Queen City Robotics at Cintas Center

[coasterville95]

Nerd Alert:

I just saw the promo/special interest piece on CBS/12 news about the robotics competition at Cintas. It sounds intriguing, something I would like to see.

The piece ended by saying that spectators are welcome and admission is free. I'm thinking of dropping by for a bit.

According to their agenda - qualifiers are in the morning, and the real competition is in the afternoon from 1:30-4:30

[Mel Cooley XU'81]

These can be really cool. Geeked out 14 year old boys can do some really cool stuff. You expect it from older geeks but seeing kids do it is really cool. And humbling.

File a report Coaster!

[coasterville95]

Well, I just arrived and my seat is in the upper level - sec 206.

[BlueGuy]

Well, I just arrived and my seat is in the upper level - sec 206.

There are THAT MANY spectators? Wow.

[coasterville95]

Okay, for March Madness they have a quasi robotics sports game. Each team has 3 robots and there are a number of frisbee on the arena floor. For the first time period they get to scoop up fishers and shoot them towards goals. Then at the second horn they are allowed to move the robots and defend

As a golden snitch goal they is a pyramid they can attempt to get one robot to the top of. High risk high reward. .

[coasterville95]

Mel, you were totally right about what geeked out 14 year old can do. It was like watching an arena full of little Sheldon Coopers running around.

I didn't understand on the way in how big this event was - 53 teams competed over a 3-4 day competition. A quick glance at the schedule reveals that Wednesday was arena set up/ robot load in day. Thursday was practice and some qualifiers, same for friday and satruday morning. Somehow through the three days of qualifiers, the 53 teams were ranked, and the top 8 went on to the saturday afternoon finalls. Each team only built one robot, and each side needed three, so that means that each of the 8 top seeds drafted two other teams in a process not unlike the annual sports drafts.

But more importantly, when I looked in the program was the geographic area the 53 teams came from, : Missouri, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentcky, Tennesee, Pennsylvania. These were regionals, so I assume the teams that made it to the reginaols already had some success in their district event, leading to the finals in St Louis. Yes, Ohio had the biggest number of entries, and there were some from Dayton...

According to the program they found out what this years "game" was and then had only 6 weeks to design and built their robot before the event. They were given a kit with some components, the rest they had to come up with.

Blueguy - it was a half house show - For the lower level it was sections 101-108 open, upper level had 200-208 open. The parts of the 100 level that were open were solid. Consider 53 teams, each with a minimum of 20 students, plus advisors, parents, family, friends. 200 level had at least the first 8 rows packed. The basketball floor was removed, and the game playing area was on the Joseph Club side of the arena, and Duff side of the area had "The Pits" were the teams each had a booth with a work bench and some display material. Spectators were welcome to use the aisles between some of the sections on that end to come down to the floor and tour the pits.

The side of my mind was thinking - okay this group had the arena booked from Wedesday-Saturday - wherw would be have played our 2nd NIT home game, if that came to be? Schmidt? Gardens? US Bank Arena? Throw the Sheldon Coopers out?

[Mel Cooley XU'81]

Somehow through the three days of qualifiers, the 53 teams were ranked, and the top 8 went on to the saturday afternoon finalls. Each team only built one robot, and each side needed three, so that means that each of the 8 top seeds drafted two other teams in a process not unlike the annual sports drafts.

And I nailed the bracket, by the way.

Great report, Coaster, thanks.