Championship 2011 - St Louis - Your Thoughts Please?

[torihoelscher]

Originally Posted by 1986titans

Same here. I had a turkey wrap on Saturday and stopped eating it after I tasted something weird. At the time, I thought it was Mayo that wasn't on the one I had on Friday or something. I was very sick Saturday night, so this seems like a likely culprit.

I had a bad feeling about the turkey. but i ate the cookie and some chips. It was weird seeing all those people eating those dangerous boxed lunches. Anyone else have any issues?

[rwood359]

Originally Posted by fuzzwaz

-Some teams will not be attending the concert for various reasons. I know of a few teams personally who had scouting meetings or just didn’t want to go. Thankfully I am positive that all of 359 was there to accept the award, otherwise I would have been even more disappointed if they decided to reveal the winner at the concert and the team they choose being nowhere in sight.

We were all present. Sadly one mentor who was unable to stand in the mosh pit for an hour did not get to go on stage to receive the award.

-Besides all the discomfort this may have brought to a few teams, I was also unsure of the benefits this brought to the winning chairmans team. If I recall, no video was ever played, and as I anxiously waited to see excited students raise up that large clock in pure happiness, I never did. The clock was never officially handed to 359. Not to mention, I still am in love with the past's tradition of announcing the award during the finals, with ALL eyes on you. It has always seemed so magical, and everyone could just feel all the hardwork a team as done. Watching 341 stand up and start hugging each other while the crowd went wild was.. amazing to me. I REALLY hope 359 enjoyed themselves and had an amazing time at the concert, but I would not recommend FIRST does that again.

Our Chairman's video was not played at either event.

Enjoyed is a relative term. Four of us are 60+ and music that makes your insides shake doesn't qualify for enjoyed. Being with the team waiting for the announcement and hearing our team called was far beyond enjoyed.

[Billfred]

From my perspectives:

YAY:
-Playing in the pits was not bad at all.
-The robot commute to the dome was painless.
-The concert and the food after Einstein were awesome, and much appreciated.
-The LED curtains on Einstein were a nice touch, even if they rendered some logos with finer-width lettering (read: just about every college) illegible.

BOO:
-Sitting in the pit field stands was rough. I don't think anything further needs to be said there.
-The commute to the stands for spectators was a hike.
-Having seen it now, I totally get that an enlarged FTC area meant at least one field wouldn't fit in the dome regardless of the entertainment. (Bill Miller was highlighting that this change was already in the works for the move beforehand.) Given how much it got CD and teams (via the FRC Live questions box) riled up, I wish they'd mentioned this in advance to head it off the grumblers at the pass.
-The lack of music on Einstein took a little bit away from the spectacle...though if the i.am.FIRST crew (which was filming from that small platform near Einstein) is the reason, I'll give them a bit of a pass this time.
-I noticed that the noises on the pit fields could get a little loud for those in nearby pits (like us), while pit announcements could overpower the pit field PA. Perhaps some curtains would help block the sounds.
-It felt like the Hall of Fame was put way out in the boonies. I hope they'll be featured a bit more next year.
-Unlike the Georgia Dome, you don't really get a good perspective on where you are from the concourse unless you look through the portals. Some extra signage to highlight what field you're near (and how to get back to the pits--I know I made a couple of block-long dashes at first) would greatly aid navigation.
-At the risk of being nit-picky...drop the picnic chicken from the pre-order lunch list. It was pretty bad (though the other options I had, and the service, was fine).

That looks like the cons are longer than the pros, but most of them are pretty easily fixed. I give the overall experience a B+--no small feat for the first time trying to hold the event in a new facility.

[DblD22]

The good.
I liked the shorter distances to the fields both in the dome and the pit fields.
Inspection and inspectors helpful and efficient.
Numerical pits made it easier to find people who needed parts and help.
Even though it seemed crowded the shorter distances to many of the displays and the other levels of FIRST was nice.
Robo Prom was great!! and enjoyed by all my team.
Concert Saturday was great as far as team members concerned. Adult feedback was too much emphasis on making a video of it which was distracting. I put it in the good since we a here for the kids!

