We’ve made it to (Mini-)Raceday! COVID has dealt a number of blows to Buggy over the past year, but Sweepstakes worked incredibly hard to get buggies back on the course this Spring and now it’s time to crown a champion.
For the first time in 50 years, Raceday returns to its roots; the month of May. We’ll be live-streaming Mini-Raceday on both Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, beginning at ~6:15AM ET. You can watch along at http://tinyurl.com/BuggyLive2021, and of course, the Discord is always open for alumni and students to watch and talk together (and based on past experience, there might even be additional camera angles).
No, not really. To be honest, not all that much happened at rolls and there certainly wasn’t any pandemonium.
Luckily there are no stops or accidents to report this weekend (although, it makes for boring reading). However, teams were out with full push teams in preparation for next week!
This upcoming Saturday, the early morning will serve as practice time for some teams and then Spirit will have timed runs a little bit later. Sunday will consist of timed runs for the remaining teams (CIA, PiKA, Apex, SDC, Fringe, and SigEp). You can watch the livestream of this year’s Rolls/Raceday hybrid with the following link:
The College of Engineering social media team also recently put together this video spotlighting buggy! Watch how the current students are managing to keep the sport alive even in the midst of a pandemic:
I do want to give a shoutout to SDC! Congratulations on Bane’s 47th roll this semester. An incredibly impressive number given well… everything going on this year. Keep up the good work!
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Buggies in Hollywood:
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To make up for the lack of content please enjoy some more memes. Stay tuned for next week’s theme: Buggies in Geography!
This week I’ve found a number of buggies appearing on the silver screen. Name the buggy characters and their movies!
I don’t have the energy for anything creative this week RIP
The Rolls Reporting Officer doesn’t usually report on rolls during Carnival (that’s someone else’s job). But these rolls weren’t technically Raceday so I suppose it weirdly falls under my jurisdiction… just another unprecedented buggy first. Anywho, there were a few hiccups, but overall teams were able to get some practice and show off their newest additions this past weekend. Most buggies got between 3 to 5 rolls each day with a couple of exceptions. The lower numbers were likely due to some Rolls holds (something very much not unprecedented.)
Our usual fleet of buggies was out this weekend (sans SigEp) and with the addition of Atlas stopping by for some data collection. Saturday saw some delay when a pusher was checked out for an injury on the backhills, but things were soon back on track. There was a bit more of a serious accident on Sunday, but we’ll get to that later (everyone’s okay now!). Sunday Rolls were also temporarily put on hold when the course had a very ominous amount of fog. Students were given the choice of waiting out the fog or becoming part of a Stephen King novel, and very luckily chose the former. Check out these spectacularly spooky pictures taken just before Transition and in the Chute.
That’s just creepy…
It’s too late for this nonsense
This weekend’s practice sessions were not timed, but don’t worry Buggy fans! Sweepstakes is working on some timed Rolls coming up in place of a traditional Raceday. However, it was Carnival weekend and Design Comp carried on. Congratulations to Fringe and Apex for placing this year. Fringe’s Baltic and Blind Faith placed first and second respectively, and Molotov won Apex’s first ever Design Comp win with third place! Congrats guys, you’ve made this old, irrelevant alum quite proud.
A Post-Design Comp Photo Shoot
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Since it was Carnival Weekend, we do have some good news! Students and staff were able to get some cameras set up and livestream last weekend’s practices. If you weren’t able to catch the livestreams, checkout the two highlight videos below!
Atlas was back out this weekend with Baby Buggy. Hopefully they were able to collect some good data before nap time.
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Apex unveiled Molotov’s paint job this weekend. I think teams really brought out their A game with this year’s paint jobs. Molotov seemed to steal the spotlight from Firefly who was also out this weekend with the team’s first ever Design Comp win, but I am VERY okay with that. Congrats again!
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CIA was out on Saturday with its two newest buggies: Aurora and Kingfisher. This is the first time Aurora has been out this year, and for those of you unaware, Aurora is the first CIA buggy in decades to feature a dropping pushbar. For any 70’s CIA alum, your legacy is still very much alive!
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Fringe shared the course only with PiKA on Sunday, rolling it’s two newest buggies: Baltic and Blind Faith. Both these buggies also took home 1st and 2nd place at this year’s Design Comp continuing their winning streak. Fringe sure does know how to build ’em. Here’s a picture of Baltic sporting a new look too:
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PiKA returned after mysteriously vanishing last weekend, but ran into some trouble. Unfortunately, Sunday’s practice session was put on hold after an accident where Cleo crashed straight into the Chute’s outer bales. It’s unclear what caused the accident and when we’ll see Cleo back on the course. Luckily, the driver was checked out by EMS and is doing just fine now!
