2002 Semifinals
Urban Challenge National Championships
The Race is On
Just as Urban Challenge pulled out all the stops, so did the racers.
An astounding amount of innovations were on display. Unable to fax
or photocopy the baton, some teams had their support crew videotape
the baton and whisk away the tape for analysis. Some teams used
a combination digital cameras and digital phone to broadcast the
clues to their hometown crew.
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From: Philip Sheehy <spounce@yahoo.com>
Subject: WEIRD LAS VEGAS
Nobody has commented on some of the weird elements of
Las Vegas while we were there...
• The lovely denizens of the city
outside of Jillians at 8:00am.
• There was some kind of wheelchair rugby competition?
• Las Vegas is like a movie lot...once you get
beyond the fancy fronts of the buildings, there is nothign
there.
• The overall cabbie driving style...and I come
from New York.
I will say that the UC was a great way
to explore the city. When we went out that night, I
was amazed how many areas I recognized.
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Most controversial was the use of ground support by some teams.
While not technically against the rules, almost all agreed it was
not in the spirit of the race. In the end, it didn't give advantage
to any of the Magnificent 7 teams, and the winners had a minimum
of support.
For many teams, it was intimidating and discouraging to see large
amounts of ground support around race headquarters. Most of that
support, however, never left the Jillian's area. And as it turned
out, the bigger the support crew, the more likely crucial information
was passed along incorrectly (think of the telephone operator game
that you played as a child).
In a nutshell, the course had four checkpoints around the Fremont
Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas, then took challengers down
to the Strip, east to UNLV, and back up to a finish at Jillian's.
Skip Man »
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