The bad.
Load-in was very bad. No covered unload area and nothing done to accommodate teams who arrived a little before 5:00 PM. Should have let teams offload and come inside to wait to go to pits. I went through one door that had no one checking in and the next door had one very slow person (linear single tasker) checking in only those coming in that door (about 5 minutes per team). Again teams lined up outside in rain! Event coordinator Jerry saved the day for us but don't know how others fared.

Bleachers way too small.

Newton field in the dome located 15' too close to the stands. Couldn't see 1/2 of the competition floor without standing up.

Adult coaches on the floor way to pushy and looking out only for their own team - don't need adult coaches on the floor in the first place but that is another issue. Seeding is when teams get to show what they can do and in many cases checkout fixes and teams should be allowed to demonstrate their robot to their fullest. Again winning is not everything - just the robot being able to function as designed is a victory for many teams.

Several teams (primarily rookie) around us expressed disappointment in the treatment by other teams - yelled at their drivers when their robot had problems during seeding rounds, etc. My team saw some of this since we had communication problems during most of seeding but since we have been around a while and don't have the win at all costs attitude of some of the teams we just ignored them. We were there to have fun, help others, and learn from the designs of other teams. FIRST is not just about winning the robotics portion of the competition. I felt really bad about one team who had travel a long way that expressed doubt they would ever return to the championship.

Shepard shipping was poor. Took an 1-1/2 hours to get our crate and finally had to go get it ourselves when we located the crate and found one of the crate handlers leaning on their pallet truck. Observed as many a six pallet handlers sitting around doing nothing while Shepard continued to tell us it was being delivered. If Shepard want a separate document it needs to be included with the shipping paperwork at check-in - you shouldn't have to go through line twice to get checked out. Shepard lines need roping to help control the inconsiderate people. (Like Atlanta in 2009 when FedEx handled it). Overall it took me over 2-1/2 hours dealing with Shepard.

Saturday night - just forget it. Atlanta in 2009 was OK - food was good and spread out enough to have some fun, even if it was just Frisbee. St. Louis food poor, not enough activities and couldn't find anything without a lot of walking around. Just don't do it if you can't make it memorable.

Don Davenport
Team 2655.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by CassCity2081

I dont know how other people felt about it, but I enjoyed the fields in the pits. I was in Curie division and so I was in the pits for two days. It was a much shorter commute to get to and from the field and I was able to get to my scouts quicker for information on the teams we would be playing. I think that it was better than many people thought it would be.

Working team que I LOVEd the field pits because we had ample space to load our teams. The setup reminds me alot of FLR and Chesepeake which are my favorite que setups.

[Jaxom]

Originally Posted by CassCity2081

I dont know how other people felt about it, but I enjoyed the fields in the pits. I was in Curie division and so I was in the pits for two days. It was a much shorter commute to get to and from the field and I was able to get to my scouts quicker for information on the teams we would be playing. I think that it was better than many people thought it would be.

I agree that the shorter commute to the pit fields was nice. However, I think the negatives overweigh the positive. The bleachers were terrible:
* The leg room MAY have been appropriate for a 6th grade class; it was painful for me & I'm not that tall. Actually, I thought the legroom in the dome was also bad as compared to other stadiums, but it was better than those bleachers.
* No backs to the bleachers. Seats in the dome had backs....
* At least in the Curie bleachers there weren't enough aisles, making getting to the middle seats difficult and somewhat dangerous. Someone ran some caution tape up the middle of our section on Saturday; that helped the difficulty part but was possibly even more dangerous.
* People walking by & standing at the edges of the fields blocked the view of the lowest levels of seats. This is a seating fault; we should expect people to be walking by & standing on the field during matches.

