The cold finally showed up for Halloween weekend with rolls temperatures around 37, and with daylight savings time still in effect we’re down to about 60 minutes on the course. Sunday was cancelled in advance to make way for parties, so we’re still batting an impressive 9 for 10 so far this semester against inclement weather. Only 6 orgs made it out, so an hour was enough to get through the roll order 3 times. If I’m not mistaken, this was the first day of the year with no incidents at all, that’t not very ghoulish.
In Attendance (buggies listed newest to oldest)
| Org | Saturday |
|---|---|
| AEPi | Zephyrus |
| CIA | Freyja, Renaissance, Quasar |
| Fringe | Borealis, Bedlam, Banyan, Blizzard |
| PiKA | Nemesis, Knightfall, Zeus, Desperado |
| SigEp | Barracuda, Pandora |
| SDC | Avarice, Malice, Addiction, Rage |
Observations (Saturday gallery) Continue reading
Teams must have read the 
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.
The carnival weather was out already for the last weekend of rolls before truck weekend. Temperatures were in the low 60s on Saturday and low 50s on Sunday to greet the 14 orgs ramping up to raceday. The list of incidents is long compared to the details about who is doing well, but don’t let that fool you, it’s just easier to note the mishaps. Many of the mid-tier teams are making serious charges towards competing for trophies, and the regulars are quietly perfecting their skills and building their teams. Every roll is being timed and reviewed. Every transition matters to pushers old and new. It’s almost raceday.
Two days of genuine good spring weather (45-50°F and mostly sunny) provided the first real weekend of rolls, and the teams made it an exciting one. With three new buggies and enough incidents in the chute to make a driver blush, it took extra long to sort out and write about here at headquarters. Our apologies for the delay, we plan on sticking to Monday mornings in the future.