So this weekend was the first time I participated in an FRC competition as anything but a team member, as (as you can see in my signature) I helped reset the field in St. Louis. It was… different-I’m not going to say it was as fun as being on a team, because it wasn’t, but then again, what is? It was still a blast, though, although I think my feet still hurt! Anyway, a couple days ago I saw a member here make a post thanking everyone who had helped them at the competition, so I was inspired to do the same thing. So thank you to…
-The members of team 71 who took time out of competing with their team to help make our field reset, in the words of field manager Sean, the best he’s ever seen.
-The DJ at the competition for reminding me what the music should be at a FIRST competition. Although for some reason, “Sirius” wasn’t on his “approved list”. What’s up with that?
-All of the crews of the teams that were there, for getting queued and on the field fast enough to make us all look good
-The St. Louis Metro system, for scheduling its intended system cutbacks for this week instead of last (clearly this was intentional ;))
-The GDC. Yes, I know I’ve been critical of some of the decisions that went into the making of this game, and I still think that there are things that can be improved (cough G14 cough). I also remember watching a couple webcasts, and thinking that the game looked boring and/or confusing from a spectator’s standpoint. Well, I have to admit that I was wrong. In person, there were tons of awesome matches and moments, and everyone always knew what was going on. Those of you that can’t see a regional in person are really missing out!
-The Chaifetz Arena, (from what I’ve heard) a new host for FIRST-it was a great facility, they had enough food for everyone, and everyone working there seemed to be not only nice, but really into the competition (evident by all of their team memorabilia!) One issue, though: there was a lot of room behind the pits. Shifting everything back, including the field, could have allowed them to pull out the seats in front of the field, which would have been a big improvement: it’s a lot better when teams are right next to the field, as opposed to 30 feet in the air!
-Team 2775, for putting on an excellent webcast. One complaint, though: you didn’t show me nearly enough! My mother couldn’t find me at all… >_>
-Whoever provided the volunteer food: it was all great, and I was pleasantly surprised to find different meals each day!