I almost would have rather been in the pits all three days (assuming adequate seating) instead of being tempted with Friday in the dome & then being thrown back to the pits for Saturday. But I would have rather had all teams be given the opportunity to have had all of their matches in a true Championship venue.

Overall I think it was a good event. I think the issues (and yes, there were more, as are being pointed out all over the place) are correctable, and next year the St. Louis folks will be putting on an even better event.

[Dan Petrovic]

Man, this will be my first time posting in years, but since I was able to attend and I opinions, let's let them fly!

The Good
St. Louis - It was a nice area that wasn't too crowded, the parking around the dome was incredible and, I felt, that there were plenty of places to eat in and around the dome. Also, the people from the area all seemed extremely interested in what was happening in their dome.
The Saturday Afterparty- I had been to Atlanta twice and getting dinner was never that easy. They were EXTREMELY prepared to feed all of the people there and they were able to get food to every very quickly and easily. Well done there. Also, the Talent Show was everything we've come to expect after years of seeing the IRI Talent Show.
The distance between the dome and the pits - I'm glad that I don't need to pack a lunch before going between the stands and the pits.
The weather - I know those in charge have no control of this, but it's still worth noting that the weather was fantastic.
The concert - Not only did it have the teams excited, but the commoners on St. Louis were excited to hear that the Black Eyed Peas would be in town. That was a ton of fun. Would attend again.
The hour before the Einstein matches - I never knew that music and airplanes would make waiting around so much fun.
utcjobs.com/first - As a college student, this is very much appreciated.

The Bad
The concert - The effect that this concert had on the rest of the competition cannot be overlooked.
The fields in the pits - This wouldn't have been so bad if there was more seating, or more space around the field. It felt like the Boilermaker Regional, but with twice as many teams. There's no way that would work.
Einstein matches - I don't know about you guys, but I felt that Einstein was rather lackluster. Not to take anything away from the teams who played there, congratulations to you all, but it wasn't what I was expecting this game would end with. Maybe it was the lack of music, which I'm assuming had to be done because of the I.Am.FIRST, but that doesn't make it any less true.
Announcing the Chairman's Award Winner at the concert - This might be my biggest gripe of the whole event. My team was able to attend the championship event because of winning the RCA at GSR. We got on the floor, which was awesome and had a ton of fun at the concert. However, there were people from my team that did not go to the concert because they were tired, did not care for the Black Eyed Peas, etc. How would they have felt if they had not been there to receive the Chairman's Award? It wouldn't have been so bad had we been told that the Chairman's Award winner was going to be announced, but we had no word of that.

All in all, the sheer volume of the event still made it a great place to be. I just hope that this publicity that FIRST is getting wont continue to get in the way of the experience that the students are having. If you ask me, I'd tell you that FIRST is great no matter what the celebrities say.

[Acerflamma]

As a member of a rookie team at FIRST the competition itself was amazing. I had tons of fun, and the experience was nearly overwhelming. While 3588 didn't perform the best, the people, events, and sights were amazing. Everyone is so friendly! I made many new friends while I was there.

Personally everything had a good aspect to it, or my team made something good out of it. With the lack of seats we made chairs out of extra parts, we mingled with every person willing to chat, and tried to attend every event related to it, like the rookie meet up, robo prom, and the stuff happening after the closing ceremonies. I just wish I wasn't a senior. Hopefully I can start a CARD team to compete next year. Anyone have a link that has more information on CARD? Or a way to register a team?

Originally Posted by InfernoX14

The fields in the pits - This wouldn't have been so bad if there was more seating, or more space around the field.

Well, team 3588 built a wooden bench out of extra wood for us to sit on since we had no chairs. We did end up carrying the bench around the pit area to have other teams sign it though! Overall we got several thousand signatures, including Dean Kamen and Woody Flowers! Anyone on here sign our bench?

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Acerflamma

Well, team 3588 built a wooden bench out of extra wood for us to sit on since we had no chairs. We did end up carrying the bench around the pit area to have other teams sign it though! Overall we got several thousand signatures, including Dean Kamen and Woody Flowers! Anyone on here sign our bench?

