Mayhem in Miami--NOT Oct 24, but not dead yet!

We are all very disappointed, but Oct 24 will most definitely NOT be the day for a battlebot, or taskbot competition in Miami.

Nola & Bill, in addition to running Starbot and BotsIQ (or whatever it's called these days), also are the primary caregivers for both of Bill's parents. Inevitably, these responsibilities will sometimes make demands that cannot be managed all at once. (I have always been amazed at how much they can and do manage--there simply would not be battlebots in Miami without them.) This coming weekend turned out to be exactly one of those 'perfect storms,' and so the decision was made to postpone the competition.

Yes, it's a bit of a bummer for us who will not get to play this weekend, and obviously it's significantly more difficult and more serious for Bill and Nola.

But, as for me, I'm looking on the bright side--this gives us more time for:
Will's thumb to heal
Miami teams to finish more robots
VOLUNTEERS (students & parents) to jump in and take some of the load off Nola and Bill
Planning and communication to make this a great event
Media coverage? (anybody know anybody in the biz?)

I especially like rjw's suggestion that even incomplete robots could show up (no entry fee there, of course)--I've always wanted to do 'show and tell' instead of documentation. I mean, if you've got some especially cool drawings or calculations done, share 'em, but it's the actual robot and the actual builders that I want to see and talk with (and ask questions, of course)!

At Ransom, the team and the administration are committed to host an event this semester--it may be two weeks, it may be next month, it may take six weeks, but we are gonna do it.

Alan Crockwell has suggested that interested Miami schools grt together for a meeting next week--one teacher, one student per school--to pick a good date and divvy up responsibilities. I am all for this, so expect an email soon.

Regards-
Bob DuBard
Ransom Everglades School
Robotics & Engineering Team coach/faculty coordinator