Great competition, great fauna, great scenery, great teams, and great people. What more could you ask for?
(And yes, this is a real photograph. No photoshopping required.)
Hey I was there! The view from Diamondhead is well worth the hike. Best time to go is in the early morning. I highly recommend it to everyone. Caught a nice rainbow into Honolulu while I was there and that lighthouse is pretty cool too.
Here’s another reason to go. This was sunrise Thursday morning before competition, on the shore in Kailua bay on the East side of the island.
Nice. Were not going to be able to go. Team 955 = needs money
So how long did you actually get to enjoy HI? I mean how long were you actually out of the competition?
I can’t remember a time we actually got to enjoy the place we were competing in. Usually we get into the venue early, work/compete all day, find something to eat, go back to the hotel exhausted, sleep… Repeat…
Our team didn’t really like the idea of taking a 4+ hour plain flight just to see another gym…
But it sounds like it was lots of fun.
http://robotics.arc.nasa.gov/events/2008_sponsorship.php
that might be helpful
I know most (all?) of the mainland teams stayed an extra few teams.
Since we’re flying east, we get there earlier in the day so we had some extra time on Wednesday. We also stayed through Monday so we had all of Sunday and Monday morning to enjoy Hawaii.
I know 254 stayed a whole week, 233 stayed till Tuesday or so, not sure how long the other teams stayed but I know they were there at least a day extra.
p.s. A couple of us RAN all the way up Diamond Head…it was great…till we got to the stairs.
I don’t think our school would accept students missing a full week of school to vacation in HI (even if it was robotics). Although it would be pretty cool if they did 
I’m not sure about others, but our kids were on spring break, and the only school they missed was the Monday after the event that they flew back on.
1138 was on Spring Break as well, we didn’t miss a day of school.
I don’t think our school checks to see how long the event is. On the forms, we just go “blank day to blank day” and turn it all in. Maybe Woodside operates differently? We weren’t vacationing in Hawaii, we were “competing” 
We missed 4 days of school. makeup work is killer, but Hawaii was DEFINITELY worth it.
Just glad that you folks came. Made the Hawaii regional more fun and it gave our Hawaii rookie teams a chance to see a greater variety of robots and your experiences participating in FIRST.
Based on how the pits were setup, I think we could have easily fit 40+ teams.
As we meet to discuss the feedback given from teams, I for one will definitely push for a 40+ regional next year, stressing the importance of the team social (something different next year to keep the flavor alive), and am proud of the support/hospitality given to teams this year-keeping it at the same level if not more.
Hope more of the San Jose teams decide to come to Hawaii in the future, just as they have welcomed all of us the past years.
By the way, many of you who came to the social probably think you never heard of Glenn Medeiros (host of the show), but he used to be a singer/artist that actually had a #1 hit on the Billboard charts in the early 90’s singing a duet with Bobby Brown. Google him and see if you remember his song. :rolleyes:
On another note, that Diamond Head view looks cool! Havent done that trail in just about 20 years.
Oh, uh, 12 days.
Thanks for having us and hosting this wonderful regional. Personally, I liked how there were huuuge aisles and comfortable pits.
I hope when you say “keep the flavor alive” for the team social that you aren’t planning on topping this years. Impressive how FIRST could get an approximately $50,000 social at a hotel that’s supposedly reserved ONLY for armed forces members, veterans, and family.
Sorry, but most of us weren’t around when he was a top artist so I guess we never did hear him.
I wondered how a 2nd grade teacher was such a great singer…
We arrived the Tuesday night before the event and left the Tuesday night after. We visited Diamondhead, Manoa Falls, Pearl Harbor, and a few other really interesting places.
The week of the actual competition was our spring break, so we ended up missing 3 days of school (Monday-Wednesday of the following week).
Honestly, the Hawaii Regional was the best regional I’ve ever attended. All the people down there, though most of them were rookies really get FIRST. There was such a positive atmosphere everywhere.
I found a lot of openness and excitement at the inaugural Oklahoma Regional in Oklahoma City. The teams all seemed so happy to be there in that outstanding venue/city - and working/competing together. Old and new working together towards a common goal, celebrating with joy, delight, and excellence - is no small thing.
This photo is glorious. 
Jane
Sorry, I always forget how old I am.
And yes, the social was very expensive. But still, lets shoot for spending more. I was thinking of Magic of Polynesia, Kahala Mandarin, and/or hotel with an entertainment show!
The regional was great. I have only been to six regionals so far and two nationals and this was the best competition I have been to. From the landing in the airport to being greeted by a representative from the Governor’s office, everything was totally first class.
The veteran teams were all great and the rookie teams were all much better than anyone expected.
Great to see 359 win the Chairman’s award. They were very deserving and hopefully will win it again in Atlanta. They are the nicest group of people and definitely friends of ours. Hopefully you will be on the same field as us in Atlanta so we can spend more time with your team.
We had Hilo in front of us and they are also a great group. Thank you Dale for the hints on what to do in Hawaii. You have a great group there too. Hopefully we can be on the same field again this year in Atlanta.
Then again how can you beat being in Paradise.
