


Jaine Perotti – Your logo has become the official logo for Mayhem. Thank you.


James Payne – The Woodie Flower’s award winning mentor showed up to Mayhem and helped with putting the field together as well as taking it down. I have never seen this man sit down and breathe for the past 3 days. He also ran the concession stand.


Team 1251 crew – You guys have been involved with FIRST only for 3 years. Whenever I needed something, you guys never said no to me. Thanks for sticking with us this past weekend.

It was great to see all the teams come together and say that it was their competition and they want to compete. Teams made it possible. They stayed late, helped taking down the real field and making the new field. Team 233 worked with the game committee and came up with the new game. We have gotten a lot of feedback about this game and everyone seems to love it. I was always told that we are crazy (Florida people). I would have to agree with that after this event. We all worked as a team to come out with all the possibilities possible and still had a great event.

p.s. – I am very worn out from Mayhem. I am sure I have missed many people on my list. I will come back and edit this post if I need to add anyone else on the list.

What, just because I created a 1,000,000 point bonus for hitting you and a 5x multiplier for in the head for the new game exempts me from the list? sheesh, the things I do for FIRST.

Haha, but seriously, the event was AWESOME. All those people on that list deserve more thanks than anyone can give them.

All Hail Mike Walker, Robot Lifeguard. Always on duty, ready to jump in and save robots anytime, anywhere, and from anything. Whether its a fire or a flood, Mike will be there. Mike, I dub thee the official Robot Lifeguard.

[Arefin Bari]

Originally Posted by Specialagentjim

What, just because I created a 1,000,000 point bonus for hitting you and a 5x multiplier for in the head for the new game exempts me from the list? sheesh, the things I do for FIRST.

Haha, but seriously, the event was AWESOME. All those people on that list deserve more thanks than anyone can give them.

All Hail Mike Walker, Robot Lifeguard. Always on duty, ready to jump in and save robots anytime, anywhere, and from anything. Whether its a fire or a flood, Mike will be there. Mike, I dub thee the official Robot Lifeguard.

Told you that I forget people on my list...

Jim was there Friday and Saturday planning for the new game and help make the new field. He also reffed both days.

By the way, Mike Walker scored the highest point EVER in FIRST history yesterday. =)

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Arefin Bari

By the way, Mike Walker scored the highest point EVER in FIRST history yesterday. =)

Mike Walker also received the most penalties of anyone at the event, five points for every time he didn't click the right button on his own software. (I'm being serious about the penalties thing; thirty matches plus elimination rounds, and the refs didn't throw a single flag on teams. I loved it.)

For all the props I've been getting about the rules to Aim, well, Kinda High, I have to note that I did very little in the way of the game concept. By the time I entered the room with the GDC, just about everything but scoring had been hammered out. My main contribution was to write it into a manual, which surprisingly fit onto one sheet. (Alright, so I did contribute the tournament rules on abolishing the serpentine draft, team rotation, and threatening a Poof ball attack on anyone who graciously accepted. But that was it, I swear.)

I've got a few folks to thank:

Every single team who stuck it out and ran on Saturday. These teams were competing about every three or four matches on about an eight-minute match cycle. They were flexible, too; 1592 left after Friday, and with everything else we just didn't have the time to crank out a new match listing. So the six or so teams affected were given a solution to keep the matches reasonably fair: pick a partner, any partner, which we also extended to robots who were broken down for one reason or another. We always had four robots on the field, with some teams even running back-to-back matches just to accomplish this goal. Teams that made the finals were playing over a dozen matches by the end of the day. Talk all you want about how hardcore your team might be, but these teams played quite literally through hell and high water for the love of the game.

Mike Walker for letting me get a crack at the Hatch scoring software. (I somehow succeeded in beating the software into submission, making it generate the 2v2 matches we had planned elsewhere without crashing.) Mike also developed the awesome RTS system you saw on the big screen, complete with a clicker system made from momentary switches and a hacked-up USB keyboard. It was a thing of ghettofabbed beauty.

Arefin Bari for letting me crash with him, and for helping organize the whole shebang.

All of the folks who tuned in on the web feed, for letting us know what you thought of the game. We're glad you liked it as much as we did.

Everybody from DeVry for bending over backwards to help us. With all of the game design going on, we were going on a lot of assumptions; when the idea was pitched to the DeVry staff, they asked all of the questions that needed to be asked, particularly involving safety to robots, people, and building alike. (If you looked carefully on the webcast, you would've seen that we protected the walls near the ramp with the lexan from the deleted player stations and corner goals.) And when the manual was ready, they got me to a printer and copier within minutes to get enough copies for everyone involved. These folks are a class act.

