Teams must have read the comment thread from last week’s news post in which alumni were wondering why there are so many incidents these days, because this weekend was very smooth and uneventful. It may have also just been regression to the mean. Each weekend the weather is beautiful I think, “This might be the last one of the year …” and then it is beautiful again the next weekend. No complaints. It is staying dark for longer and longer but the drivers are brave and have started rolling before the streetlights are off as dawn is just starting to break.
In Attendance (buggies listed newest to oldest)
| Org | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| AEPi | Kamikaze, Zephyrus | Kamikaze |
| CIA | Freyja, Renaissance, Firebird, Quasar | Freyja, Renaissance, Firebird, Quasar |
| Fringe | Bedlam, Blizzard | Borealis, Bedlam, Blizzard |
| PiKA | Nemesis, Chimera, Desperado | Nemesis, Chimera, Desperado |
| Pioneers | Chaos | |
| SDC | Avarice, Malice, Psychosis, Rage | Avarice, Malice, Psychosis |
| SigEp | Peregrine, Barracuda | Peregrine |
| Spirit | Seraph, Fuko, Haraka | Seraph, Fuko, Haraka |
Observations (Saturday gallery | Sunday gallery) Continue reading
Orgs decided that there would be no rolls on Sunday because of mid-semester break, and even Saturday was a minimal crew of the most dedicated folks (or maybe the folks least skilled at planning something fun for mid-semester break). SDC took the weekend off, and most teams had fewer buggies than normal except CIA whose 4 rolling buggies represented 25% of those on the course. The fall weather is starting to kick in as it was about 40 degrees out there, but we’re still getting lucky on the precipitation.
More perfect fall weather set the scene for a solid weekend of rolls with a SDC, Spirit, SigEp, AEPi, and the citizens of Pittsburgh stepping up and giving us some things to talk about.
One part fog and one part rain made for an interesting but brief weekend of rolls. Fog is usually an issue at daybreak that then burns off as rolls proceed, but on Saturday it was backwards. Rolls started clear and then pressed on through a thickening blanket. Sunday’s rolls were cancelled on Saturday night in light of the oncoming rain which did materialize from 5-8am.
With clear skies and temperatures in the 50s and 60s, eight teams made it out and put on a good show for us spectators. There were new drivers still meandering down the hill with a slew of bags, but also some vets putting down times that would be competitive in April. Three buggies ended up in the bales, and some others got close enough they could smell the hay on the way by.
Now that I’ve built some serious suspense by coming out with this report 4 days late, I hope it lives up to the hype. Sorry for the delay, don’t get out of the habit of checking on monday mornings. We’ll get back on schedule.
Last night, a historic 2 hour conference call marked the peaceful transition of power from the founding committee of the Buggy Alumni Association to the 