What a fantastic idea. Can you post a photo of your team/community bench?

Jane

[BigJ]

Originally Posted by Acerflamma

Well, team 3588 built a wooden bench out of extra wood for us to sit on since we had no chairs. We did end up carrying the bench around the pit area to have other teams sign it though! Overall we got several thousand signatures, including Dean Kamen and Woody Flowers! Anyone on here sign our bench?

Haha, we did. 1675 signed with the caption Ultimate Posterior Seat.

EDIT: Agreed with Jane, post pictures!

[Acerflamma]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

What a fantastic idea. Can you post a photo of your team/community bench?

Jane

I will get some photos up when we get the bench back from our crate. Some higher quality pictures would probably be better to put up.

Originally Posted by BigJ

Haha, we did. 1675 signed with the caption Ultimate Posterior Seat.

EDIT: Agreed with Jane, post pictures!

I remember you guys trying to get it to match UPS! I think I can remember where to find it. I'll take a picture of it and post it when we get it back.

[treffk]

Pros:

• As a volunteer I got that food which was yummy.
• I liked the seating going up higher because more people could get a centered view of the field and the concert.
• The concert was a nice touch as a reward for teams
• I loved the fact the venue was only a 4 hour drive from my house rather than a plane trip. STL is just more centered geographically, I did hear some east coast teams complaining about having to fly(those in Georgia) or having to pay $300 more dollars to fly to STL.
• I enjoyed how many restaurants are close by with a short walk. Lacedes Landing has many restaurants that were told in advance about us coming, which gave them time to prepare themselves. Some even do call ahead seating(the old spaghetti factory for example). Most of the food in the area is reasonably priced too. I got a hamburger from Big Daddy's for $6.

Cons:

• Even as a volunteer I was confused about how to get around the pits. I'd walk and find a dead end filled with crates.
• Lack of safety being enforced in the pits. I saw some teams having students sit on the ground in the aisle. I was walking with other volunteers and one got ran into with a robot all because the team was being quiet. I know even on the playing fields my cousin was holding the robot waiting for their cart and got shoved by another team which ended up giving her a wicked bruise.
• I was shocked by certain doors being open one day and then locked another, or vice-versa.
• I enjoy having the FIRST Store there because it allows us all to purchase items without paying shipping. (Big plus for my team because we by the iron on patches on which shipping tends to get ridiculous.) I felt that there were too few people taking orders for as much business they do. At first I didn't realize that they has specific people taking orders and I went to find an order form and was told by a seeming rude person I could not fill it out myself. I understand why due to as many messed up orders happen. When I went to pick up my order I handed one of the workers the sheet. He stared at me for a minute then snapped at me "Want to help me?" I was wearing my volunteer name tag and did not realize my name was not legible on the order form.
• I was not aware on how to get food for the Finale and it seemed like they were not enforcing the wristbands. When I found out where to get the food all they had left was salads and possibly sandwiches further down. I was not a fan of the doughnut glazed cookie or the vitamin water. I decided not to risk it. I ended up not eating it anyways, volunteers were given pizza instead.

I have no opinion on fields in the pits due to me not watching many matches. I was too busy showing around my boyfriend who is still somewhat unfamiliar to FIRST. Possibly look forward to a Navy booth next year, he got excited about it and called his recruiter to tell him about it. We all have to remember that this was the first year at this venue and all they can do is improve. It was a learning experience for all and we will benefit from it next year.

[Cory]

Pros:

Short walk to dome floor from pits, short walk to pit fields
Comfortable seats in dome
(I feel bad just putting 2, because the much higher number of cons is going to make it sound like I had a bad experience, which isn't the case)

Cons:

Awful Hall of Fame placement. I'm guessing the majority of people never saw it, as it was hidden way off in the corner by FLL/College FIRST. Maybe there was a reason, but they ought to have displaced something else to put it front and center like in Atlanta.