The FIRST GDC for creating a game that lent itself to close-quarters-friendly robots and a field that assembles in odd configurations so well that if the FIRST logos on the ramps hadn't been chopped off, you'd swear that the Aim, well, Kinda High field was the way that it was supposed to be.

Barry Bonzack for the lift to the train station and the lively wake-up. (You know you're lost when you get directions from a deputy that include "If anybody approaches your car, run that stop sign.")

Tytus Gerrish for the lift from the train station, and for putting up with all of our Michael Jackson jokes.

If I think of anybody else, I'll edit.

[miketwalker]

Now that I'm back in town and passed the exam I had to take (yay for time to study this weekend, eh? :-p), I've got a pretty big list of people to thank. There were so many people (and if I forget anyone, yell at me, because I'm still recovering on sleep).

John Burke - I can't count the number of times I've been on the phone with that guy in the past several weeks. He's been at the heart of this competition and has been an incredible coordinator.

David Ellich and the rest of the committee - They did such a good job in the planning phases with getting things in line that I rarely needed to talk with them to keep things going, even when everything turned into Mayhem. They organized the sponsors/venue/volunteers so incredibly well that in crisis the support groups were completly in place.

Arefin Bari - Mr. Burke's right-hand man. The two of them together did an incredible job organizing the volunteers/sponsors/venue/etc.

DeVry - I have never seen such an excited sponsor/venue. The entire community became part of FIRST for the days we were there. The IT guys were so amazing, everytime I had a problem/request I got 10x what I asked for in return... and with a large smile. After all of the problems on Friday when I talked with several of the higher-ups they just smiled and said "Hey, this is all part of how it goes... you guys will figure something out." to coming in Saturday and them loving the final product.

A personal moment that really, really made my weekend was when I came in at 6:30 Saturday morning and it was just Billfred and I with the security guard opening the door for us. Then when he started singing I just went "Wow, you have an incredible voice..." and I listened to him sing the national anthem. He later was invited and changed out of his security clothes into dress clothes and sang the national anthem for our opening ceremonies and was so incredibly proud to be part of what we were doing. It was really cool to see how happy he was both to be able to sing in front of all of these people as well as join in with all the work he had been watching over the past few days.

Jim Martz - I'd almost consider Jim my twin, even though we look nothing alike. Since we worked on Battlebots IQ early last year, it's been great working with Jim because he's always on the same page as me and is always there to help out without even having to tell him what the situation is.

Everybody in the GDC room - Wow! You guys made for one of the most exciting and incredible 3 hours of my life. When Mike from DeVry came into the room at one point he talked to me on the side and I just said "If you want to see a miracle happen, sit in this room for 10 minutes." and he just smiled. Great job to everybody in there.

Billfred - A long trip, an even longer weekend. Between helping finalize the game rules, and then working with the refs and teams to get everybody on the same page very quickly was great.

Kevin from 1251 - Without Kevin, the field would not have run. Plain and simple. He spent the day helping to keep our manual-field-control going by manually setting each team's radio frequency every match. After the first few matches he had gotten so good at it that we didn't even have to check with him to make sure everybody's radios were set properly. Between that and his help with John on the RTS USB Keyboard setup, he was a key member to the functioning competition. He also built the final modified 3-pt goals used to fit below the roof and also integrate with the field. I'm really glad he'll be coming to UCF in the fall, I look forward to getting to work with him more in the upcoming year.

John from 1251 - The video guy. He helped me out incredibly much when I was starting to figure out issues with the webfeed on Thursday. He stuck with it all day until we had it working that night and then ran the video and kept the webfeed going for the competition.

Everyone that built that field - There were alot of hurting backs after all the field movement between building, takedown, moving, rebuild, takedown, pack, ship. We couldn't have done it without the reliable members that helped out with the entire process.

George Wallace and Neha - Their in-game announcing was incredibly fun and made for a very fun competition.

The FIRST GDC - Although the modular field was probably not designed for something like this, its' adaptability was incredible. I have found even more respect for the GDC group after the events of this past weekend... you guys do an amazing job creating these games, and when we met to even try to creating something of that quality was such a challenge. Thank you for everything that you do.

[wendymom]

This is for all the great people who put on Mission Mayhem, Exploding Bacons very first off season event. THANKs!!!!!!

We had so much fun and we were able to be successful even though you stole all of our mentors. Thanks also to Mars for picking us again even though we were missing a wheel, we love partnering with you guys.

Pink did an awesome job once again.

