Welcome Back to Campus with New Sweepstakes!

Posted on | by Willy Clark

As students move back on campus in the fall, we thought it’d be a great time to highlight the group that will be leading the effort this year. The Raceday 2021 Sweepstakes Committee has been working hard to prep for the fall so look out for updates of what this group is up to!

Chairwoman: Tishya Girdhar was a driver and mechanic for fringe for three years, and served as Safety Chair last year. She’s looking forward to help plan Buggy 100+! (as we’re casually calling it). Feel free to reach out to her if you have any suggestions/ideas!!

Safety Chair:  Bethany Bauer is a senior physics major in SHS. Previously, she’s served as a driver and mechanic on Apex. Bethany is excited to be your safety chair!

Assistant Chair: Natalie Herrmann is a rising senior studying Civil Engineering. She was a mechanic for Fringe the past 3 years, and served as their Chairman for the past 2 years. Apart from buggy, she’s also involved with Fringe and ASCE booth. She’s pumped for this year, and can’t wait to see what all the teams can do!

Design Comp Chair: Carl Young was previously the Head Mechanic for SigEp Racing, A-Team Hill 3, and Chairman! He’s ready to carry on the good work put in last year to make the “100th anniversary of Raceday” the best yet!

Town Hall Follow-up #3

Posted on | by Michael Darcy

Hi all,

This is the third and final follow-up update from the Raceday 2020 Town Hall. If you weren’t able to make it to the Town Hall, you can take a listen here. New updates are in Bold.

  1. Membership and benefits — Complete (3/31)
  2. Consolation print: Essentially complete. If you requested shipping and have completed payment, your poster should be shipped. If you wanted to take advantage in-person pickup at the bottom of Hill One (starting line), Ben will be there with posters at the following time:

    Sunday August 16th 2-4pm
    Email ben.matzke@cmubuggy.org if this time does not work for you.
  3. Budget — Complete. We have just received our latest financial update which covers our account through the end of June. With your unprecedented support in the last year-to-date, we have raised $15,462 directly, and $1,912 dollars in university matching. To give a sense of scope, this is about twice the amount we would spend on Raceday and about what we were expecting to contribute to Buggy100, which will of course roll over into the next Raceday. Although we do receive some support from employer matching, this is likely underutilized. Don’t forget to ask your employer if they are willing to match your contributions!
  4. Homecoming Vision — Complete. Homecoming has been confirmed for the weekend of October 17th. We’re actively collaborating with CMU staff to bring Buggy events to the programming and exploring available time slots and formats but remaining flexible given the current environment. Of course now that we’ve transitioned to Fall programming and content, we’ll keep you up to date in future posts on new event offerings!
  5. New content including livestream — Complete (4/30)
  6. Elections — Complete. Please refer to our previous post about election results for more information.
  7. Gifts for students — Complete! Thanks to Diya for helping us distribute the senior gifts. We also want to welcome those seniors who took advantage of our free membership offer to the BAA!

In Memory of Joanne Tsai

Posted on | by Michael Darcy

Hi Buggy Alumni,

This is our friend Joanne, an Apex driver who recently passed away after fighting leukemia for almost a year. She drove Azula for Raceday 2018, and was a great friend and an important member of our team. Joanne was one of the warmest, friendliest, most reliable people any of us have had the pleasure of meeting. She handled frigid, early rolls with a smile and a snarky attitude. She was always willing to give us her all, fitting herself into our tightest, most uncomfortable buggy with a positive(ish) attitude. While she may have been driver-sized, she had more strength and resilience than anyone. She faced every hurdle with stubbornness and determination, and she never gave up or stopped caring about her friends. She was hilarious, wicked smart, and, above all, a great teammate and friend. We love Joanne and her friendship and warmth made all of our lives infinitely better.

In her memory, some people on our team put together a virtual bone marrow registry drive. Bone marrow donation is an important part of battling leukemia and other similar conditions, but it is very difficult to find a match for everyone who needs a donor due to the genetic complexity of bone marrow. The buggy community is partnering with Be The Match, a national bone marrow registry that helps connect people with compatible donors as quickly as possible so they can get the life-saving treatment they need. About one in 300 people gets selected to donate, and if you are selected, your expenses are covered. It is an outpatient procedure and it is minimally invasive– yet it truly can mean life or death for these patients. 

How you can help: If you are between 18 and 44 and in good health, you are eligible to become a donor. Registering is quick and easy; all you have to do is sign a consent form and send a cheek swab, which they send you in the mail. You can start by either texting “CMU” to 61474 or click on the online link https://join.bethematch.org/CMU. Use these personalized links so we can accurately count how many individuals have joined the registry in Joanne’s honor. Otherwise, please spread the word and encourage your friends and family to register.  More information can be found at https://bethematch.org/ and at this doc. Please contact Amanda Vallon at axoknpresident@gmail.com with any questions. 

Joanne lives on in all of us, and it’s up to us to make the positive impact in the world that she would want to make. Her kindness and spirit continue to radiate outwards and our hope is that we can direct this love to people who are fighting a battle similar to hers.

Much love!