Terrible signage. It was very confusing at times where things were. Galileo pits were the worst. It was really confusing at first.

Terrible crowd control. We showed up very early to ensure we got the seats we wanted, either in the dome, or in the pits. The venue staff either told us to stand one place and then let other people in front of us, or left various random doors unlocked such that other teams ended up in the dome/pits well in advance of them opening.

Event staff forcing everyone to leave the pits for the opening ceremonies. We got up at 4:30 in the morning so we could get to the event early enough to get the seats we wanted. We get them and then the volunteers force us to leave for the dome and hope that when we come back someone else hasn't sat in our seats. We pay $5,000 to come to the event. If we don't want to go see the opening ceremonies we shouldn't have to.

Limited food choices in the vicinity of the pit. I may have missed something, but it seemed like you had three choices. Hot dogs, corn dogs, and traditional stadium snacks. There was that little "cafe" but they had a limited selection and I heard it was pretty bad.

Volunteers being extremely over zealous about safety glasses in the pit entrance. If all you are doing is walking to the pit fields, why do you need safety glasses? Compounded by the fact that they will not hand out safety glasses to team members (I understand the reasoning, but come on, just let people walk to the field without them).

Rude volunteers on multiple occasions. Not the fault of St Louis or FIRST even, really. There's always going to be a few.

Minor, but I'm fairly certain that the event staff mopped every single row of seats and the concourse inside the dome with soda every night. It was that sticky.

[CrystalWolf]

Unfortunately, I could only spend a few hours at the event and did not attend the concert, Einstein matches, or the finale, so I'm probably not as qualified as others here to make a complete list of the good and the bad. But there are a few things that haven't been mentioned yet.

Good:
- Clearing up the mess quickly at the airport or using different concourses. I wasn't there, but it was great to see that everyone actually made it here.
- The shorter distance between the pits and the stands, as already mentioned.
- Having the entire venue in one building. It keeps out the elements when walking between the pits and the stands.
- Having the St. Louis Metrolink nearby made for easier transportation.
- No bag checks at the Dome. It's nice to actually be able to carry full water bottles to the stands for once.
- Getting the word out, both through signs and ads all over the city and through celebrities and sponsors.

Bad:
- Lack of signs. I'd like to say I'm good at finding my way around unfamiliar places, but I was utterly lost initially. Wandered around until I walked into the pits, had to ask for directions to the Dome. It would be helpful to provide FIRST-related maps, not just general venue maps.
- Lack of organization in the pit area. It was hard to determine which division I was in, and everything not pit-related was pushed to the sidelines.
- Lack of large division signs or banners. In Atlanta, there were large banners that read, "Archimedes," "Newton," etc., so we knew which division we were watching. In St. Louis, these were too small to be readily noticeable. Maybe this is not a big deal for most, but it would confuse anyone new to FIRST.
- Pit fields. I understand the rationale but did not like the general idea any more because of it.
- I miss the CNN Center food court...
- The overall layout of the area was more cramped than in Atlanta. I think St. Louis is a smaller city and having the venue in the downtown area didn't help matters.
- It got very crowded in the FIRST store at times. This was just like Atlanta, but they could at least expand a little without having to add more items.
- They could enforce basic safety rules in the pits better. Safety glasses on at all times, hair ties for girls, close-toed shoes, etc.

[pathew100]

Originally Posted by Cory

Cons:

Volunteers being extremely over zealous about safety glasses in the pit entrance. If all you are doing is walking to the pit fields, why do you need safety glasses? Compounded by the fact that they will not hand out safety glasses to team members (I understand the reasoning, but come on, just let people walk to the field without them).

You needed safety glasses to get to the fields because you went through the pits to get to them. Who knows when an accident is going to happen?

There needed to be a way to get to the pit fields without going through the pits. As there was not, you needed safety glasses to get there. It's easier to try to enforce the rule for everyone entering than trying to ask every individual where they are going anyway.

Safety glasses on in the pits at all times.