Help Center
How can we help?
Answers to the questions we hear most — find what you need without waiting on an email.
Getting Started
New to gainingSTEAM or VEX IQ? Start here.
For Participants
For the students competing — what to expect and how to prepare.
Your first tournament
What a VEX IQ tournament day is like, start to finish — for the students competing.
2 min readGetting through robot inspection
Inspectors are there to help you pass — check these five things before you leave home.
2 min readBeing ready when you're called
Queue like a pro — the five-second checklist that keeps your team on schedule.
2 min readTalking to the judges
The team interview is your time to shine — how it works and how to show off what you built.
2 min readYour engineering notebook
Your notebook is the story of everything you tried — and judges care about the journey, not the polish.
2 min readSkills challenges
Driver skills, autonomous coding skills, and why your team should get runs in at every event.
2 min readFor Coaches
Running a team — registration, meetings, and competition prep.
Starting a VEX IQ team
What it takes to launch a team — and the startup help gainingSTEAM offers new coaches in Nebraska.
2 min readThe season at a glance
How a Nebraska VEX IQ season flows, and how to keep your team's calendar in sync with ours.
2 min readRegistering your team and entering tournaments
Team registration and event signup run through VEX and RobotEvents — here's the local map.
2 min readYour first tournament as a coach
The tournament day from the team side — check-in, inspection, matches, and interviews without the panic.
2 min readThe engineering notebook
What the notebook is for, what judges look for, and how notebook deadlines work at local events.
2 min readCoach development and training
Training sessions, mentors, and official resources for getting better at coaching VEX IQ.
2 min readFor Volunteers
Signing up, shifts, and volunteering at events.
How to become a gainingSTEAM volunteer
Sign in, pick your volunteer roles, and get ready to help at K-8 robotics events across Nebraska.
2 min readSigning up for shifts
How to find an event that needs help and claim a volunteer shift.
2 min readTournament day: what to expect
Arrival, shift lengths, food, dress, ages, and volunteering at your own kid's event.
2 min readVolunteer roles at a tournament
The cast of a VEX IQ event day — what each role does, and which one might fit you.
2 min readRole guide: check-in
Confirm teams are present and get volunteers badged — you control the start of the tournament.
2 min readRole guide: queuing
Get the right teams to the right field at the right time — you control the rhythm of the event.
2 min readRole guide: field reset
Make the field ready for the next match — fast, careful, and open to any age.
2 min readRole guide: robot inspection
Help every team pass inspection fairly — you're not robot police, you're coaches for legality.
2 min readRole guide: scorekeeper referee
Record the score accurately and consistently — your accuracy protects fairness for every team.
2 min readBeing a judge
Interviews, notebooks, and deliberations — what judging at a local VEX IQ event is really like.
2 min readThe Judge Advisor
The vetted role that runs the judging room — sorting, pairing, assigning, and guarding the process.
2 min readVolunteer certifications
Which official VEX IQ certifications exist, and how to record yours in your gainingSTEAM profile.
2 min readVolunteer training sessions
Learn a role before event day — how gainingSTEAM training sessions work and where to find them.
1 min readFor Event Partners
Hosting and organizing a tournament.
About VEX IQ
How VEX IQ robotics competition works.