2024 Double DECCer 110 teams, two fields, one arena

[Doug_Frisk]

The Lake Superior and Northern Lights regionals will be Feb 28 - March 2 at the DECC arena in Duluth. More information on the FRC Northland website.

Duluth has received about 140 inches less snow this year than in 2023, so some of your logistics should be much easier. All of the forecasts seem to be showing pretty mild conditions next week. At least up until load in on Wednesday when the current forecast is saying temps in the teens and light snow.

Your team has received information about changes to load-in and load-out. This includes a card for your bus driver explaining the process. The road behind the DECC that normally allows teams to bring their pits through door 7 directly into the Lake Superior pit is closed. All 110 teams will need to load in from Railroad Street at the front of the DECC. We will have people managing traffic control in the lot and have volunteers that will help you move your pit equipment from the entrance to your pit. We will try to make it as efficient as possible, but please be patient.

I hope everyone is as excited as I am.

[Doug_Frisk]

Looking at the weather this morning it looks like the snow will be done before Wednesday. The load in Temps will be 10 to 15 degrees, but it will warm over the event. The current predicted high for Saturday is 51.

If you want to use the practice field, bring your notes. Yesterday we went from 2 torn notes to 12 torn notes. So, of the original 48 I ordered we’re down to 36 most of which are pretty heavily abraded. I’d order more but as we all know there are none to order.

The practice field is looking pretty darned good though.

[Doug_Frisk]

Looks like there will be a bit of snow to travel through for many of the teams coming. Adjust your travel plans accordingly.

The high will be 55 tomorrow, but temperatures will be in the single digits Wednesday morning with a high in the mid-teens. Make sure your load in crew has warm clothes and gloves for anyone moving metal pit elements.

Saturday is looking like there may be some light snow, but temperatures should be above freezing.

[BBaltrusch]

After last year, this weather doesn’t scare me at all. 2023 was near white-out with freezing rain. I know at least one team bounced their trailer from wall to wall down that big Duluth hill. Take your time and you’ll be fine.

[waialua359]

Do you folks still do the 1 match Double DECCer Champ of both events at the end?
We are 1-0 as a Northern Lights team, and 0-1 as a Lake Superior team.

[BBaltrusch]

Should happen AFAIK. We’ve canceled before because weather meant teams need to get on the road, but that shouldn’t be a problem this year. The Double DECCer is truly one of the best things in all of FRC.

[Doug_Frisk]

Yes, barring unforeseen events, there will be a Double DECCer championship match.

[Doug_Frisk]

Just finished the facility walk through. Everything is looking good.

Remember when I said that load in directions were sent to your team? You can find them in the event guide at FRC Northland. Please make sure you read them. Harbor drive is closed behind the DECC. If you turn onto harbor drive towing a trailer you will not be happy as you have to back up through traffic. If you do that with a bus towing a trailer…

[Technologyman00]

Any chance TBA could have a single match unofficial event for tracking the Double DECCer championship match?

[5348-Schuette]

I am trying to remember to the last few years… On the practice field do you have a radio we can use on the the practice field which allows us to wirelessly run the robot or does it have to be tethered. running that long of a tether for auto will be interesting if need be. For some reason I remember practice field radios and my students do not.

[Tyler_Olds]

Alternatively: You could just submit this as media to both events and it would appear on each event landing page under the media tab.

[Doug_Frisk]

I’ve spoken with the field staff about getting a radio set up.

[Tyler_S]

For all of the teams coming to the Double DECCer, I recommend downloading patch 2 and updating your driver station computers! While both patch one (24.0.1) and patch two (24.0.2) are not required to pass inspection and compete, they include improvements which make it far easier for us volunteers to diagnose and resolve communication issues.

[Bryan_Herbst]

@5348-Schuette

I am trying to remember to the last few years… On the practice field do you have a radio we can use on the the practice field which allows us to wirelessly run the robot or does it have to be tethered. running that long of a tether for auto will be interesting if need be. For some reason I remember practice field radios and my students do not.

This is a part of the practice field that ships with the field electronics and should be available at all events.

That being said, it is also a piece of the practice field that is not used very often and is easily forgotten by the folks setting up the field. If you’re at an event and you want it but don’t see it, head over to the field and ask in the question box - the FTA will be happy to get it out and configured.

[Doug_Frisk]

Load in went well.

Northern Lights Regional pits

Lake Superior Regional pits

The stage at Northern Lights is no more than 1/4" off according to the lasers.

[Doug_Frisk]

I didn’t take nearly enough photos at the event. But I do want to make sure that the tribute to Stephanie Fehringer was posted here. You probably didn’t know her, and even if you met her, she was so shy of self promotion that you probably never realized how important she has been to robotics in Northern Minnesota.

About a year ago, Stephanie (who was the Double DECCer committee chair) was diagnosed with cancer. Despite the best treatments possible, she passed away just a few weeks ago on January 22nd.

She left about a gigabyte of documentation detailing what was done in the planning of the 22 and 23 seasons. I could not have stepped into her shoes without that and assistance from Mark Lawrence, Laurie Shimizu, Nicole Schossow and the rest of the planning committee.

Yoji Shimizu’s Stephanie Fehringer tribute at the Lake Superior Regional

I think we pulled off the event pretty well. There were some glitches, but hopefully the people attending didn’t notice them. A shout out to Tyler Seiford and the Firebears for what you did to save my bacon on Saturday, you know what you did and I’m exceedingly grateful.

Another shout out to Nathan Zobel of Lake Superior college. When on Thursday I realized that we didn’t have a decent trophy for the double DECCer match he made us 4. Yes, if the Lake Superior alliance had won, we had a trophy for the backup team. It’s a note you see, and despite being a bit flat it seems to have gone over well.

I hope to improve media outreach next year. I like to tell teams they need to create a brag sheet about their robot so the student in the pits have something to work from and hand to the judges when they come by and surprise the first year students. I need the same for the event so I don’t learn on the news later that the event was composed of 110 teams from Northeast Minnesota.

More media coverage means more sponsorship for teams and more teams in general.

FIRST Robotics Competition held at the DECC (northernnewsnow.com)

I look forward to seeing everyone again next year!