First off, I’d like to say that the 2006 Ramp Riot event was quite possibly the best off-season competition event I have ever attended. Not only was the event well organized and well staffed, but the atmosphere was friendly and positive, giving me flashbacks to the College Avenue event back in 2001.
As far as the FIRST Vex event that was held concurrently with the FRC event goes, I think an evaluation of “monumental success” would be appropriate. With the fantastic scoring table staffed by Big Mike and Amanda Morrison, the fields coordinated by Joe Perrotto from 365 and Vince Frascella (the NJ Vex director), as well as refereeing by Jeff from 365, the event worked through software problems and gained momentum as the day drew on. After the first 10 matches or so, we were able to manage a two field Vex event very efficiently. With the amount of talent in that room, I think it could be compared to a regional event – or at the very least, a very strong trial run of how such an event would run.
I also noticed throughout the day that there was a large amount of crossover between FRC and FVC teams – with elements of both moving back and forth to watch both competitions. FRC teams with attached FVC teams seemed to benefit in particular in having two concurrently run events. I feel that having a concurrent event helped both sides to interact and raise interest level in each. FVC and FRC are closely intertwined, and having both events at the same time in the same venue reflected that interconnectivity in a very engaging and positive way. I did not feel either event was held at the expense of the other – there was plenty of action on both arenas to satisfy spectators and team members alike.
As far as the FVC teams go, I was really impressed with the quality of the robots being brought into play and the degree of maturity and professionalism that these FVC teams brought with them to this event. Although this event was an informal competition, there was a lot of excitement and a large audience. I think that if video of this event were to be compared to a regional competition, one would be hard pressed to tell the difference. I’d like to thank the teams for making this event as exciting and as fun as it was – truly, I think the spirit of gracious professionalism was captured as teams helped one another program and fix mechanical problems, interacted and shared knowledge.
I personally had a great time, and I’d go so far as to say that today one of my best experiences in FIRST. My personal thanks go out to Vince, Joe, and Jeff, and the field reset crews of 365 and others, who really helped this event run smoothly. I believe that Big Mike and Amanda deserve a round of applause for helping run the scoring table and announcements. Their involvement was vital in having this event run as well as it did. I’d also like to thank team 2073 (I think that’s their number) for staying behind and helping to disassemble and pack up the Vex fields.
As far as the layout of the fields and issues regarding refereeing go, I think that we learned a lot and this event served as an excellent way to field test the FVC game and iron out technical and setup issues.
Overall, this event was fantastic, and I look forward to future Vex events. The robots may be smaller, but the excitement was just as intense as an FRC event – hearing cheers across the room as robots hung from the bar and scored points in autonomous was really great.
Cheers to 341 for hosting a fabulous event. I hope that having a Vex event at Ramp Riot becomes a regular feature – I think the overwhelming positive response to this event is a good sign of things to come.
(Edit: I thought this post was worth a separate thread due to the focus on the Vex competition during Ramp Riot rather than the FRC event)
Second Edit: I was the ref in the TCNJ sweatshirt, and reffing was a blast.
