Buggy at Wigle’s Barrel Roll

Wigle_Whiskey_logoThis Friday at 4:30pm some local buggy people will be meeting up at Wigle Whiskey and take part in Wigle’s Barrel Roll event kicking off their summer season.

Any local Buggy fans and/or students are invited to join us for the walk starting at their Distillery and ending at their barrel house in the north shore near Penn Brewery. There is no age restriction, however you must be over 21 to try the Whiskey (or other alcohol). Our max team size is 16 people, so sign up now if you’re interested! The walk will begin at 5pm.

For more info about the event, check out this post.

 

Those of you that join us will receive:

  • a shot of whiskey at the distillery before we embark (for those over 21)
  • snacks and drinks along the barrel-rolling route
  • 2 drink tickets for the opening party
  • free entry to the opening party
  • sample from the tapped cask
  • change to bask in the glory of a win!
Barrel Roll
Shortest Route from the Distillery to the Barrel House

Compubookie 2016, later than ever…

Sorry this is so late, PiKA took me fishing and left me at the lake:

Carnival weekend. What a great time for students to relax from school work, sleep more than 4 hours a night, and celebrate Beta finally being gone from campus. This year’s buggy competition could be the most exciting yet, having the chute finally paved for the first time since the school took the word Tech out of its name. Many teams look to break SDC’s record time. Will anyone finish in under 2 minutes? Will the buggy be just beyond reach at the end of hill 5? Will SDC win again? Let’s look into it.

Starting off with the shake up everyone 100% saw coming. Looks like CMU finally caught on to the problem they have with substance consumption, and due to disciplinary action, PiKA will not be racing this year (kind of). But no! Without PiKA who will be there to vomit in Maggie Mo? Introducing the Fishing Team. They have acquired PiKA’s buggies and drivers, however, their push team can not consist of 5 brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha, so expect them to be recruiting around campus, which may actually make them faster–which they desperately need if they want to win.

WHAT HAS SPIRIT BEEN DOING IN THE OFFSEASON?? Spirit came from being only slightly a contender last year to the org many think could be a frontrunner in 2016. Revamped with a pretty new push team, a new buggy, and all around new culture, their roll ups are better than ever, expect them to leave their mark on raceday. Rumor is they stole the key to SDC’s buggy room.

Looks like racing has become uncool if your name starts with Sigma. SAE, Sig Ep, and Sig Nu have had poor attendance this year at rolls. I don’t think we’ll actually know if they’re any good until raceday. After Sig Ep’s strong performance last year, it’s a shame that the brothers care more about underwhelming Greek Sing shows than buggy.

Sorry, I know why you’re all here, let’s get to the predictions:

Men: Expect a bit of a shake up from Spirit, and more of the same elsewhere. PiKA The Fishing Team, will now have last pick of lane, and this could hurt their overall performance. SDC and CIA remain staunch contenders, with Fringe as a second tier team hoping their raceday performance can shock some people.

  1. Spirit A

  2. SDC A

  3. Fishing A

  4. CIA A

  5. SDC B

  6. Fringe A

  7. Spirt B

  8. Sig Ep A

  9. CIA B

  10. Apex A

Women: Expect more of the same as previous years here, SDC will remain dominant, Spirit with increased buggy speed could create a scare. CIA and Fringe have solid push teams.

  1. SDC A

  2. CIA A

  3. Spirit A

  4. Fish  A

  5. Fringe A

The Field

AEPi: THEY ARE THE BEST. At getting last place.

Apex: Football players for pushers? Won’t make your buggy any faster

CIA: SDC’s little sister, maybe you can hold their trophy?

Fishing Team: Maybe under a different name they’ll catch the push bar

Fringe: What else can we steal from PiKA without being too obvious?

Phi Delt: You should race against the robo buggy, it’d be close

PiKA: They’ll be in same same place they were on day 2 last year, exhibitions

SAE: Who are you? You’ve never been to rolls before

SDC: Your push team is as bad as the campus events you hold

Sig Ep: I heard you couldn’t find a driver, the fraternity was too focused on guys

Sig Nu: Is the one new pledge you got going to help on raceday?

Spirit: It took a girl to get you boys in line? s/o Hope

Rolls Report: April 9 & 10 – Truck Weekend

This week’s report is a different format and trimmed down compared to previous weeks. If you want to get a complete lowdown on buggy happenings, be sure to join up and become a member to get this year’s Raceday Preview. The Preview will be coming out in the next few days and will be full of great info and some fun articles. We’ll give you the scoop on who to look out for this season.

