Hello! Welcome back to IntroVex, your robotics guide to VEXcellence.
Last time, we discussed the events that occur during a VEX competition season. This time, I will introduce the competition schedule, which you will most likely encounter multiple times during the season.
Competition Timeline
A competition can last from one to three days depending on the number of teams and the significance of the event. For example, a smaller regional event with no qualifying awards may last only one day, but a national world-qualifying competition may last three days.
During the day of the competition, the schedule most likely starts early in the morning and ends in the afternoon. The most common schedule I have experienced is from 8am to 5pm.
A lot of events happen throughout the day, including main competitions, skills challenges, inspections, interviews, and many more in which teams have to participate. Moving on, I will introduce these one by one.
Check-In / Inspection
The first thing you encounter in the morning after you arrive is the Check-In and Inspection process. This only occurs during the first day of the competition. Although the two are completely different events, they are often combined and executed at similar times.
Check-in is when teams complete their identity checks with the event partners, ensuring that the people entering the competition are participants and not unrelated individuals. You might have to show your ID to the event staff. If verified, you'll receive a nameplate that has your team number or your name written on it.
Remember, some events require you to always wear the nametag when going to competitions or practices. If it is specifically mentioned, please make sure not to lose it. However, some competitions would skip the check-in process if there are too many teams or it is just not required.
Inspection is when teams bring their robot and controller to perform size checks and other verifications. This is to make sure no rule-violating robot appears on the field, making the competition fair. The process is usually executed by referees who will be paying attention to violations during a match.
The referees may ask questions about your robot, including but not limited to the number of motors used, whether the firmware is up to date, and how your robot extends. The robot inspection follows a list that can be found on the official VEX website, make sure to check the newest version before going to the competition.
You'll have to pass the robot inspection before practicing or competing, so it is very important to check your robot size and other aspects the day before the competition. You'll feel devastated if you have to fix your robot because you failed inspection multiple times while the other teams are already practicing, but if that really happened, just calm down and think of solutions to fix and you'll be fine.
Drivers Meeting
Before starting any match, there will usually be a meeting between referees and the participating team members as well as coaches. This process is to clarify the rules. The referee explains several example situations that often cause disputes and clearly states how the violation would be evaluated.
Students and coaches usually ask questions regarding specific situations. The referee would then explain the rule referenced and whether it would cause a violation. If you have any questions regarding the competition, feel free to ask the referees to confirm you are not violating any rules, the referees are always there to help you avoid violations.
Remember to pay attention to the meeting, including the questions asked by other teams. You'll be glad that you know how a close call is evaluated when you actually run into one. Better safe than sorry!
Skills Challenges
The skills challenge usually opens not long after the meeting and closes alongside with the end of the main matches. The skills challenge is where your team operates your robot and programs your robot to complete tasks by yourself. Your score will contribute to some decisions of the awards, so it is important to practice beforehand.
One team gets 3 attempts on both driver skills and autonomous skills. You'll have to score as high as you possibly can, and the final score of your skills would be the highest driver and autonomous skills score added together.
Skills challenges sometimes have different rules compared to the main teamwork/tournament matches, so make sure you understand the rules before attempting skills.
Qualification / Final Matches
The main matches in a competition are the qualification and final matches. Winning the final matches can often help you qualify for the subsequent event. The qualification matches are to help decide the awards as well as choose your alliance in the final matches.
You may play different amounts of qualification matches in different competitions. The competitions with more qualifying awards will usually have around 8 qualification matches per team, but smaller ones may only play around 6 matches.
Each match starts with a field check, the timer will then start to countdown. After your match, the referees will calculate the score and have you confirm it. Remember, you'll have to confirm the score carefully before giving a confirmed answer because you won't be able to change the score afterward.
As the qualification matches are played, the rankings of teams will also be updated based on your previous match results. Although the ranking is not a definite indicator of a team's ability, it is important in deciding your award and alliance, so it is better to get a higher ranking.
Award Ceremony
The competition ends with an award ceremony on the last day. Everyone takes multiple photos with their teammates, alliances, and friends, this is important because you'll definitely recall the exciting competition memory one day. It is better to have a photo than none.
The competition overview ends here!! More detailed explanations regarding the competition will be out in the future, so make sure to follow along! This is IntroVex, your robotics guide to VEXcellence, see you next time!
