Hi, anyone who is going to the Denver event? We are a rookie team this year, and would lie to know what a typical event would run like.
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Are you asking what the schedule is like? Or about something else. We are happy to help out but aren’t sure exactly what you are asking.
Here’s the schedule, if you have any more questions feel free to ask anyone on 1410, we’d be happy to help out https://www.firstinspires.org/sites/default/files/uploads/frc/2019-events/2019_CODE_Agenda.pdf
Just about the how a day usually runs, for example how busy it is.
Welcome to FRC! Most regionals are run with similar schedules, and Denver stays pretty busy. I’ve rarely had down time; we’re either working in the pit, watching matches, scouting, or visiting with other teams, when we aren’t actually on the field ourselves.
You should try to make it to the team social Friday night, it’s a blast!
Welcome to FIRST. I won’t be at Denver, but here’s a high level… Wednesday night, there will be a load-in period available where no more than five team members can bring in your robot and pit supplies. The inspectors will generally want to see your bag form and will check your bag at this time. You will also generally be allowed to set up your pit. Some events have you store your bagged robot in a designated area, others have you put it in your pit.
Thursday is practice day. There will be a little more load-in time for late arriving teams, and then the pits will officially open and teams that have been signed off by an inspector can unbag their robot and get to work. There are four things you absolutely must get done by the end of the day:
- Your coach needs to check in at pit admin and get the package with the practice match schedule and your team’s driver and safety captain buttons. Don’t lose those buttons.
- Take your radio to the kiosk and get it programmed.
- Get your robot through inspection
- Go visit the field and get connected to make sure that’s working (ideally by playing in a practice match, but if your robot’s not ready by the time practice matches are over, the FTA (FIRST Technical Assistant – the person in charge of making the field work with the robots) will want you to pull up alongside the field and let them run through the process with your robot on the cart)
There will also be a drivers meeting, a safety captains meeting, practice matches, time to work on your robot, people wandering around the pits asking questions about other teams robots, and other stuff.
Day 2 (Friday) will be qualification matches all day. The schedule for these will be delivered to your pit sometime late on Thursday (usually after practice matches are all over). It will also show up online around the same time. There should be a lunch break, but that gets shortened if the field is running behind. Judges will be going through the pits talking to teams. Try to have a student in the pits as much as you can so that someone will be around to talk to the judges when they come by. The judges do not want to talk to the mentors.
Day 3(Saturday) will be qualification matches and possibly judges until just before lunch. Immediately following the last qualification match is alliance selection. One student from your team will need to go down by the field as your representative (stand where queueing tells you). If you are in the top 15 teams it is mathematically possible that you might end up picking. If you are in the top 12 teams, it is likely you will end up picking. If you are in the top 8, you will be picking unless a higher seed picks you first and you say yes. It’s generally a good idea to scout through qualification matches (either on your own or in partnership with a more experienced team) so you’ll know who you want in the event you find yourself in a picking position. If you end up on an alliance either as captain or by being picked, you play in elimination rounds. If you don’t, you get to watch elimination rounds. If you are not picked and are one of the top couple of seeds not picked, you might get called in as an emergency backup robot. Do not leave before closing ceremonies. There are awards there that you’re eligible for, even if things didn’t go too well on the field. One of them might qualify you for championships.
Have fun, and good luck out there!
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While I’m over here in Seattle, there are some things in general for events:
- It’s tiring: you’ll want to be well rested, well hydrated, and well fed. You’ll be there for a lot of hours. Take care of yourself
- It’s loud: music, cheering, pits. Loud. If you’re sensitive to loud noise I’d recommend bringing a good pair of ear plugs, actually I’d recommend bringing a pair or 10 anyway. Tinnitus is no joke
- It’s fun: Get caught up in the atmosphere. Here the best and brightest from across the region are doing amazing things, and you’re one of them. Yell some team chants, root for random teams, go to teams sitting next to you and chat. If you’re on drive team then go do your best, scream with the wins, cry with the losses, ride the roller coaster. But remember that at the end of the day it’s less about winning/losing and more about getting Inspired to do some crazy awesome things
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Yes, we are trying to get as many people as possible to go!
I’ve been involved with FRC for 10 years now, and I will be at the Denver regional on Friday. I’m not with any teams here in Colorado, but I’ll be there with 2 other engineers from work, one who is a FRC alum and one who has never done FRC.
I’d be more than happy to swing by y’alls pit and help with anything if needed.
What is your team #? I need a team to root for anyways!
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