Thanks to inclement weather and the new arrangement for the trucks, a lot was happening this weekend. The new truck order was necessary to accommodate Midway taking place on the CFA lawn. Several weeks of poor weather and single-day weekends caused many teams to scramble to get in those final few rolls and pass tests. Amazingly, every team got at least one of their buggies fully qualified for Raceday. Perhaps even more amazingly, every new buggy from this semester also squeaked in enough rolls to qualify. All-in-all we have 11 organizations and 27 buggies ready to in the (cross your fingers) sunny and warm weather next weekend.

Several of our alumni were out and taking speed data this past Sunday. Three different timing mechanisms were used: a camera system, a stopwatch system, and the laser speed trap. Data were collected at the top of the Freeroll between the crosswalk and Westinghouse pond (note, baseline speed was not taken for this position so speeds are relative, not absolute), just after the monument in the Freeroll, and halfway between Scaife and the bicycle racks on Hill 3. The percentages are relative to the fastest roll. To note, any Hill 2 pushoff <90% is likely a women’s team.

Qualified

Org Buggies
AEPi Kamikaze
Apex Ember, Phoenix
CIA Equinox, Icarus, Impulse, Orca, Tempest
Fringe Balius, Beacon, Bissa, Bolt, NB16
PhiDelt Perun
Fishing Club RD16
SAE Lucy
SDC Avarice, Havoc, Malice, Bane
SigEp Kraken, Richard Hydra
SigNu Krait
Spirit Inviscid, Zuke, Seraph, Fuko

Observations (Saturday Gallery | Sunday Gallery) Continue reading

Schedule of Events – Carnival 2016

Here’s a quick run-down of all the Buggy things happening this carnival. We can’t wait to see you at all these awesome events!

Our Twitter will be getting frequent updates through the weekend, so if you haven’t yet, be sure to give a follow so you know what’s going on when!

Tuesday

9am ESTTruck Auction Begins

A post with the link will go out Tuesday morning when the Truck Auction goes live. Don’t miss your chance to sit in the Lead Truck and watch the entire Race first-hand. We’ve been working with sweepstakes and we should have the best view yet this year!

Wednesday

8pm-9pm ESTWRCT 88.3 Pre-Raceday Broadcast

Join us on the airwaves as our local group of Buggy fanatics talks through this year’s events and our predictions for Raceday. We’ll be live on 88.3 FM and streaming at wrct.org

11:59pm ESTTruck Auction Ends

At midnight Wednesday, the Truck Auction will end. All winners will be contacted with their winning and further information that you will need on Raceday. Remember to check-in next to the Alumni tent on the day of your heat and fill out your Waivers! You will not be allowed in the Truck without one.

Thursday

12pm-2pmBuggy Showcase

The new format of the Design Competition known as Buggy Showcase will be happening in Weigand Gym. Come by and check out all the new buggies and chat with teams and other alumni. Be sure to put your vote in for the People’s Choice Design Award too!

12:30pmBuggy Timing and Data Collection

At the Showcase Stage, Shafeeq Sinnamohideen will give you the low-down on how data is collected during our weekend rolls and what all those numbers mean!

8pmBAA Social Hour

Join us at Hough’s (533 Greenfield Ave), the only bar in Pittsburgh with a Buggy on the wall. We’ve reserved the lower area by the tap wall so you won’t need to worry about it being too crowded. Remember though, the Greenfield Bridge is currently just a cliff, so you might have to go the long way around.

Friday

8am ESTSweepstakes Prelim Races

Join us on the course and cheer on your favorite team, or listen via WRCT 88.3 or stream it live via cmuTV. Send us pictures of your remote-watch parties wherever you are in the world!

12:30pm-1:30pm – BAA Luncheon

After the races, be sure to stop by our new luncheon location and relax with other alums while grabbing a bite to eat. We’re hoping for another awesome raceday, so we will be outside at the tennis court patio. Rain locaiton is Breed Hall in Margaret Morrison.

1:30pm-2:30BAA Panel

We have an awesome panel of people from across the buggy spectrum including several of our supporting groups lined up to answer your questions and share their experiences. Come by, ask them questions and listen to their stories.

Saturday

9am ESTSweepstakes Finals and Exhibition Races

Join us on the course and cheer on your favorite team, or listen via WRCT 88.3 or stream it live via cmuTV. Send us pictures of your remote-watch parties wherever you are in the world! We’ll be having our SigNu v. PiKA grudge match and possibly some additional ones.

12:15-1pmHistory of Buggy Presentation highlighting the Class of 1991

Join Tom Wood for a presentation on the history of Buggy with a focus on the class of 1991 for their 25th Reunion Celebration. Open to all alumni and will be taking place in Steinberg Auditorium.

4:30pmAwards Ceremony

Cheer with your team as the awards are handed out at the Midway tent on the CFA lawn.

Timing Data: April 2

Thanks to one of our dedicated alumni, we have speed data from rolls on April 2. Using a multi-camera system, Shafeeq was able to calculate terminal Freeroll speeds and rollout speed (i.e. buggy speed after leaving the chute). The table gives the time of the rolls, the team and buggy name where known, as well as the speeds in miles per hour. The Rollout:Freeroll Ratio is an estimate of how much speed the buggy preserves through the chute.

