22nd - 24th July European Championships 2005

Dutch Robot Games is proud and happy to announce that we are given the opportunity to organise The European Championships 2005.
This event will be held in July 2005 in the Amsterdam Rai Centre (http://www.rai.nlwww.rai.nl) combined with a big karting spectacle.

Well be running to FRA rules in, at least, Heavyweight (100Kg) and Featherweight (12Kg) classes.

Well keep you up to date, and let you know when registration is open.

Marien van der Meer
Chairman Dutch Robot Games
www. dutchrobotgames.nl

Thats great news, i know its been on the cards for a while, keep us posted with your progress, any thing we can do to help just let us know.

Jonno
Roaming Robots

Any chance of the middleweights getting a look in?

Sounds good,

Whats the plan with the Arena, Im sure you are going to be asked if spinners are running.

More info please, Mute would like to come and play

The plan, as it stands now, is to build a spinner proof arena. Dont pin me down on that just yet though :)

Since there are several parties involved, dates must still be set and confirmed. We€™ll run at least 2 classes and must look into possibilities for the others, probably together with FRA delegates.
For me there is no point in running championships without spinners. Plan is indeed to build our own arena at least with the basics, if possible with extras and show elements. Other option is hiring one but we are working on a deal for 6 events in 3 years so it is preferred to have our own arena.
The way we do things is: we start with basics. During organising and contacting people and companies it will probably grow and grow.
We are working with a big company which is big in computer gaming, music, dj€™s and festivals but have everything to learn about robotering.

I€™ll post new developments here, as soon as they are certain enough to be published.

Marien

Are spinners definate?

Der Boyz

Without spinners it wont go.

How fars Amsterdam :)

i belive the Beer is good over there

8645t

count Dantomkia IN!!!! beer, beer, more beer, good people and if time permits from not drinking beer, robots.

Mike

Mooi zo!! Marien, het evevement voor de spinnen robot!!
wij zijn bijwonen, reken maar van yes!

Geoff en John
Team scorpion.

(sorry, mijn nederlands is niet te goed!)

Feeling brave Mike?...Dantomkia with all those nasty spinners!!

behave Geoff and stop showing off. Even a poor imbicile like me can speak Double Dutch when I am drunk.

Mike.

Not bad Geoff, keep it up.
John, I think you can travel from Stansted airport to a seat in the stands in less then 2 hours.
I dont know about the beer, but the people are ok.

Good to see you making progress and wish you the best with your Arena build as i said to you on the phone its more a labour of love.Check out http://www.robotcrusade.com//forum/index.phphttp://www.robotcrusade.com//forum/index.php so that we can avoid clashes with dates.

Good luck

John Heatlie
Vault Arena

Thanks John. I think all organisers should get together on this and avoid clashes. I have talked to Jonno about it and sent him our provisional planning. He is willing to keep track of all events.
Not clashing is very hard because we all have holidays, other events and partners to consider. But well try. And we must keep in mind that roboteers wont go to Full Contact Competitions every 2 weeks. :-) We should try do do some events in winter.

In the meantime, BTP is planning to run Robot Crusade events at:
1. RAF Cosford Airshow, 12th June 2005 - http://www.cosfordairshow.co.ukwww.cosfordairshow.co.uk
2. RAF Waddington Airshow, 2nd & 3rd July 2005 - http://www.waddingtonairshow.co.ukwww.waddingtonairshow.co.uk
3. Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), RAF Fairford, youth day - 15th July 2005, main event 16th - 18th July 2005 - http://www.airtattoo.comwww.airtattoo.com
4. RAF Leuchars Arishow, 10th September 2005 - http://www.airshow.co.ukwww.airshow.co.uk

In the interest of all roboteers it would be good that no conflicting full combat evens are around the same dates.

