Back in Action – Open Casting Call

Posted on September 3, 2013 | by ben | 2 Comments

It’s a new year and a new day and time for some new help. We here at the BAA have so many things that we want to do for you guys, but unfortunately we’re running out of manpower to do it all. This is an open call for anyone that is interested in helping us continue to make the awesome rolls reports, Raceday previews, and keep this site updated. Continue reading →

Welcome Freshmen and Welcome Back!

Posted on August 24, 2013 | by ben | 1 Comment

It’s been a long summer and we’ve had our fun, but it’s time to return to Pittsburgh and prepare for the craziest sport that we’re all crazy about!

We here at BAA headquarters have been fixing and tweaking the site to get everything ready for the new season and we can only expect that some teams have their new build plans well underway as well. Last year was a blast and we’re only looking to improve for this year. So lets get this show a-rollin’!

Continue reading →

Summer 2013 #4 – Mighty C-Mites

Posted on August 12, 2013 | by ben | 1 Comment

Might Buggy help C-Mite?

With our forums acting a bit screwy (we’re working on it!), some people haven’t been able to make the posts they want. Not to be deterred, Conrad Zapanta (CIA alum, and currently Associate Department Head of Biomedical Engineering at CMU) reached out to us here at BAA HQ with a request:

“As someone who works with CMU’s C-MITE program, they are really, really interested in developing a program based on buggy that would teach the kids how physics, math, engineering, etc. are applied to buggy.” Continue reading →

Summer 2013 #3 – Jumbo-Chute-atron

Posted on July 29, 2013 | by ben | 8 Comments

Chute JumboTron Viewing

Now that the Jumbotrons have become a mainstay of the races every year there’s been concern about the location in the Chute. With it facing the road, people on the outside, have made it a habit to stand in the road to watch until the buggies come through. This hasn’t been an issue for a year or two, but we’re reaching a point where there are so many people in the road that clearing it before the buggies come through has gotten tough. This is an issue that will soon need a solution. Continue reading →

Summer 2013 #2 – Ultimate Speed Challenge

Posted on July 1, 2013 | by ben | 7 Comments

Challenging Ultimate Speed

Not exactly buggy, but pretty close to it, The Ultimate Speed Challenge is hosted at the All-American Soap Box Derby during the Championship event which is July 27th this year. Because of it’s similarity to Buggy (and lack of “student status” requirement) there are several Buggy Alums that like to go and watch or even enter and race one or two cars.

Continue reading →

Summer 2013 #1 – Raceday Fantasies

Posted on June 17, 2013 | by ben | 22 Comments

Dreaming of the perfect Raceday

A post over the summer? This is MADNESS! No, like some of you others out there, I miss Buggy. I’ve been getting that itch again but there’s not much happening right now, SO instead of talking about real things, lets fantasize. Hopefully this’ll become a series of posts over the summer, but don’t expect them to be weekly or nearly as in-depth as the rolls reports. Continue reading →

Compubookie’s New Release Strategy

Posted on April 16, 2013 | by ben | 25 Comments

This is almost too surreal, and I hardly believe it myself, but… I have found the missing compubookie article…

Before I left work today I received a voicemail from the UC desk. The message told me that there was a letter addressed to me in the Sweepstakes mailbox and though it was addressed to me, I would need someone from sweepstakes with me to pick it up. Curious, I stop by the UC and find Josh in the Student Activities office. The mailbox turned out to already be empty and the letter was attached to some parking passes I had to pick up anyway (thanks Kaycee).

The Envelope was adressed:

To BAA/CMUbuggy

Ben Matzke

Inside was a single page double sided printout with the Compubookie 2013 Article.

I am still trying to figure out if this is actually happening, but here’s what was written on the page: Continue reading →

Rolls Report: April 13 & 14 – Truck Weekend

Posted on April 15, 2013 | by ben | 25 Comments

The time has come, Raceday will soon be upon us and teams are in the home stretch. Buggies are qualified, Heats to be selected and prep is to be made for Friday this week when everyone will hit the course and compete for the trophy. Going into truck, Many teams were missing rolls or even pass tests, but everyone put the pedal to the metal and with a little help from Sweepstakes managed a staggering amount of rolls. The teams that were all missing pass tests were able to grab them on Saturday, leaving only one real past test on Sunday, but several accidental passes.

Lead Truck Auction is on its way: For those of you who have been wondering, we are in fact doing the lead truck auction again this year. Heat selections are tonight, so the bidding will be ready to go tomorrow morning. More info later in this article.

Raceday Preview: This report will not be nearly as comprehensive as previous weeks since we will be coming out with our famed members only Raceday preview. So make sure you check out this page for more information on how to become a member and be sure to check out the membership roster if you think you already donated this year.

Site Issues and Updates: I try and pride myself on being timely with these reports, but because you all have been so awesome in uploading your fantastic pictures, we ran out of room and had to pull a quick shuffle to get us enough space for what is sure to come this week. So I apologize for this being later than usual, but with all that’s coming out this week, I’m sure you’ll forgive us.

In Attendance

Key: Qualified | Short on Rolls

Org	Saturday	Sunday
AEPi		Kamikaze
Apex	Phoenix	Phoenix
CIA	Impulse, Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Quasar	Impulse, Orca, Ascension, Freyja, Quasar
Fringe	Beacon, Bissa, Bedlam, Banyan	Beacon, Bissa, Bedlam, Banyan
PiKA	RD2013, Chimera	RD2013, Chimera
ROTC	Shrek	Shrek
SAE	Lucy, Rubicon	Lucy, Rubicon
SDC	Vice, Bane, Avarice, Malice	Vice, Bane, Avarice, Malice
SigEp	Kraken, Mamba, Peregrine, Barracuda	Peregrine, Barracuda, Pandora
SigNu	Bungarus Krait	Bungarus Krait
Spirit	Kingpin II, Zuke, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko	Kingpin II, Zuke, Seraph, Haraka, Fuko

Observations (Saturday Gallery | Sunday Gallery) Continue reading →

Rolls Report: April 6 & 7 – Picking up Speed

Posted on April 8, 2013 | by ben | 28 Comments

We’ve come to the last weekend before truck, which means there will not be a full Rolls Report next week. Instead all BAA members will receive the members-only Raceday preview. So if you haven’t done so yet, now is the time to become a member. Check out this page for more information on how to become a member. Be sure to check out the membership roster if you think you already donated this year.

With a disappointingly slow weekend to end March, April brought us what we have been waiting for and a small taste of what’s to come in under two weeks. There were still a few incidents, but sweepstakes picked it up over last week and was far more efficient at getting people off the course and keeping rolls on schedule. This weekend had pass tests a-plenty which, when combined with some very fast rolling buggies made for many exciting moments in the chute.

This was also the first weekend that we had every org out both days. Everyone is feeling the pressure, and there is no time left to take a day off. Drivers have been getting qualified, but there are still many that need a few rolls here and there, or haven’t yet been able to complete the pass test. It will be a scramble going into truck weekend as teams try and qualify their remaining drivers.