I personally had lots of fun and was able to talk to many of the other mentors I hadn't met.

Can't wait for next year....somewhere inside

[Swampmonkey]

Originally Posted by Arefin Bari

Mission Mayhem 2006 was yet the most risk taking but the most fun off season I have ever seen/worked on. Just a little background… On Thursday, the committee and bunch of other volunteer shows up at DeVry at 9 in the morning to setup. Tent went up by 3 p.m. Then the field. We were there till about midnight working on the field. Next day (Friday) we show up there around 7 in the morning to get the field up an running to start the event at 10 a.m. Everything was going smooth. We even ran the fun competitions outside under the tent. Then we had lunch. During lunch it started raining. Knowing the mayhem crew, they all go run out to the field and try to keep it dry. In about 10 minutes one side of the field was floating on water (about 3 inches off of the ground). It was a mess. I was to a point when I was about to cry to see this situation. Mayhem crew didn’t give up. While many people from other team and I were outside was there to make sure that the field is fine. Mike walker led up a committee with team 233 and came up with a new game while Mr. John Burke was talking to DeVry people to see what can be done. In about two hours, Mike and Billfred present us with a new game. All the plans change and we start moving inside. Crew was there till 1 in the morning getting the new field ready. Saturday was a new day. The competition ran very smooth and it was very exciting. Thanks to all teams for coming and sticking with us.

Now few people that I need to thank…


Mike Walker – It has been two years that you came down and took care of the field. You didn’t let any of us complain.


David Ellich – You have been a great mentor to team 1251 and a great friend to broward country teams. Anytime we have an event here, you always help.


Kent Stolley – You were only there to compete, but when the rain came down, you were the first one to go out there and tried to protect the field.


Billfred – You came down all the way from South Carolina to ref for us. South Florida FIRST committee appreciates you.


Andrew Rudolph and Tytus Gerrish – You two have done a great job getting the trophies done. Andrew is the man when it comes to make trophies. Not only that you helped for Mayhem, you have always offered your help for ANY teams in Florida. The state of Florida teams misses you.


Neha Batra – You have been by my side ever since I started working on Mayhem.


Dan Richardson – Thanks for coming out again and DJ for us both days. I don’t think I ever had complains about the music you play.


Sam Lipscomb – You don’t even live in Florida, but you never hesitated to help with the website even if I imed you or called you at midnight. Thank you.


Jaine Perotti – Your logo has become the official logo for Mayhem. Thank you.


James Payne – The Woodie Flower’s award winning mentor showed up to Mayhem and helped with putting the field together as well as taking it down. I have never seen this man sit down and breathe for the past 3 days. He also ran the concession stand.


Team 1251 crew – You guys have been involved with FIRST only for 3 years. Whenever I needed something, you guys never said no to me. Thanks for sticking with us this past weekend.

It was great to see all the teams come together and say that it was their competition and they want to compete. Teams made it possible. They stayed late, helped taking down the real field and making the new field. Team 233 worked with the game committee and came up with the new game. We have gotten a lot of feedback about this game and everyone seems to love it. I was always told that we are crazy (Florida people). I would have to agree with that after this event. We all worked as a team to come out with all the possibilities possible and still had a great event.

p.s. – I am very worn out from Mayhem. I am sure I have missed many people on my list. I will come back and edit this post if I need to add anyone else on the list.

Here's my list (pressed for time, I'm at work).

Arefin: For hosting the whole thing, and working through adversity and all the people complaining to you (not me though).

Big Bird: For teaching us about how wonderful the letter "S" is.

[ INSERT YOUR NAME HERE ]: For [ INSERT ACCOMPLISHMENT HERE ] so well when [ INSERT RELEVANT SITUATION HERE ].

The Architect: I'd like to thank the architect who decided to use centralized storm drains in the center of EVERY parking lot segment instead of using gutters on the sides of some of them. Thank you for ruining the "old" game, leaving room for our awesome redesigned one that would give MacGuyver goosebumps. I love you.

If I missed anybody, please say so.

[technoL]

Just as a heads up there is a wrap up video on Broward School's website. It mainly focuses on 3 of the Broward teams, but it is there if anyone wanted to see it.

[hoorayforpink]

u weren't kidding when you said it mainly focuses on the broward teams, but it was cool none the less

[Arefin Bari]

Originally Posted by hoorayforpink

u weren't kidding when you said it mainly focuses on the broward teams, but it was cool none the less

The site you were visiting is the Broward County Public Schools website. Usually any county likes to use their home teams to promote stuff on their website.

[hoorayforpink]

that makes so much sense im not even going to believe you