W8 L4 T0

11:36AM - Blue wins 23-17! This is our last match without an alliance.
11:34AM - We capped more goals than red, but we'll see what happens
11:31AM - The matches has started, and Sad Walrus's autonomous worked
11:30AM - Steve corrects that to seventh
11:29AM - Steve and Graeme believe us to be in sixth place. Our robot is being set up on the blue side.
11:28AM - Match forty-five is being tabulated. Matches go up to forty-eight before finals.
11:23AM - Red teams 68/1680/1558 just got the new high score: a whopping 95-3. Harry Belafonte's Jump In The Line plays. Club Sandwich is after this match just starting up
11:14AM - Techno version of Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear The Reaper
11:12AM - Sabres have one match left, match forty-six. Currently starting is match number forty-three.
11:11AM - Red wins 55-40!
11:10AM - It's indeed a penalty-free match
11:09AM - Sad Walrus recapped the centre goal with zero seconds left! Red has two rows, blue has their back row. Let's hope there aren't any penalties.
11:08AM - Now six red, three blue
11:07AM - Three red caps, five blue
11:06AM - Match forty-one was retabulated. Now restarting match forty-two. Autonomous works now, then
11:04AM - Correction.. the red side does not have power, or something along those lines. They're looking for the cause of the problem after holding the match.
11:02AM - Hmm.. false start. The match mill begin in a second. They have the clock ticking music again. And they're off!
10:59AM - The score of the latest match is being determined as Club Sandwich and others enter the field to the Beach Boys' Get Around
10:55AM - Edgar Winter Group's Frankenstein
10:43AM - Red got a penalty, ultimately losing 23-42
10:42AM - The smell of pancakes drifts by.
10:39AM - Walus successfully recaps the centre goal ... then it falls off
10:38AM - Red has the centre goal capped, for a total of four. Blue has four as well
10:37AM - Capped a side centre
10:37AM - The match begins, and Walrus has its autonomous down pat
10:35AM - Field is being cleaned for majestical match number thirty-eight
10:32AM - David Bowie's Let's Dance as this match ends
10:29AM - Announcer, carrying flag: "This is how we use hockey sticks in Canada."
10:29AM - Sabres are up next
10:28AM - Sarah reports: Club Sandwich is in fifth
10:10AM - They're playing the Beatles' Helter Skelter over this latest match
10:07AM - Red wins 34-26! Sandwich's next match is number thirty-eight.
10:06AM - Red had six caps, but blue grabbed a side centre goal at the last second. Blue has two capped.
10:05AM - Walrus worked hard to cap the centre against fighting foes and beat the odds!
10:02AM - The tetra-loader from Team 1241 is wearing Graeme's shoes. Four reds capped, one blue
10:01AM - Club Sandwich enters the field
9:58AM - Chris describes the appearance of our team in waiting: Aruj is wearing a GM bandana like Rambo, which Rebecca questions; Adam looks like a robber, his face covered like a western outlaw; Mohsin is possibly the only one wearing the bandana properly; John is John with the flag on the back as a cape. 9:54AM - Abi and Rebecca just showed up! There's also some good keyboard and tambourining going on on the sound system
9:51AM - Chris gives us some info from the match going on now: 781 likes to ram the competition; Fast Eddie is unable to find vision tetras; 1334 flips over but gets itself back up again with its arms.
9:46AM - We're in sixth place, says Sarah
9:39AM - Sandwich is on red until their last match. We play next on match thirty-three. The next match is beginning.
9:39AM - Centre goal was capped by blue, Walrus dropped a red tetra when trying to get it back. Blue has six of the goals capped, so this should be their game. They're playing a techno version of Beethoven's Fur Élise. There were no penalties. Blue won 50-26.
9:38AM - Now all three of the back - tetra hung off but it was fixed
9:38AM - Centre goal as well
9:37AM - Struggling but got side goal
9:36AM - Sad Walrus caps the back two goals
9:36AM - Autonomous working good as ever
9:35AM - Club Sandwich is up on red with 1258 and 1232. The announcer has Incentive again, and a GM flag
9:29AM - 1006 has an Easter hunt going on in the stadium. Anyone who finds an Easter egg-coloured pin can bring it to their pit to get a prize!
9:25AM - A good match to start out the day. Sabres will compete in the following seeding matches: 29 (10:02), 33 (10:30), 38 (11:05), 42 (11:33), 46 (12:01).
9:21AM - First match of the day about to begin. This is match twenty-six. 772 is playing in match twenty-nine
9:19AM - And now, the field is being set up
9:15AM - Anthems
9:14AM - What do we call the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday? Robot Saturday? Wicked Cool Awesome Robot Saturday? Or Show-Ready Super Saturday, says the MC. Welcoming back judges and referees. Sponsor and supplier video.
9:11AM - Governor of Relations at Research In Motion: "I love FIRST! I love FIRST! I love the Waterloo Regional!" We're saying what he says. "Okay stop copying me!"
9:09AM - Giving thanks to all the people funding the competition
9:07AM - Chair of the Waterloo Competition, Rob, enters. A tetra randomly feel from a robot's grasp in the middle of a speech.
9:05AM - "Bleacher etiquette". Squeeze in. Apparently Canadians pronounce "batteries" strangely. Blair is showing off his new jacket. Now he is talking about the fabled engineers' iron ring.
9:05AM - Everyone is hugging the person next to them. Feel the love, Canada
9:03AM - MC Blair is coming in on a miniature truck, complete with arena lightning effects