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SDC and Spirit rolled on Saturday incident free and shared the highest number of rolls this weekend with Bane and Seraph both making it around the course 8 times.
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Movie/TV Parody of the Week:
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Stay tuned for next week’s Rolls Report because I’m going to be playing with this section a bit more. Guess the buggy related title!
This Rolls Report will be relatively short. Unfortunately, Sunday was rained out, but the few teams that were out were able to get some good practice in. Saturday rolls ran smoothly without any incidents with fou… three teams out.
Good luck
In Attendance
Org
Saturday
Fringe
Blind Faith, Baltic
SDC
Bane
SigEp
Kraken, Hydra
Painting those lines
Observations (Gallery Currently Unavailable)
At least it’s not as cold as when we did it.
Fringe rolled stop free with their newest members of their Fringe framily. Blind Faith and Baltic got 8 and 7 rolls, respectively.
‘Twas quite unpleasant…
SDC‘s Bane got 13 rolls in one day! Wow! Congrats to SDC for that achievement. It’s very rare we see roll counts in the double digits for a single day of rolls.
Elyce is still salty that I didn’t help both days.
SigEp‘s Hydra and Kraken got 5 and 4 rolls, respectively before scratching for the day. With SigEp out of the picture, Fringe and SDC racked up rolls with some rollarounds similar to the first weekend.
The good thing is
PiKA was scheduled to show up this weekend, but bailed at the last minute leaving behind this ominous scene (their team’s tent in total disarray).
Welcome to 2021’s third Rolls Report! This week brings us a new buggy, the return of an old team, movie references, and a whole lot of rolls.
is reading these,
In Attendance
Org
Saturday
Sunday
Apex
Phoenix, Molotov
CIA
Emperor, Kingfisher
Fringe
Boson, Baltic
PiKA
Banshee, Clyodhna
SDC
Bane
SigEp
Kraken, Hydra
Spirit
Seraph
you can blame Tishya
Observations (Gallery Currently Unavailable)
and Vidya
Apex debuted their their newest buggy, Molotov! Phoenix and Molotov got 7 and 8 rolls in respectively.
for it taking so long.
CIA, thank you for being the only team to update your Instagram account with pictures. I appreciate it <3. Emperor and Kingfisher got 7 and 8 in respectively.
And maybe me
Fringe encountered some vision problems, but managed to get 10 rolls in Baltic (the most of any buggy this weekend) and Boson returned for two rolls.
a little bit…
PiKA has returned! Banshee was reported to have some windshield problems and scratched after its first roll, but Cleo got in 7 roll this Saturday.
My b.
SDC, SigEp, and Spirit rolled problem free this weekend. Bane and Seraph rolled 8 times each. SigEp also got 8 rolls if you combine Hydra and Kraken’s counts.
Welcome back everyone! Sweepstakes has done what may have seemed impossible at first by pulling off another successful day of rolls. Even though Sunday was rained out, teams were able to get up to 7 cycles in on Saturday morning. Saturday was also the debut of SpIApex (more on that later)! Just another example of how students are rising to the challenge of continuing the tradition of buggy in creative and safe ways.
We’ve also got some questions about rolls and the potential Raceday they may be leading up to. Just as a reminder, these rolls practices are strictly for the students participating only and this will likely also be the case for this year’s “Raceday”. It’s still unclear what that may look like, but no matter what happens, these weekends of rolls are major victories for the buggy community.
Another quick note:
If you’ve enjoyed these roll reports or even if you haven’t and think you can do better, my term is coming to an end this year. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming the new Rolls Reporting Officer, feel free to reach out to me (jasiosantillan@cmubuggy.org) and make sure to fill out the nomination form by May 3rd.
Gonna try something new here.
In Attendance
Org
Saturday
Apex
Phoenix
CIA
Emperor
Fringe
Blueshift, Blind Faith
SDC
Bane
SigEp
Kraken, Barracuda
Spirit
Seraph
Let’s see how much free time you have.
Observations (Gallery Currently Unavailable)
Muahahaha
Fringe brought out Blueshift and Blind Faith out this weekend with the former getting 1 roll in and the latter getting an impressive 6 rolls in. There was one stop during Fringe’s run, but it was accident free and things were soon back on track.
