Helpful VEX Links
- VEX IQ Event Partner Resources and Documents
- VEX IQ Volunteer Resources
- VEX Robotics YouTube Channel - look for video playlists for referees for the season's challenge
- 2019 VEX IQ World Championship Spots by Country, State, and Level
Helpful Files - From My Competition Resources
- Competition Layout Map
- Key Concepts Poster - information about student centered teams
- Drivers Badges - provide 2 per team and only those with badges may come into the field/competition area
- Make sure your audience knows about the season's challenge
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
How do you recruit volunteers?
- Local high school or middle school service or honor clubs - National Honor Society, Beta Club, etc.
- Community student organizations that require volunteer hours - local youth groups, martial arts, Scouts
- Community service and networking organizations - Rotary clubs, Kiwanis Club, Lions Club
- Teachers at your schools
- Teachers at area schools who are interested in starting teams in the future
- Use a Google Sheet, Google Form with choice eliminator, or Sign Up Genius
- Each competition is going to have its own volunteer needs based on the size and layout of the site as well as the age and experience of recruited volunteers
- The following positions and numbers are based on a 30-40 team event, running 2-3 fields simulatneously.
- Volunteer Coordinator - Mainly for organizing and training volunteers before the event
- Set Up (4) - Assist with setting up the venue for the competition. Tables, seating, registration, technology, sound system, etc.
- Emcee (2) - Important to share the job as it is often taxing on the emcee's voice
- VEX TM Software (2) - Dependent on Software Manager's tech knowledge you could definitely be fine with 1
- Field Manager (2) - Works with the refs, software manager, queue crew, field reset, etc to make sure the competition keeps running and stays on schedule.
- Judge Advisor - This person does not have an "ultimate" say in the awards. This role is helpful for training purposes and organization purposes to make sure the judges are staying on track.
- Judge (8) - Have teams of 2. With the change in STEM Project presentations you might be able to have less, however, I have hosted competitions that have gone way over timewise due to lack of judges.
- Pit Admin (1-2)
- Inspector (4) - Only necessary at the beginning of the event. Can move into the roles
- Referees/Scorekeepers (2 per field) - My goal is always to have 2 per field so the total number is dependent on number of fields.
- Team Check In/Information Desk (2) - Only necessary at the beginning of the event.
- Volunteer Check In/Information Desk (2) - Only necessary at the beginning of the event. Could also move into making sure volunteers have water and food.
- Queue Crew (4)
- Concession Help (2 am, 2 pm) - Great for middle school or high school students, with an adult overseeing.
- Field Reset (2-3 per field) - I gear this volunteer position to students (elementary and up) so it is always nice to have extra as their attention span often requires breaks during the day. If you are running your fields simultaneously then you will need more, if you are running them one at a time then you will need less.
- Clean Up (3 during, 8 afterwards) - The during the event clean up crew was one of the best volunteer positions that I ever added!
- Photographer (1) - You will be busy and want to make sure you have photos of your event and teams! Make sure the photographer has a list of the types of photos that you want - action shots, photos from the competition, the pit, of teams and volunteers, etc.
- Have lead volunteers for each group or area who are responsible for training the judges, referees, etc and then overseeing them during the competition
- Referee training videos are on the VEX Robotics YouTube channel. There is a plan to post judges videos as well.
- Each competition is going to have its own agenda needs based on the number of teams, available fields, volunteers, and more
- This was my agenda for the 2017-2018 RIngmaster season.
- 7:45 - Team Check In
- 8:15 - Robot Inspection Begins (ends at 9:45 am)
- 8:15 - STEM Project Presentations Begin (ends at lunch) *STEM Projects are now submitted ahead of time*
- 8:45 - Team and Driver Meeting
- 9-11:30 - Skills Challenges (3 robot/programming skills matches per team - highest score will count) *LOVE having these lumped at the beginning of the day*
- 11:30-12:15 - LUNCH
- 12:15-2:30 - Teamwork Challenges (3 fields running simultaneously every 3.5 minutes)
- 2:45 - Teamwork Finals (Top 12 teams paired in 6 matches/alliances)
- 3:00 - Awards *Might push these back 15-30 minutes*