Unfortunately these dates cant change, as its an airshow. The UK/Champs may well be held over 3 rounds with the finals at RIAT. I would like to see the European Championships finial at this Event but that would make your Event a qualifier. If you would like to us the Vault Arena to hold this then we can continue our Conversations. Its in all our interests to come up with a solution and make 2005 a great year for Robotic combat

John Heatlie

A 3 (or so) round series may lead to financial and logistical problems for roboteers. Especially when they have to travel from the other side of Europe.
And Roboteering isn€™t big enough for that, I think. There just are not enough robots around.

Using The Vault is still an option, but we have the possibility and obligation of building our own, which would benefit us all.

The point i was trying to raise was in the UK we are thinking of holding the UK Champs European Championships or World champs over 2/3 rounds held at the air shows. Its much the same as RW filming over 6 days. Heats held first and the final at RIAT. This could also be for the European Championships or World champs but
using your event as one of the qualifying rounds for both. That way we would not conflict in events or championships. It makes sense to run this way but it may well not suit everone. The teams that qualify will have expenses paid to come to the UK for a example. Just some thoughts by all means do our event just dont say i am not trying to help or stand in your way. I.e. GRA event last Year.

Many Thanks

John Heatlie

I think youll find Johns idea would be far more realistic for various reasons. The roboteering community in England is quite large and England does have a kind of international side to it (being an island) compared to other more isolated European countries. This is not political obviosly, but just situational.

If a qualifying round was held in the Amsterdam Rai Centre then it would possibly be much more acessable to other European countries compared to England and would therefore be a good place to host a qualifying round for the European roboteers for a larger world championship to be held in England alongside the airshows. Realistically you are not going to get too many people coming over for an event out of England, England does have, by far, the biggest roboteer community (excluding America) so European Championship status really needs more to it than an event with possibly limited robot numbers.

I would love to hop over to Europe for an event but chances are I wouldnt be able to due to my own travel problems etc, so expecting an event over there on the scale of a European championships may be abit too much.

I hope this isnt offending or anything but its just another opinion.

I dont think Fairford is a good location for a European Championship. Its simply in the middle of nowhere (Ive been there so I know). The RAI is 300m from a train station and 15 minutes from one of the biggest airports in Europe, and with Easyjet prices from London its not that expensive to get there for visitors.

Also I dont think it makes sense to do every single European championship in the UK.

Fairford pulls the crowds in, I dont know how, but it does.

and with Easyjet prices from London its not that expensive to get there for visitors

Do you mean spectators or roboteers. You will almost certainly get virtually zero spectators coming over for a championships, so you will rely on pulling in the crowds in, in Holland. This may be quite hard as (I dont think) youve had much telivision or general public exposure to the sport of robot fighting.

RAI sounds like a good excuse for a holiday.

Kane Aston
http://www.makerobotics.comhttp://www.makerobotics.com

Well Battlebots is still on tv every saturday, so there is some exposure. And Fairford pulls crowds because of the planes, I doubt a lot of people will go there only because of the robots, the tickets for the Air Tattoo are simply too expensive if you dont care anything about planes. And I was referring to spectators in the case of visitors (otherwise I would have said competitors).

Realistically you are not going to get too many people coming over for an event out of England,

Ewan... PLEASE stop trying to speak on behalf of the roboteers like you represent the definitive view !

All the events that have been organised on the continent to date have been very successful with both the Dutch Robot Games events attracting loads of UK teams.

As Kane says, going over sounds like a good excuse for a holiday to me - Storm II will certainly be taking its World title to any competition on the continent !

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.comhttp://www.teamstorm.com

Am well pleased that the DRG is to put on a major event next year, those of us who have been to Holland before know and appreciate the welcome we have received and the great competions that they have organised.

I am not happy at some of the above posts trying to divert attention to other events and spoil this announcement and thread.I call upon those that have posted to desist from doing this as it could cause unnessesary animosity between event organisers that is not helpful to a roboteering future.

while roboteers should support all events, roboteers will automatically choose to go to the event that they so wish.