Worth noting is that Spirit, CIA, Fishing Club, SDC, and Fringe are all consistently reaching >32mph in the Freeroll. Of this group, Spirit and Fish hold most of the top slots with Fringe, SDC, and CIA keeping pace close behind. What may turn out to be exceedingly important is that CIA and Fringe maintain more of their speed through the chute compared to Spirit and Fish.  Though, SDC is coming out (unsurprisingly) as the most well-rounded team of the bunch.

Time Team Buggy Freeroll (mph) Rollout (mph) Rollout:Freeroll Ratio
7:20 Spirit Inviscid 35.9
7:21 Spirit Zuke 35.1
7:27 PiKA Raptor 34.2
7:29 SigEP Kraken 30.7
7:33 PiKA Banshee 35.3
7:35 SigEP Kraken 30.8
7:38 Apex Phoenix 26.9 10.8 0.401487
7:43 SDC Bane 32
7:44 SDC Havoc 31.2 12.9 0.413462
7:46 Fringe Bissa 34.7 17 0.489914
7:47 Fringe Beacon 30.8 14.3 0.464286
7:49 Spirit Inviscid 35.7 17.2 0.481793
7:49 Spirit Zuke 34.5 14.2 0.411594
7:50 Spirit III 32.4 12.9 0.398148
7:51 Spirit II 31.7 12.9 0.40694
7:52 PhiDelt Perun 30.4
7:55 PiKA Raptor 35.9 17 0.473538
7:57 SigEP Kraken 27.6 7.9 0.286232
7:57 SigEp Pandora 26.9
7:59 AEPi Kamikaze 27.5
8:03 CIA Icarus 35.1 18 0.512821
8:03 CIA Equinox 34.7 18 0.518732
8:04 CIA Impulse 30.7 11.8 0.384365
8:07 SDC Malice 35.7 18.2 0.509804
8:07 SDC Orange 33.6 15.8 0.470238
8:08 SDC Bane 31.7 13.8 0.435331
8:09 SDC Havoc 31.5 14.6 0.463492
8:11 Fringe Beacon 33.5 16.4 0.489552
8:11 Fringe Bissa 33.5 15.6 0.465672
8:11 Fringe Primer 31.3 12.8 0.408946
8:14 Spirit Inviscid 35.9 late
8:15 Spirit III 32.4
8:15 Spirit II 31.2 11.2 0.358974
8:34 PiKA Raptor 35.3
8:36 SigEP Kraken 29.1
8:38 Apex Phoenix 30.4 8.1 0.266447
8:41 CIA Icarus 34.5
8:42 CIA Equinox 33.1 16.1 0.486405
8:42 CIA Impulse 14

Rolls Report: April 2 – More snow and no spins

This past weekend we had our last regular day of rolls before Truck Weekend. That means Carnival is just a little more than a week away! Have you registered for things? More importantly are you a member of the BAA? If you want to receive the Raceday Preview, donate $10 to the BAA and become a member!

9 teams and 22 buggies were able to roll only on Saturday because Pittsburgh missed the memo about it being April, and snow again thwarted Sunday rolls. We are happy to report that there were no spins or unexpected stops on Saturday, which bodes well for safety on Raceday. There was one unexpected event when two fire trucks entered the course to investigate an alarm in/near Scaife Hall. They only hung around for 15 minutes before it was decided that there wasn’t actually a fire. All-in-all it was a fairly quiet day of rolls. Our alumni were out and taking timing data again this weekend. Tomorrow we will be able to post those speeds.

Some of the biggest news, that many have already heard, is that a new team has joined the buggy ranks. After having yet another alcohol incident at their house, the All Greek Community Standards Board (AGCSB) ruled that PiKA may not participate in buggy this year. As far as we understand the ruling, the punishment was restricted to buggy and the frat is allowed to join in other campus activities. After appealing to that board with Sweepstakes and some others, it was decided that Fishing Club, which includes several PiKA brothers, may participate in Raceday. The majority of the new team is not allowed to be PiKA brothers and the drivers must qualify as if they had not previously rolled this year, including capes and pass tests. From what we understand, rolls from the weekend of March 26 are going to count towards their qualification.