100 Years of Buggy History – Recap and 2020

Posted on | by Bryan Arsham | 3 Comments on 100 Years of Buggy History – Recap and 2020

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020

So here we are, at the end of the 100 Years of Buggy History.  The goal of this series was to help celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Buggy at Carnegie Mellon by diving into the history of the sport a little deeper than you might otherwise find in the “History” tab on this site.  It’s one thing to see that Beta won in 1935 with a course record, and it’s important for the legacy of the sport.  But this series wanted to go beyond that.  What buggy did they use?  Who were the teams that they were battling against?  How many heats were run?  How close was the finish?  And did you know that someone actually tried to sabotage them before the race?

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BAA Election Results and New Officers for 2020-2022 Term

Posted on | by Michael Darcy | 1 Comment on BAA Election Results and New Officers for 2020-2022 Term

Hi all, here are your new officers for the 2020-2022 term!

Vice President
Willy Clark

Graphics
Katelyn Smith

The remaining officers were all re-elected to their positions and we’re overjoyed to have Treasurer Bryan Arsham, Secretary Rachel Schmitt, and Broadcast Officer Will Weiner returning for second terms.

Thanks everyone for voting and participating in the election process! I will be in contact to get our new officers on board as quickly as possible and look forward to building an amazing buggy experience next year.

100 Years of Buggy History – 2019

Posted on | by Bryan Arsham | 5 Comments on 100 Years of Buggy History – 2019

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020

Reminder: Along with these 2010s posts, we’re also doing a Raceday Rewatch, so you can join us at this link on Friday at 5pm ET (or rewatch it on your own later): 2019 Rewatch

This week, the 100 Years of Buggy History series has finally reached the most recent real life Raceday, its original end point. After 99 years of racing and 8 months of articles, we’ve made it to 2019. And what a year it was. In one of the closest battles in history, SDC managed to break the record for longest winning streak, by taking their 8th straight Men’s title, but it wasn’t easy for them as they lost the all-time winningest buggy in the process. We’ve also got some faculty racing, some mascot racing, some wheel-to-wheel racing, some autonomous racing, some incredibly bad luck, and a faceplant for the ages.

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BAA Elections for 2021 Term

Posted on | by Michael Darcy

Greetings BAA members,

The time has finally arrived to vote on our officers for the 2020-2021 term. Thank you for your patience during the nomination process. All officer terms are for two years with potential for one re-election to the same position for a second term. Each position requires at least 20 votes or votes of confidence. Additionally, each position will have a write in option. We have 1 contested race and 4 no-contest races on the ballot:

Contested Races:
Vice President (Willy Clark, Dave Singh)

Uncontested Races:
Treasurer (Bryan Arsham)
Secretary (Rachael Schmitt)
Broadcast (Will Weiner)
Graphics (Katelyn Smith)

To cast your vote, click below!

Voting is open until May 21st!

We also are excited to share that Jeremy Tuttle, outgoing Vice President, will be staying on as an officer in a new position entitled Quartermaster. More details on the responsibilities of the Quartermaster will come as we revisit our bylaws this summer, but suffice it to say Jeremy will be continuing in most of his previous responsibilities.

100 Years of Buggy History – 2018

Posted on | by Bryan Arsham | 4 Comments on 100 Years of Buggy History – 2018

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020

Reminder: Along with these 2010s posts, we’re also doing a Raceday Rewatch, so you can join us at this link on Friday at 5pm ET (or rewatch it on your own later): 2018 Rewatch

This week, the 100 Years of Buggy History series reaches all the way back to…2018. The sun shown brightly, but the temperature didn’t follow, concluding a particularly cold and wet winter that limited the number of rolls. SDC romped again, with a record-tying 7th consecutive Men’s victory, and plenty of DQs and DNFs led to a sizable gap from first to second.

Continue reading →

100 Years of Buggy History – 2017

Posted on | by Bryan Arsham | 3 Comments on 100 Years of Buggy History – 2017

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020

Reminder: Along with these 2010s posts, we’re also doing a Raceday Rewatch, so you can join us at this link on Friday at 5pm ET (or rewatch it on your own later): 2017 Rewatch

This week, the 100 Years of Buggy History series dives into 2017. Rain fell early, but not enough to prevent 2 days of racing. And what a 2 days it was, as 2017 ended up as one of the two fastest Racedays of all time, ending with course records (all of which still stand today) in all 3 buggy divisions: Men’s, Women’s, and Autonomous Buggies.

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100 Years of Buggy History – 2016

Posted on | by Bryan Arsham | 2 Comments on 100 Years of Buggy History – 2016

Table of Contents: Intro & 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1927; 1928-1932; 1933-1935; 1936-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1949; 1950-1953; 1954-1956; 1957-1959; 1960-1963; 1964-1966; 1967-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979; 1980-1983; 1984-1986; 1987-1989; 1990-1993; 1994-1996; 1997-1999; 2000-2003; 2004-2006; 2007-2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; Recap & 2020

Reminder: Along with these 2010s posts, we’re also doing a Raceday Rewatch, so you can join us at this link on Friday at 5pm ET (or rewatch it on your own later): 2016 Rewatch

This week, the 100 Years of Buggy History series heads to 2016. Newly paved roads and good weather led to lots of practice rolls, which helped some teams on Raceday, but not others. Spring Carnival moved to the buggy course, a missed pushbar decided a winner, and can you guess how many buggies PiKA entered this year? Go Fish.

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