[BB] What Do You Want at St. Louis Championships

[EricH]

I might have to get at a handbook I was given when attending a conference last winter at the America's Center. I think there were 80+ places to eat within a short walk; it wouldn't hurt for someone to see if they're still there. Handbook's at home, I'm at school 1500 miles away... Plus it has a map of where stuff is. (Or maybe my parents could get at it and get you a list of places to check...)

Or, simple solution to food: Send someone for Imo's. That's some good pizza...

[JesseK]

At the championships, I love the atmosphere. I almost wish the pits were organized completely numerically rather than by division, yet there are major disadvantages with that setup as well.

I don't mind the long haul from the pits to the dome in Atlanta. It's a trek, but that means we get TONS of exercise and MUST be organized (or get organized quickly).

I'd like to see Wednesday's agenda cleaned up or better organized. Do we bring a skeleton crew on Wednesday or the whole team? If we bring the whole team, what on Earth will they do the whole time if only a couple of people are allowed to do any work in the pits and (let's say) only half attend conferences? If we only bring a skeleton crew, then why do the rest of the students have to miss the opportunities to see FRC Titans present conference material in person and ask questions afterwards? It's a minor paradox, but due to the high quality of Wednesday's conferences as they apply to the FRC build season, I'd like to see more students have the opportunity to come. Does St. Louis offer more conference room space for Thursday/Friday?

[Koko Ed]

After years of hearing people complain about how "awful" Atlanta was crime wise when in reality they weren't even on the list of the most dangerous cities in America we are now going to the second most dangerous city in America.
I think assuring the safety of every team, volunteer and spectator attending the event is of the highest priority. Especially after some of the misfortune that had happened to a couple of teams at this year's championship.

[onecoolc]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

After years of hearing people complain about how "awful" Atlanta was crime wise when in reality they weren't even on the list of the most dangerous cities in America we are now going to the second most dangerous city in America.
I think assuring the safety of every team, volunteer and spectator attending the event is of the highest priority. Especially after some of the misfortune that had happened to a couple of teams at this year's championship.

I would like to interject that me and three of my team members got mugged walking back to our hotel Saturday night after the after-party. So to me keeping Safety a priority seems like a very good idea.

Beyond that, easy walking distance between the pit and the field is all I can ask for. I got sooo lost the first time I tried sprinting from one area to the next.

I also enjoyed having the FTC pits near FRC, I loved being able to take a break from scouting to go through and talk to them and learn about their designs.

[emersont49]

Originally Posted by onecoolc

I would like to interject that me and three of my team members got mugged walking back to our hotel Saturday night after the after-party. So to me keeping Safety a priority seems like a very good idea.

I'm very sorry to hear about your experience in Atlanta. I am a St. Louis native and a member of the St. Louis FIRST Planning committee. We are actively involved in making sure visitors to our city will have an outstanding experience. Millions of visitors attend events every year at the Edward Jones Dome. Their safety has always been a priority.

[R2D2DOC]

I have not been to the St. Louis venue, however, it seems as though there is enough room to place one additional full arena in hall 5. If scheduling is possible, could this extra field be used for "interleague" play as pro baseball does it. That would allow for more matches, between teams in other divisions and still get enough matches in and alleviate some time crunch.

[EricH]

I'd say that while it's possible to place a field there, it's unlikely.

FIRST Championships has to account for the following:
--FRC Championship Event (5 FRC fields, plus 2 in the pits and 2 more in their trailers)
--FTC Championship Event (2+ FTC fields--figure about 1 FRC field per pair spacewise, maybe 1 FRC/4 FTC)
--FLL World Festival (fits on Einstein Field during Thursday and Friday)
--JFLL
--Hall of Fame
--Scholarship area
--Supplier showcase
--Pit and storage space for all of the above

I predict the following layout:

FRC/FTC fields in the Arena
FRC/FTC/FLL pits in the various conference halls (my guess would be 3, 4, 5 for distance to the arena, with part of 2 as extra space)
Conference/judging rooms, volunteer lounge, VIP area in the America's Center rooms
Storage in Hall 1 or Hall 2, maybe both (crates, field cases).

It would be an interesting trick to get inter-divisional play on a 6th field, but I'd rather see it used as the "hurry-up" field for if a field is more than a match or two behind schedule, or an inter-divisional practice field. Or, better yet: Put the speeches in there and have Einstein actually finish on time!

[MasterRobot]

Originally Posted by iCurtis

It never made much sense to me why the FLL field was on the floor of the Dome. I competed in the FLL World Festival in 2003 and 2005. In 2003 it wasn't on Einstein, and in 2005 it was.

We were a bit disappointed in 2003 to find that we were somewhat of a "side show" to the big robots. That said, we were near the pathway between the pits and the field, so we got to watch robots stream by all day. However, being in our own little world meant we could speak to the judges in a normal speaking tone, and watch other robots compete.

It was cool to have FLL along side the bigger competitions. It was amazing being there and looking around at the sheer size of the arena and knowing that everywhere around you there would be other robotics competitions going on. For FRC, yes FLL doesn't make much sense being down in the dome, but for students and FLL teams, it's a pretty big deal and is pretty awesome that it happens that way.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

How about some simple stuff like letting students carry a water bottle, snacks and candy into the event.
And please let the security people know that teams will line up before doors open, and they will be carrying a lot of stuff into the pits.

[sanddrag]

I would like to see the President of the United States attend and speak, and I would like to see hot pizza at the after party. I would also like to see more team members allowed into the pits on Wednesday evening, and the wrist-band process replaced with a computer-printable bar-code pass, or just a name check-in. I also would like to see an established process for transferring pit areas from the pits to the fieldside, for teams competing in the finals, and more members allowed here as well.

Also, I would like to see an increase in sound quality and a decrease in sound volume.

[ChristopherSD]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Also, I would like to see an increase in sound quality and a decrease in sound volume.

I like the sound of that.

See what I did there?

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Also, I would like to see an increase in sound quality and a decrease in sound volume.

At least, nothing close to Archimedes levels. Some other fields (Galileo) were fine though, but how hard is it to check stuff like volume?

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

At least, nothing close to Archimedes levels. Some other fields (Galileo) were fine though, but how hard is it to check stuff like volume?

I felt Archimedes was on the quiet side. I couldn't hear the emcee or announcers, and the music they played was really quiet just with the bass turned up. I just wished they would turn down the bass and up the volume.

[Phoenix Spud]

I would like to see JFLL, FLL, and FTC take a bigger role. Those students have worked just as hard as FRC students have. This year, my FRC team's pit was right by FTC and FLL, and it was great when the FLLers came over to say "Hi!" They could grasp the concept of our robot better than most kids their age. Getting to meet them was one of the highlights of my trip.

I think FLL and FTC should remain with the FRC fields, on the dome floor. I watched some of the FLL robots in Atlanta this year, and I was impressed with their design and engineering principles applied.

[ttldomination]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

How about some simple stuff like letting students carry a water bottle, snacks and candy into the event.
And please let the security people know that teams will line up before doors open, and they will be carrying a lot of stuff into the pits.

I really like this idea. As big of a factor safety is, I think that buying a $4 water vs. dehydrated students is ridiculous. And don't say that go to the water fountain. One can only go to the fountain so many times.