…. .. – .. … …. -.– .- –..– .-.. . – …
SDC returned with the fearsome Bane styling some bright yellow wheels. It’s good to see that the SDC teddy bear is still coming out to rolls. Bane shared the top roll count with CIA’s Emperor making it around the course 7 times.
… . . …. — .– –. — — -.. -.– —
SigEp was out this weekend in full force rolling Kraken and Barracuda. Both buggies made it around the course 5 times.
..- .- .-. . .- – — — .-. … . -.-. —
SpIApex. This is a new one. In the past we have seen teams team up before (especially when they’re scrambling for qualifying rolls *cough cough Pike cough*). I remember times when CIApex rolled together and shared a follow car. But this weekend we saw a 3 team conglomerate with Spirit, CIA, and Apex joining forces to roll together (while still abiding by the Sweepstakes Covid-19 restrictions). Even in these crazy times, teams are finding creative ways to work together and overcome some unprecedented challenges. Good work SpIApex (though, you should probably workshop the name a little bit more).
-.. .
Meme of the Week:
While rolls went on mostly hitch-free, it looks like there was a delay at the start. Drone footage caught this wacky scene where the Ever Given caused yet another traffic jam that students are calling the “Suez Chute”.
Hi everyone, it’s getting to be that time of year again! We are looking to elect several new people to officer positions, including President, Reporting Officer, and Webmaster. You can read about the positions in the nomination form here. If you’d like to hear more or get in touch with the current officer in the position, feel free to reach out on our Discord or send an email to admin at cmubuggy.org! I’d like to thank everyone for their amazing work in putting together BAA events and community in the face of all the challenges over the past year, and I’m overjoyed to see the return of rolls (and rolls reports!) these past weekends.
Also a big thanks to those in the community who have contributed to committee meetings, our social events (Among Us!) and mentorship resources — if you have any interest in being formally recognized for your work, feel free to nominate yourself for an officer position. And if you have an idea for a project that needs a new one, or just want to jump in and help out, feel free to reach out any time. We couldn’t do it without you!
Welcome to our special quarantine edition of Rolls! It’s been a bit over a year since buggies have graced the streets of Pittsburgh, but they’re back. Slow and steady will win this race.
After a series of unprecedented and very unfortunate events, Sweepstakes has found a way to keep the spirit of buggy alive and return to the course. Rolls look very different this year and Sweepstakes is working with the university to ensure the safety of all its participants. A couple of changes include a limit to 4 teams per day of rolls and a limit of 2 buggies per team along with the allowed number of team members. This weekend we saw (not in person of course) a solid start with 7 teams making an appearance. Saturday, teams were able to get up to 5 rolls in and Sunday saw an incredible 8 cycles.
The weekend was not without its hiccups, but hey that’s just buggy for you. Even some pesky hooligans moving bales to Flagstaff Hill and some very unfriendly window washers weren’t able to stop our determined students!
Atlas made a return to the course as this year’s only robotic buggy team (for now). The youngest org on the course was unfortunately unable to wake Baby Buggy up from its nap and get it around the course.
But there really isn’t all that much I can do with WordPress
Apex decided to stick with the classics and brought out Firefly on Sunday for an impressive 7 rolls.
Always makes me happy to see my baby out on the course :’)
Soooooooooo…..
CIA unveiled Kingfisher’s stunning paint job! It was reported that Kingfisher had some technical difficulties leading to a stop and was benched for the rest of the day, but the team managed to get the most rolls (8) of any team in Emperor.
Check out Kingfisher’s gorgeous colors!
Fringe and SDC hit the ground running quite literally with Saturday rollarounds. Fringe brought out Blind Faith and their newest buggy, Baltic.
Looking forward to seeing Baltic post paint job!
SDC rolled back to back with Fringe on Saturday racking up 4 rolls in Vanity.
Definitely my favorite color.
SigEp had a bit of a rough day, but we hope to see them out and around the course this upcoming weekend! After two stops (one from a bad wheel and another from a loose helmet), the team decided to scratch for the day leading to the Fringe/SDC rollarounds.
See you guys next week!
Spirit. Got some alliteration for you here since Spirit snagged six cycles with Seraph. That’s all I got.
Hi.
Meme of the Week:
Trying something new here since I had to do something with this picture of Carl (this year’s Design Comp. Chair). Carl was making all the girls swoon with the way he was carrying all those barricades on his own.