9:01AM - It's a Saturday morning on this the last day of the Waterloo competition. Slideshow is playing on the screen. Apparently the MC has been lost.

Friday, March 25th
5:21PM - Now the Sabres split into those who socialize, and those who go back to hotels. "And that's all she wrote," to quote Chris.
5:20PM - Tomorrow, pits open at eight, and opening ceremonies are at nine
5:18PM - That's all for the awards, the ceremonies, and the day. There is a team social, with the works - pizza, arcades, movies, that sort of thing
5:16PM - Woodie Flowers Award - Team 1114
5:14PM - Autodesk Visualization Award - 772 wins! Good work Aruj, Deniz, and James!
5:13PM - Website Award awarded to Team 188
5:10PM - Judges' Award - awarded to veteran team 1114 for recruiting many rookie teams, among other things.
5:09PM - 1421 wins the Kleiner Entrepreneurship Award. They wear cool orange toques
5:07PM - Delphi Driving Tomorrow's Technology Award - Team 40. And Ludwik says hello!
5:05PM - Xerox Creativity Award won by Team 188, the very first Canadian team
5:03PM - Radio Shack Innovation And Control Award goes to Team 854
5:01PM - Oshwa team 1006 wins Hardware Imagery Award. Catchy robot name: Fast Eddie. Thanks to Chris for reporting on the awards from here out.
5:00PM - Announcer forgot his scripts. Thank you Rona for polishing the trophies.
4:58PM - Welcoming back the judges. Now the referees. One of the smoother refereeing days. The awards are coming up now.
4:57PM - Gord Homer leaves us with homework: spread the word.
4:53PM - A couple speakers from in and around Waterloo
4:48PM - The ceremony is on. Keep up the gracious professionalism, everyone.
4:42PM - They're playing a song that combines a bunch of typical 60s and 70s songs with techo. Hm. The awards ceremony begins in a moment.
4:39PM - As of the end of the day, Club Sandwich holds third place! Team 68 is in first place, as the official listings on the screen show. This means that, if we can hold this position, we get to choose our alliance tomorrow!
4:38PM - Blue won the last match. The field is being cleared for closing ceremonies.
4:34PM - "We are in third place!" - Sarah
4:32PM - Red wins! This was Club Sandwich's last match of the day, leaving us with five wins and two losses. No word yet on our current ranking. The last match of the day is about to begin.
4:31PM - Blue receives a loading zone-related penalty
4:30PM - Walrus tried to cap over a blue tetra at the opposition's end, but it fell off and the timer won.
4:29PM - The Walrus is unstoppable! In fact, the whole red team is doing awesome! Lots capped!
4:28PM - It looks like we might get another penalty for picking up dropped tetras
4:27PM - Sad Walrus knocked down a tetra, raised another to the top of the goal, and realigned it, all in autonomous mode
4:26PM - Our announcer really seems to like Incentive. The match is about to begin
4:24PM - Chris tells us more, in that may move up if we win this next match. Sad Walrus is being brought in
4:23PM - As of now we're in eighth place, Chris reports
4:20PM - Match twenty-four, and we're next. Some shots by Graeme of our previous match:


4:12PM - The lastest match gave blue a 66-point win, making it the highest score of the day
4:11PM - A big howdy to everyone visiting the site, we're getting a lot of hits
4:08PM - Sarah reports us as being in sixth place
4:05PM - 772 got a ten-point penalty for picking up their dropped tetra, but blue also received a ten-point penalty. Red wins 50-0!
4:03PM - 1334 still has their arm in a goal, but if the tetra counts, we have six three rows! Blue appears to have none
4:02PM - Five reds capped - incoming sixth
4:01PM - Not for long apparently - the middle is red's!
4:01PM - The match has begun! Autonomous mode worked again, but Sad Walrus is having some trouble capping the middle
3:59PM - 772 is up with their robot, along with 1334 and 781, waiting for the match to start. The house speakers are way too loud.
3:57PM - Oh, and they're playing the Beatles version of Twist & Shout. We're in ninth place, says Sarah
3:56PM - Match twenty is playing out (Sabres are next)
3:47PM - We're running a bit behind. Today will go up to match twenty-six, with Sabres playing in the twenty-fifth.
3:44PM - One of the robots in the current match lost its battery. Walrus is back up on match twenty-one
3:42PM - Red wins 39-6! This now puts us with more wins than losses
3:40PM - And apparently one of their members high-speed rammed the Walrus, so they were disqualified from the match, which gives us a win. They didn't show the score
3:40PM - Blue incurred a penalty
3:34PM - Sad Walrus is battling on the red team right now. Lift those tetras!
3:14PM - While waiting for match seventeen to roll around, here are some photos of Sad Walrus in action, and of the YMCA break




3:08PM - Red lost the game, and also suffered a penalty
3:07PM - Autonomous worked! Andrew is a happy boy
3:07PM - We're up. Let's rock.
2:58PM - Looks like a technical difficultly break - YMCA, led by the refs!
2:56PM - We're up next on red for the thirteenth match and our fourth, with 1006 and 1112 2:39PM - Andrew says, with two wins and one loss, we are ranked seventh amongst the twenty-four teams present. Also, our autonomous mode is extremely close, and has been reprogrammed to knock down tetras in the side goals instead.
2:39PM - We also lost
2:39PM - We spent the round trying to cap the goal
2:34PM - We're on the field for match nine, under the red side with teams 1114 and 1305
2:25PM - All three red robots of the latest match gathered together between the same goal. They actually fit!
2:19PM - So far we've played three matches, matches two and five. Our upcoming matches (approximate times) are: nine (2:18), thirteen (2:46), seventeen (3:14), twenty-one (3:42). More listings to come soon (thanks Chris!)
2:14PM - Back to the pits. Techno remix of Queen's We Will Rock You. Oh by.



2:12PM - Highest score of the day so far - Blue wins 61 to 9!
2:09PM - We managed four tetras on there. Two were about to fall off but we pushed our own back onto the centre goal. We also got one in the red area, but it got capped at the end, though the red cap is tilting off.
2:08PM - The autonomous is very close now
2:07PM - Walrus is back up on blue, now with 40 and 1558
2:06PM - A zero-zero score. They're giving out sixty point penalties
1:52PM - The original Canadian team, 188, is up
1:51PM - Some penalties, but blue managed to win
1:47PM - Looks like we did really well, as long as there aren't any penalties
1:43PM - Sabres are up on the blue team with 1292 and 40. The announcer has Incentive!
1:35PM - Red team: A rookie alliance, at a rookie event
1:34PM - Sad Walrus will be competing in the second match
1:32PM - Stood for the national anthems, and now they're setting up for the first match. Beach balls aplenty!
1:25PM - The safety video. And here are the safety advisors
1:23PM - Head ref Ian, longtime FIRSTy. Enter all the referees
1:19PM - Triple Play video. We're watching it again. Triple Play video.
1:17PM - The list of judges. Bribes are encouraged.
1:16PM - Enter the judge advisor. Don't be shy, anyone.
1:12PM - We're behind schedule. A member of parliament is now speaking.
1:11PM - FIRST Israel happened recently
1:09PM - Twenty-four teams. That means three teams will end up standing by in the finals.
1:07PM - Blair "The Voice of FIRST" enters with a one Kyle on bagpipes.
1:01PM - We're in the second match. The opening ceremonies are now beginning with a video of Dean Kamen. The stands are full now.
12:26PM - Techno mix using the violins in the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby. Getting weird.
12:14PM - Matches should resume at one
12:04PM - They're playing the School of Rock song. And the referees are doing something while wearing tetras a la Andrew. Clearly this is lunch.
11:44AM - Mohsin says hey to Adan. They're also playing a techo remix of Manfred Mann's Earth Band's Blinded By The Light, which isn't too right. Also, here are a bunch of photos from Andrew of practice matches