In Attendance 

Org Saturday Sunday
AEPi  Kamikaze
Apex  Phoenix, Ember
CIA  Tempest, Icarus, Equinox, Impulse
Fringe  Bolt, Beacon, Bissa
PiKA  Raptor
PhiDelt  Perun
SDC Malice, Havoc, Avarice, Bane
SigEp Pandora, Kraken
Spirit  Inviscid, Fuko, Seraph, Zuke

Observations (Saturday Gallery)

    • AEPi – Kamikaze was out and rolling this Saturday trying to get in those last few rolls to qualify the team’s second driver for Raceday. This was very much a rebuilding year for AEPi, and while they were unable to get a new buggy rolling this spring, they made good strides and have built up some foundational knowledge. Kamikaze is certainly not among the fastest buggies on the course, but we did see smooth and consistent chute turns.
    • Apex – Mostly rolling Phoenix this weekend, Apex is making a final push to get all 3 of their drivers qualified for Raceday. We saw a brief appearance of Ember for what appeared to be pass test purposes only. Phoenix wasn’t breaking any speed records, but was executing solid clean lines through the chute. Here’s to hoping they find some more speed during truck weekend.
    • CIA – CIA was clearly working on their Hill 3 pickups this week. Both Icarus and Equinox were regularly getting rollouts to the fire plug, but don’t seem to have reliable strategy for transitioning to pusher power. Impulse wasn’t getting quite as impressive rollouts, but the Hill 3 pushers had an easier time taking over. Tempest, the newest member of the CIA fleet, is starting to pick up some speed and was making to the emergency phone box midway up Hill 3. The team remains among the top 5 in Freeroll speeds, but is one of the few that retains that speed through the chute. With just one weekend left, CIA will likely be focusing on perfecting their Hill 2 send offs and Hill 3 pickups.
    • Fringe – Fringe continues to have one of the best overall performances for rolls. The team again was among the top 5 in terms of Freeroll speeds, scrubbed little speed through the chute, consistently has great lines, and the Hill 3 pushers are managing smooth pickups. Bissa was getting great rollouts up to the fire plug, Bolt was making it to the emergency phone, and Beacon was coming in third amongst the team for rollouts. The only thing that wasn’t particularly smooth for Fringe on Saturday was that during one roll the tape holding Bolt’s fairing came loose and it dragged on the pavement throughout the roll. It was promptly secured. At this stage in the game, Fringe is looking extremely competitive and just needs to keep doing what their doing, but faster.
    • PhiDelt -Perun had a relatively uneventful day of rolls, completing clean chute lines and working on picking up some more speed. She did lose a rear hatch on one roll, but that issue was quickly resolved. The PhiDelt pushers might be a little optimistic about Perun’s rollouts, as they kept trying to pick her up midway on Hill 3, and ended up running down hill to meet her. The team has come along very well this year and their hard work is taking tangible shape.
    • PiKA Fishing Club – Fishing Club was out and rolling with Raptor (borrowed from PiKA) this Saturday. At the moment both drivers and both Raptor and RD16 need pass tests to qualify for Raceday. The team change hasn’t slowed down Raptor, and she continues to dominate in the Freeroll. While she loses some speed through the chute, she is still one of the fastest buggies hitting Hill 3, and is getting rollouts to the bike rack in front of Porter. Equally as impressive was the woman who was iron-manning some beastly Hill 1 & 2 combos. Given the restrictions on how many PiKA brothers can be on any given push team, it seems that the only thing holding back Fishing Club will be their back hill performance. Next week should be very telling. Despite how much promise the team is showing with only 2 weekends of rolls under their belts, we wonder if the team will be able to come to the day 2 of Raceday. Opening day of PA trout season is Saturday April 16th.
    • SDC – SDC also had a stellar day of rolls. As per usual, they were one of the top 5 fastest teams rolling and were scrubbing little speed through the chute. All 4 buggies were getting great rollouts ranging between the emergency phone and the fire plug on Hill 3. Most of the SDC drivers continue to take a tight line into the chute, but go quite wide once within the hay bales. This had previously been thought to be an old habit to avoid a now-paved pothole, but may have more to do with shedding enough speed to maintain control of the buggy during the turn. Regardless, SDC is a force to be reckoned with on the course and will be amongst the top contenders come Raceday.
    • SigEpKrait Kraken and Pandora were both out and rolling this weekend. Pandora is as loud as ever with one alum in the chute likening her to a B17 bomber. While SigEp hasn’t been looking so fast, we know from previous years that something magical arrives (wheels) for them on truck weekend and we can expect to see an explosive speed boost from them.
    • Spirit – Spirit has really bloomed this spring and had some of the fastest Freeroll times and best Hill 3 rollouts of the day. It seems that the drivers are still trying to nail down their final chute lines as there was a fair amount of within and between buggy variability. Whatever they are doing, it kept them spin-free this weekend. Inviscid was getting some truly great rollouts (at leats to the fire plug) only to be met with lack luster pickups. The Hill 3 pushers were diligent though and by the end of rolls the pickup/transition was going much smoother. Assuming their pushers are anywhere near the caliber of years past, Spirit is going to be a top contender this Raceday.


Rolls Report Contributors:
Shafeeq S
Ben M