Posted by Greg Mills.
Engineer on team #16, Baxter Bomb Squad, from Mountain Home and Baxter Healthcare.
Posted on 9/5/99 7:16 PM MST
After looking at the confirmed dates, it looks like the Bomb Squad will probably make it to Great Lakes, Midwest, and we will give the Nationals one more try.
Posted by Joe Johnson. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Engineer on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.
Posted on 9/5/99 7:43 PM MST
In Reply to: Who is going where? posted by Greg Mills on 9/5/99 7:16 PM MST:
Looking at the schedule it will be VERY tough for any team to go to 3 Regionals in 2000.
There are only 5 weeks of competitions (including the Nationals).
A team that wants to go to 3 Regionals + the Nationals will have to go three weeks in a row somewhere.
While the ChiefDelphi team has the reputation of going to all regionals, the fact is we have gone to 3 for 3 years now.
In 1997 we went to three Regionals in three straight weekends. We swore that we wouldn’t do it again.
The next two years we have been able to schedule 3 Regionals with at least one down week in between competitions.
That will not be possible this year.
SO…
We are struggling trying to decide how many and which ones.
Most likely choices are Great Lakes, Midwest & Nationals.
We will let you know what when we make our final choices.
Joe J
Posted by Michael Martus. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Coach on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central H.S. and Delphi Automotives Systems.
Posted on 9/6/99 8:36 AM MST
In Reply to: Will any go to 3 regionals? posted by Joe Johnson on 9/5/99 7:43 PM MST:
I agree with Joe.
Going to three regionals three weeks in a row was a real killer for our team.
Our students were very ill from the exhaustion of travel and keeping up with school work.
We as a team agreed that we would not do three events in a row. We need the week between to recover.
I sometimes think there IS a master plan to it all. I think the placement
of the regionals was done to discourage teams from attending more than two.
As it stands I think the majority of FIRST Teams will attend two regionals and the nationals.
This evens the playing field in terms of on court game experience.
Going to three means that the team has great resources,boundless energy and a super home
location that is near, for travel, to three regional locations.
Any crazy teams going to 3 regionals?
Posted by Raul.
Engineer on team #111, Wildstang, from Rolling Meadows & Wheeling HS and Motorola.
Posted on 9/5/99 10:06 PM MST
In Reply to: Who is going where? posted by Greg Mills on 9/5/99 7:16 PM MST:
We will be at the same ones as you (Great Lakes, Chicago and Nationals, same as the last 2 years), unless something goes terribly wrong with our finances.
Look forward to seeing you there. But for once, we will hope to do better at Chicago because it will not be our first regional.
Yes, it is true that we basically debug our hardware, software and strategy at the first regional, not to mention the drivers getting acquainted with the competition environment.
Raul
Posted by Tom Vanderslice.
Student on team #275, ORHS/AST/Hitachi, from Academy of Science and Technology and Hitachi.
Posted on 9/5/99 10:49 PM MST
In Reply to: Who is going where? posted by Greg Mills on 9/5/99 7:16 PM MST:
What’s it gonna take to get some of you guys down to houston this year…any of you people with ‘unlimited’ budgets
gonna come down to us so that some of us small market teams can afford to actually attend a regional??..they were
nice enough not to schedule it against any of your ‘huge’ ‘traditional’ regionals so you guys don’t have any excuses…
c’mon…please…
Tom
Posted by Jason Morrella.
Coach on team #254, Cheesy Poofs/Bay Bombers, from Broadway High and NASA Ames.
Posted on 9/6/99 2:17 AM MST
In Reply to: How bout Houston? posted by Tom Vanderslice on 9/5/99 10:49 PM MST:
: What’s it gonna take to get some of you guys down to houston this year…any of you people with ‘unlimited’ budgets
: gonna come down to us so that some of us small market teams can afford to actually attend a regional??..they were
: nice enough not to schedule it against any of your ‘huge’ ‘traditional’ regionals so you guys don’t have any excuses…
: c’mon…please…
: Tom
Tom,
We are gonna try. We don’t have the finances right now, but that is our goal. We hope to gradually build a program as successful as many of the elite & respected veteran teams, and going to more than one regional seems to be a big advantage - so I promised the kids that if they raise enough money we will go to two regionals this year.
Houston is the only one in our half of the country besides the NASA AMES regional. If the kids raise the funds we will be thrilled, excited, and honored to come to the Houston regional. Hope to see you there.
Jason
Posted by Michael Martus. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Coach on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central H.S. and Delphi Automotives Systems.
Posted on 9/6/99 8:47 AM MST
In Reply to: How bout Houston? posted by Tom Vanderslice on 9/5/99 10:49 PM MST:
Our only excuse is the process of transportation of the robot. If we attend a regional before,
then work and repair the robot, we only have two days for shipping say 2000 miles.
A real problem to most teams.
BTW Houston was a great regional for us. When we saw that it was offered again our FIRST thought was to go there.
Area was nice, party was great and the hospitality was super, well run event.
It only took a few hours to get real and look at the big picture.
If only there was more time between regionals, we would be there.
Our choices will probably be, MI, Chicago and the Nationals. As it stands now.
Posted by Greg Mills.
Engineer on team #16, Baxter Bomb Squad, from Mountain Home and Baxter Healthcare.
Posted on 9/6/99 3:03 PM MST
In Reply to: How bout Houston? posted by Tom Vanderslice on 9/5/99 10:49 PM MST:
:
We attended Houston the first time and had a great time and had signed up last year before it was dropped. We wanted to support the southern regionals. Houston was high on our list this year but the dates just didn't work out. Chicago is our spring break week and we had already decided to go to Great Lakes again this year. The 'every other week' schedule works too good.Posted by Susanne Krussell.