11:33AM - Andrew and Phil threw up a voice link from the pits to the stands for kicks. It helps us communicate easier but also means people at home can talk to us. Check out the entry titled Voice Communication for more info
11:02AM - Animation judging is going on. The arm of the Walrus wasn't working great because of a surge from the compressor that blew a fuse, but it was easily fixed. Mohsin is adjusting the chain tightener
10:53AM - Our last practice match was a win! The final practice match of the competition is about to start
10:18AM - Walrus has left the field sad after a loss
10:06AM - We're up! And doing fine. Andrew has programmed autonomous to pick up a tetra and place in on the back centre goal, when applicable
9:47AM - A misread of the rules led to the exclusion of our team's animation from judging yesterday but things have been fixed now and Aruj has handed in his animation. We did very well in our first matches and won. Andrew says they forgot to reset the robot the second time so autonomous did nothing. By the end of the match, we were defending and got our hook caught on another robot's chain. Our three practice matches today are 12, 16, and 19, with 16 coming up next. In other news, we now have an audio link between the pits and the stands
9:32AM - Work in the pits right now. Last night the Sabres went to see the new computer-animated film Robots. Anyway, here are a couple spare photos from yesterday


9:18AM - All here and already started. Had our first match already, too

Thursday, March 24th
4:40PM - Apparently that was our last round today. There's a couple more for other teams.
4:38PM - Off we go, getting better
4:30PM - The Walrus is up on a fuller field this time
4:23PM - As reported by Andrew, the problem with Sad Walrus has been fixed, making it more functional than before but restricting how far back it can move, but that should not interfere with play. Andrew has not been allowed to make changes to autonomous mode yet.
4:10PM - Crummy pizza seems to be a recurring theme this year. Service is better, though
4:00PM - Ourselves on the red team, two teams on the blue side. We were successful, but performance will need to be improved.
3:37PM - Looks like we're up
3:28PM - Adam says the regulator was connected wrong, and Steve knows where the leak problem is, but it can't be fixed yet
3:26PM - The team's putting Sad Walrus up, though the leak may not be fixed.
3:17PM - Unfortunately, the Walrus has a pneumatics leak and likely won't be up for its first match, as it won't be able to lift tetras until the repairs are made. And the sound effects over the loudspeakers are way too loud.
3:00PM - And the matches begin, right on schedule
2:32PM - Andrew says there is an alternative to replacing our pneumatics problem, and would do the same thing our current setup does, it just won't be as cool
2:29PM - There didn't really seem to be any official lunch. And the music is already looping. These could be bad signs..
2:09PM - We also have to take some tape off our arm that got put on there
2:07PM - Apparently we custom made our "pneumatic schematic," which hasn't been officially tested. We will need to get one that's "off the shelf," as Andrew reports. Steve is still going to check his rule book.

2:04PM - One of the officials is outlining some rules. The teams have a couple people gathered around him.

2:00PM - Andrew: "The inspector is up close and personal with Steve, talking about the robot. Apparently there might be something wrong with our pneumatics setup. If there is, then Steve said he'd look it up in the rulebook." Matt says we may have custom-fit something that can't be.
1:38PM - Sad Walrus weighs 119 pounds and is exactly at the height limit. Inspection still in progress.
1:33PM - More officials on the field now. 772's first match set to start at 3:36.
1:21PM - Andrew reports the new program is loaded and the team is ready to be inspected.

1:01PM - Team members are doing pit surveys. Practice rounds should begin at three.

12:36PM - Not a ton happening. One inspector on the field. Mostly everyone in the pits. Music choice is a little better this time. Word has it we're here till eight.

12:00PM - It's that time again, and the Sabres are at the University of Waterloo. We've been here since nine thirty, or ten thirty for us slower people. Live updates now up and running.