Im thinking of three problems that might appear, when the championship will be held over 2 or 3 events.

1st: What I noticed with most of the teams from the DutchRobotwars, is that they only go to a big event that will be on television. If they would have to go to 2 or 3 events for the championships and they have only money or free time for one event. Then Its most likely that they wont go to any of the events. I dont know if this would happen in the UK, but it happens here in the Netherlands. Thats why we only have a few teams left.

2nd: for example, lets say that the championships are held over 3 events including the qualifing. What would happen if a robot that plans to go to all 3 events, would be defeated by a robot who unfortunatly can only go to one or 2 events. Im shure that it would happen. How would it affect his position in the competition? I think it would be unfair to send them both out of the competition.

3rd: You would be able to modify your robot between the events.

I just love the way Ewan states that England is international and the rest of Europe is isolated.
Im not trying to be mean, but it just cracks me up :)

I have to agree with Andy on this one..Come on guys, I thought we had just got all that kind of thing sorted out.
RAI is an exellent venue (Been there, seen it!)
Kane & Ed, as you say, A damn fine idea for a short holiday... Amsterdam is quite an interesting place (Ask Jenny to give you the guided tour!!)
Ewan, do yourself a favour... Take note of what Ed is saying and leave this one alone. I dont want to have to send you another e-mail, because next time I may not be so forgiving! Get the point?

Sure I get the point, has anyone noticed that this would mean 2European Championships events so-far next year, Im quite sure that BTP arent too happy about their European championships title being taken without their prior knowledge (looks like it to me). wingdings> come on guys, I thought the FRA were meant to unite all the events, even if its just the names they have to change.

Ive got absolutely nothing against this actual event, which Im sure would be very good from whats been said so far.

Sorry Ewan,
I have talked about my plans for European Championships with several people of the community (including FRA managers and John Heatly) from the Liverpool and Newark events, this year. And we will keep communicating about it by e-mail and phone. This thread is for the information of competitors and audience about our event, not to discus who was first, how to announce events or trying to rearrange the 2005 calendar.
So please ask me about EC 2005 or why Amsterdam is not isolated from the world. Or tell me if you want to come over to be a part of it. Do not stir things up while others are trying to work together were you can€™t see. It€™s bad for your sport.

Im looking forward to it. I may have a second feather ready by then, if im lucky :)

never knew European Championships was a name you could lay claim on...

I call upon those that have posted to desist from doing this as it could cause unnecessary animosity between event organisers that is not helpful to a roboteering future.

I take it Andy that this was intended for me as iam aware you know my name please use it.

To all again trying to debate and suggest possible conflicts and solutions to help promote all Events seem not to be welcome.

My apologies for raising my thoughts about the future of our sport.

To the roboteers less fortunate than some and may not be able to Travel to this but my feel thy wish to challenge for the title i will ask the Dutch if we can hold a UK qualifying round so that you can compete without the expenses of going to this Event. Only A thought and please dont hesitate to apply for the Dutch Event. I will if i get the time to work on my robot and iam not tied up with work.

I have been in contact with the Dutch in the past to discuss these issues but in the mean time i wish this Event the best and as previously stated if i can help with there Arena Build or with the supply of a Arena then i will be happy to assist.

This will be the last post by me on this topic so if you wish to debate it please take it to a more suitable place. Again my apologies to the Dutch it was not my intention to hijack your news.


John Heatlie

Back on topic then.

What sort of numbers are we looking at competeting, and how long do you intend to run the event over?

Well have 4 or 5 days to fill. With about 60 to 80 heavies, I think. Ill know more about that next week.

There must be room for a middleweight battle in all that.

Very likely. How many MWs would there be?

One or the other, or both machines from the Bulldog stable will want to play ,,,the spinning variety, does not have a defined name yet ,,as it is still embroyonic, but when it is named you will remember it,:o

Der Boyz

Marien,
Are you able to confirm dates yet? Im thinking of things like ferries and hotels..especialy in July!