Coach on team #163, The Quantum Mechanics, from International Academy and Quantum Consultants/Eaton/ITT.
Posted on 9/6/99 3:16 PM MST
In Reply to: How bout Houston? posted by Tom Vanderslice on 9/5/99 10:49 PM MST:
Tom…
We’d LOVE to go to Houston in March. But we can’t afford the airfare for a second regional, so it’s off to Chicago. Brrrr!
Posted by Tom Vanderslice.
Student on team #275, ORHS/AST/Hitachi, from Academy of Science and Technology and Hitachi.
Posted on 9/6/99 8:46 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: How bout Houston? posted by Susanne Krussell on 9/6/99 3:16 PM MST:
I can absolutely guarantee that it will not be cold in houston in march…actually march and october are probably about teh two best times in houston…
pleasssssseeeee
Tom
Posted by Susanne Krussell.
Coach on team #163, The Quantum Mechanics, from International Academy and Quantum Consultants/Eaton/ITT.
Posted on 9/6/99 8:53 PM MST
In Reply to: but… posted by Tom Vanderslice on 9/6/99 8:46 PM MST:
Aw c’mon Tom…now you’re making us feel bad. We’d like nothing more, but the time frame just doesn’t work. Don’t you have problems being out of school too much? My kids do. They have an all academic schedule, which means 9 classes they attend. We have to drive to the regionals. So that’s it. Hey! Why do you all come up
here?
Posted by Tom Vanderslice.
Student on team #275, ORHS/AST/Hitachi, from Academy of Science and Technology and Hitachi.
Posted on 9/7/99 7:19 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: but… posted by Susanne Krussell on 9/6/99 8:53 PM MST:
we have some severe money issues…this year…we’re in the process of talking to someone about getting A LOT more money
this year…and it is looking good…and if it all works out we will be on our way to another regional…not sure where yet…
we’ll have to look at our school schedule, etc…the one thing i do know is the houston regional is conviently scheduled
in our spring break…(so we don’t miss any school for the competition… 
…but we have to go to school when we have the
robot for a few extra days…if it was only one week earlier… )…but anyway…we’re gonna look at our school schedule and
figure out how to get a small team to another regional…assuming we get teh money…
tom
oh yeah…and trust me i know about full schedules…although we only have 8 classes…i’m definitely not one of those people
with a slacker senior schedule…(don’t i wish i could get away with that… 
and I AM just trying to shame enough of you into coming down to houston so that we can actually have a regional this year…
Posted by Ken Patton. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Engineer on team #65, The Huskie Brigade, from Pontiac Northern High School and GM Powertrain.
Posted on 9/6/99 7:48 PM MST
In Reply to: Who is going where? posted by Greg Mills on 9/5/99 7:16 PM MST:
We’ll be going to the same ones we have in 1998 and 1999: the regionals we can drive to, and the nationals. See you in Ypsilanti (the best venue), Chicago (the best party), and Epcot (the best um, er, air-conditioned tent)!
Ken
Posted by Raul.
Engineer on team #111, Wildstang, from Rolling Meadows & Wheeling HS and Motorola.
Posted on 9/6/99 8:22 PM MST
In Reply to: Ypsi, Chicago, Epcot posted by Ken Patton on 9/6/99 7:48 PM MST:
I agree that Eastern Michigan was an awsome venue, except for the pits.
Does anyone know if we will be at EMU again, and if so will the pits be less congested?
Raul
Posted by Greg Mills.
Engineer on team #16, Baxter Bomb Squad, from Mountain Home and Baxter Healthcare.
Posted on 9/7/99 12:35 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: Ypsi, Chicago, Epcot posted by Raul on 9/6/99 8:22 PM MST:
:
I have heard that it is EMU again. FIRST heard loud and clear about the pits and they have always tried to be responsive…?
Where is the Midwest regional going to be this year? I’m guessing it has moved because of no cap on the number of teams.
Posted by Raul.
Engineer on team #111, Wildstang, from Rolling Meadows & Wheeling HS and Motorola.
Posted on 9/7/99 2:44 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: Ypsi, Chicago, Epcot posted by Greg Mills on 9/7/99 12:35 PM MST:
: :
: I have heard that it is EMU again. FIRST heard loud and clear about the pits and they have always tried to be responsive…?
: Where is the Midwest regional going to be this year? I’m guessing it has moved because of no cap on the number of teams.
It will be at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. (just north of Chicago right on lake Michigan).
However, I don’t know enough to verify that we could take an unlimited number of teams. I would imagine they could handle the same number as EMU.
BTW, I just received a letter from the Great Lakes regional committee, they said it is at EMU but the date is 3/30 - 4/1. This date contradicts the posted FIRST schedule.
Raul
Posted by Joe Johnson. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Engineer on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.
Posted on 9/7/99 8:46 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: Ypsi, Chicago, Epcot posted by Raul on 9/7/99 2:44 PM MST:
My sources say that the EMU date change was a last minute affair.
Why? I don’t know, but I woud trust the FIRST site before the form letter.
Joe J.
Posted by Michael Martus. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Coach on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central H.S. and Delphi Automotives Systems.
Posted on 9/8/99 4:04 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: Ypsi, Chicago, Epcot posted by Raul on 9/7/99 2:44 PM MST:
The letter was sent before the date was changed.
The FIRST Published Web Information is correct not the letter.
The letter is wrong! Now is the date for the reception that same? I will need to call.