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VRC Event Meeting Announcements

Introduction

The Event Meeting allows the Emcee, Event Partner, and/or Head Referee to share important information about the event and the venue. Everyone—including teams, coaches, referees, judges, and parents—should attend the Event Meeting.

General Event Information

  • Welcome and Introduction of key volunteers, including the Event Partner and Head Referee
  • Share location of restrooms, concessions, and venue-specific rules and safety information
  • Event emergency and evacuation plan
  • Adult team leaders are responsible for student safety and conduct at all times
  • Keep the pit area clean and organized for safety and easy repacking after the event
  • Teams are responsible for their equipment and materials
  • Practice fields – Teams should reset fields after use, share fields so all teams can practice, and limit time
  • Skills Challenges – Location(s) of Skills field(s); also, reminder of number of skills runs allowed and start/stop times
  • Engineering Notebooks – Submit labeled Engineering Notebooks to the check-in table before Match play
  • Agenda for the day – Start/stop times, breaks, special activities and their locations
  • Judges will recognize student-centered work – Judges will consider compliance with the REC Foundation Student-Centered policy for judged awards
  • Alliance Selection – After all Qualifying Matches are complete, the Alliance Selection process will consist of one round of selection, and ___ [the number of Teams divided by two, less any remainder; up to 16] Alliances of two Teams will compete in the Elimination Matches.
  • Timeouts – There are no timeouts during qualifying matches. Each Alliance may request one Time Out no greater than three minutes between matches during the elimination bracket.
  • Qualifications to the state/regional championship – This event will qualify ___ [insert number of teams] teams to advance to the ___ [insert name] championship event, including these award recipients: ___ [insert qualifying award names].

Rules Reminders for VRC Spin Up

Rule <G1> and the Code of Conduct

  • Please keep the REC Foundation Code of Conduct in mind while competing today. Be respectful, stay professional, follow the rules, and we’ll all have a great event. Coaches, if you haven’t reviewed the Code of Conduct with your students, please take a few minutes to do that after this meeting. You can find it on the REC Foundation website (and maybe an onsite banner—point it out if there’s one available).
  • If a team or any of its members are disrespectful or uncivil to event staff, volunteers, or fellow competitors, they may be Disqualified from a current Match, upcoming Match, or the entire event depending on the severity of the situation. Judges will also consider team conduct and ethics when determining awards. This applies to anyone associated with the team (participants and spectators). <G1>
  • Only the Drive Team Members may contest a referee’s ruling - Adults are not permitted to intervene. <T3>

VRC is a Student-Centered Program

  • VRC is a student-centered program. Adults may assist Students in urgent situations, but Adults may never work on or program a Robot without Students on that Team being present and actively participating. <G2>
  • The robot design, construction, and programming must represent the skill level of the team. <G6>

Before the Match

  • Get to the queuing table on time with a ready‐to‐drive robot and controller. If you can’t get your robot to a match, sending a drive team member will still get you points from the match. <T5><T6>
  • Check for safety glasses and the correct color of license plates. If the wrong color plates are easily visible on your robot, your bot may be removed from the field. <S3><R24>
  • Set your robot up quickly, in a legal starting position and configuration. <G4><SG1>

Autonomous Period

  • Touching anything that's on the other side of the autonomous line will award the autonomous bonus to the other alliance. <SG8>

During the Match

  • If your robot expands and touches anything beyond the field perimeter, it will earn an automatic DQ. <S2> 
  • Stay away from the net. Robots that entangle with the net, or robots that force opponents into entanglement, will be disabled for the rest of the match. <SG3>
  • Horizontal expansion is limited until the 10-second match Endgame. If you expand early and can't fix it, you won't receive points for Tiles Covered in the Endgame, but can avoid a Major Violation by removing your bot from all other gameplay (offensive & defensive). <SG4>
  • Vertical expansion is limited in size, height, and field location before the Endgame as described in rule <SG5>.
  • Match Load Discs can be added to the field only during the Driver Controlled Period, and only through the loader. <SG6>
  • Possession is limited to three discs, whether it's intentionally or accidentally. If you can't get rid of extra Discs, you will not receive points for Tiles Covered in the Endgame, but can avoid a Major Violation by removing your bot from all other gameplay (offensive & defensive). <SG7>
  • Trapping <G15>, tipping, and entanglement <G12> rules are basically the same this season.
    • It’s only trapping if one robot is confining another to a small space, and if the trapped robot is actively trying to escape. Trapping longer than 5 seconds may result in a DQ. 
    • If you believe you’re being trapped, call for a referee’s attention.
    • There is no limit on Trapping that begins during the Endgame; if a Trap starts before the Endgame, the trapping robot must separate for at least 5 seconds before resuming a trap during the Endgame.

After the Match

  • Check the score and raise any concerns about the match before you leave the field. <T1>
  • Once you’ve left the alliance station you’ve waived your right to any appeals. <T3>
  • The referees will only talk to the drive team members about matches and can’t look at videos of the match. Period. <T3>

Skills Matches

  • Each team gets up to three driving skills matches and three programming skills matches. Be sure to make time for skills!
  • In a Skills match, teams can use any goal, either Alliance station, and all rollers.
  • All game rules still apply in skills matches.
  • Early horizontal expansion in a Skills match will start the 10-second Endgame timer and result in a Skills Stop Time.

Share Feedback, and Have Fun!

  • Direct questions, concerns, or positive feedback to the Event Partner.

Enjoy your VEX Robotics Competition experience! Thank you for your support!