The Jr. Jacket VEX IQ Tournament is the first VEX IQ tournament in the region. On October 28, 2017, elementary and middle school teams from Iowa and Nebraska gathered to compete in the Ringmaster game — showing off their early season designs and picking up lessons they'd carry through the rest of the year.
Awards
Excellence Award
985B (Spartans) from Mary Our Queen School were awarded the Excellence Award. This award recognizes overall excellence in building a well-rounded robotics program and also qualifies the team for the U.S. Open VEX IQ Robotics Championship.
Teamwork Champion
The Teamwork Champions were 2501Z (Narwhals) from Thomas Jefferson and 985B (Spartans) from Mary Our Queen School. The Teamwork Champion Award is earned by the two-team alliance that wins the Final rounds of the VEX IQ Teamwork Challenge — and also qualifies both teams for the U.S. Open VEX IQ Robotics Championship.
Robot Skills Champion
2501Z (Narwhals) from Thomas Jefferson recorded the top combined Programming and Driving Skills score at 147 points.
STEM Research Project Award
2501X (Team X-Treme) from Thomas Jefferson were awarded the STEM Research Project Award.
Design Award
2501W (The Hive) from Thomas Jefferson were awarded the Design Award.
Sportsmanship Award
985F (Process of Alumination) from Mary Our Queen School were awarded the Sportsmanship Award, recognizing the team's spirit of friendly collaboration and respectful conduct throughout the event.
Teamwork Challenge Rankings
| Rank | Team | Name | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2501Z | Narwhals | 639 |
| 2 | 985B | Spartans | 340 |
| 3 | 2501X | Team X-Treme | 310 |
| 4 | 985F | (MOQ) | — |
The qualification rounds determined seeding going into the finals, where the top two-team alliances competed for the Teamwork Champion title.
About the Tournament
The Jr. Jacket VEX IQ Tournament is hosted at Thomas Jefferson High School and serves as the opening event of the Nebraska/Iowa VEX IQ season. Early-season tournaments give teams a chance to compete before designs are fully refined — the experience, feedback, and lessons learned are often just as valuable as the results.
A great performance by all teams at the first tournament of the 2017-18 season.