Indiana 2016

[valjean]

Does anyone know how many teams Indiana is sending to nationals this year? Sorry, I just don't really know how this works.

[dcrxcode]

Does anyone know how many teams Indiana is sending to nationals this year? Sorry, I just don't really know how this works.

Don't bet on more than 1 - Indiana membership has been very stagnant for the last couple of years and other states' memberships are only rising. Valjean, you're from BHSN, right?

[valjean]

Yup! This is my third year at Bloomington North.

[Uncle Fester]

Surprise; I'm actually going to States this weekend, one last time. This is the fourth year in a row I'm retiring. Amtrakking to Renssealer tomorrow (Thursday), staying with friends and coming down Friday, working Mission one more time, and returning to Grand Rapids Saturday & Sunday. It's kind of complicated without a car and all my health problems.

For those wondering, over the past year and a half I have been fighting long-undiagnosed Stage 4 (severe) Nephritis. Six months ago I got on the kidney transplant list, and about a month ago, my kidneys finally gave up the last 17% they had, and I started dialysis. Three days a week, four hours per visit, with a pair of needles in my arm bigger than basketball inflator needles. Best comment so far? "Wow, I never saw tubing that shade of red before. Is it scarlet or maroon?" My answer: "No, it's transparent."

Kidneys do far more than filter waste products; it regulates body fluid volume, blood pressure, mwater-soluble mineral quantities, and blood pH; it also creates Vitamin D. Every one of these mess up other organs in a cascading effect. Dialysis itself creates many issues, like incredible insomnia, protein, phosphorus and iron loss, organ damage, and I now kind of wobble when I walk. However, it's absolutely necessary until I get a new kidney and it looks like a five to seven year wait before my probabality increases to 50%. In short, I have become the type of event sup I used to complain about long ago, so it's time to go.

Kevin Murphy became the Mission Supervisor last season. I picked him myself and refused to consider anyone else -- he was my first Mission winner at States all those years ago. He's trained under me for the past six or seven years, and he scores teams exactly like I do -- we'd both fill out score sheets and the final score would differ by no more than two points. Tina Gilliland wants me there because she doesnt want to lose me and is afriad something will go wrong; it won't -- and I'm coming solely to keep her from worrying -- I've worked with her in one arrangement or another for 23 years. Just gonna sit around, talk to people, teach the event to a few rookie coaches, and eat fancy pastries from the shop down the hall.

Tell your coach; stop by; say hi. I now look like a cross between an Amish farmer and Buddy Holly. No sentimental crap, please.

[dcrxcode]

Good luck to everyone tomorrow at State! I'm really excited.

[Uncle Fester]

Had a great time. Started out quite ill, but it settled down during the day. nothing $7,000 worth of medications won't heal. Made a few announcements during the day and backed up Kevin when a few parents got uppity. Some clown had the nerve to ask me if I knew anything about the event, and evreyone in the room started laughing. There's always someone who doesn't get the word.

Surprised at how many teams that got to States had such a limited understanding of SImple Machines. ANd, true to form, there were a half dozen who didn't read the rules and catch the clause in the Wedge definition. WInner in Mission also missed over 250 points by not claiming them on paperwork -- and still won.

Future reference: Always demand a back-up destination for Mission paperwork. I was home for an hour SUNDAY when an email dinged in -- a new team's paperwork, dated March 11. A check with the server revealed it DID arrive there the 11th. Fortunately it didn't affect any rankings.

Kevem's a great coach. Be advised; he takes no crap from parents, as one found out. Kevin kicked him out of Alumni Hall. Tina's trying to find something else for me to do, which is kind of counter-productive to my retiring. I might just be someone's assistant, so long as I don't have to do anything.

Best part: Lunch. I couldn't eat the pizza, so Tina sent me to the Coach Lunch. All-you-can-eat potato bar, but since I'm not allowed to eat potatoes, I "had to" fill up on toppings. A pile of steak, a pile of chicken, a pile of dhrimp, another pile of shrimp.....

[0ddrenaline]

Hi, would anyone happen to still have the past year's Northridge results? Their website has expired and I'm curious to see what the competition is like.

[dcrxcode]

Hi, would anyone happen to still have the past year's Northridge results? Their website has expired and I'm curious to see what the competition is like.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9HqVm ... sp=sharing

Here you go!

Northridge is scheduled for January 21st, 2017.

[Unome]

Hi, would anyone happen to still have the past year's Northridge results? Their website has expired and I'm curious to see what the competition is like.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9HqVm ... sp=sharing

Here you go!

Northridge is scheduled for January 21st, 2017.

I see why no one expected you guys to beat Munster...

[dcrxcode]

Hi, would anyone happen to still have the past year's Northridge results? Their website has expired and I'm curious to see what the competition is like.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9HqVm ... sp=sharing

Here you go!

Northridge is scheduled for January 21st, 2017.

I see why no one expected you guys to beat Munster...

It was even worse in 2015 (although Northridge won):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9HqVm ... sp=sharing

Just look at how good they were at stacking! Sorry the formatting sucks