CMU has spearheaded the design and development of a Buggy Centennial Celebration art installation in the Cohon University Center, next to the auditorium entrance. Included in this 6’x20′ permanent installation is a list of BAA Lifetime Members in recognition of their gifts to Buggy. All current and future Lifetime Members will be listed with their indicia (if they wish) on an acrylic plate with black vinyl lettering. Although we are committed to updating this list with future Lifetime Members, we wanted to give people a chance to be a part of the inaugural group, to be unveiled at Carnival later this year.
We’re currently in the process of writing letters to thank those who have already donated, and recognize that we have unfulfilled promises still; 2 t-shirts and lifetime membership badge to be delivered at the next in-person Raceday we’re able to host. At the same time, we wanted to let folks know about this unique opportunity to be recognized and added to the installation in time for the formal unveiling.
Early Concept of CUC Display
If you are interested in becoming a Lifetime Member, please make a gift of $1,000 or more to the Buggy Endowed Fund by following the link below. Starting next semester, yields from the Buggy Endowed Fund will be distributed to student projects which “support the continued success and growth of Sweepstakes”. Yields from the Endowed Fund (as of this writing, approximately $2,500 yearly) will be designated to projects by a committee of students, alumni, and staff which will meet regularly to consider formal proposals. We’ll publish the bylaws for this committee shortly for those interested in reading more on how it works.
If you’d like to receive confirmation that your name will be added to the display in time for this year, please email your gift receipt to admin@cmubuggy.org and we’ll make sure that everything is squared away.
Lastly, we want to thank those who have given gifts this year at any level. The students are working hard to make rolls happen this semester and your contribution will support Sweepstakes this year and for years to come. We’re excited to share our plans for Carnival soon and promise to be in touch!
I hope this message finds you happy and safe. In light of communication from the university regarding Carnival plans, we wanted to update you all with what’s been happening this year. We had hoped to write about the resumption of rolls since the fall semester has started but unfortunately I can’t say that is true yet.
As the university email states, alumni events for Carnival are currently being planned all virtually. At this time, students are still patiently waiting for the verdict on their proposed activities. We have several exciting events in the works and hope to share more soon, but for now, here’s our updates:
CUC Buggy Centennial Display: The artwork and design for the Centennial memorial display is being finalized and installation is planned in time for Carnival this year. We’re hoping to offer some kind of virtual unveiling event, so stay tuned!
Season 2 of Chute the Sh!t Podcast with Will Weiner: Will and Rachael have been hard at work coordinating the plan for another podcast season to follow up on last year. They’re still accepting suggestions for people to host, so feel free to drop a comment or reply if you have any ideas!
Buggy All-Stars returns: The Advanced Game Design class has agreed to continue development on the Buggy All-Stars game released last year. We can’t wait to see what new features they come up with next!
Alternate Design Competition: We’re working hard with the students to plan an alternate version of Design Competition for Carnival this year that can integrate remote students as well as virtual judges and potentially spectators. No new buggies have been permitted to be built this year so it is not likely to resemble our traditional Design Competition, but there is pretty good agreement that we want some flavor of replacement.
Among Us alumni social events: We’ve had a blast coordinating and playing Among Us with you all and definitely plan to continue that! Feel free to suggest other kinds of open social events we can host throughout the year.
Buggy 101 themed content: If the students are approved for in-person activities, we have a plan and some content ready to go to try and help drive student engagement. Unfortunately, we won’t have approval at least until 2/15, as the COVID rules committee won’t consider the students’ revisions until in-person activities are allowed to resume.
Endowed Fund progress: The Endowed Fund committee bylaws have been finalized and await administrative approval. Our first round of proposals and funding is very likely to go out in 2021, we just aren’t sure whether it will be in time for the spring at this point. Of course, the fund has been accruing yields for nearly a year at this point, which all are ready for disbursal — more on that when we give our financial update later on.
Buggy Build Book: Notable recent alumni Connor Hayes and Diya Nuxoll have been hard at work on an open-source build book. Although it’s not quite ready to go public yet, we are hoping revisions will be complete before Carnival and are very excited at what will likely be the definitive public resource for building a buggy.
We’ll send out some updates once we hear more in the form of an email newsletter to our distribution list. If you’d like to be added or have any questions, we can be reached by email (admin@cmubuggy.org) as well as through Facebook/Twitter/Instagram or join us on our Discord chat server!
