Your team's first tournament is loud, long, and wonderful. Here's the day from your side of the table, so nothing surprises you.
Before you leave home
- Robot, controller, charged batteries — and chargers.
- The engineering notebook — it's collected at check-in at many events.
- Pre-check the robot against the five most common inspection failures: robot too large, missing license plates, illegal rubber bands or parts, unsafe wires, loose battery. Ten minutes at home saves thirty at the event.
Check-in (first thing)
Go straight to team check-in when you arrive. They'll confirm your team off the list, verify an adult contact, collect what's required (usually the notebook), hand you the event packet, and point you to inspection and the drivers meeting. Don't skip this or wander in late — the match schedule can't be generated until every team is checked in.
Inspection
Every robot passes inspection before competing. Our inspectors are coaches for legality, not robot police — if something needs fixing, they'll tell your students exactly what, and the team can return for re-inspection. One norm to know: inspectors talk to the students, not to you. That's on purpose, everywhere in VEX.
The drivers meeting, then matches
The drivers meeting covers the day's specifics. Then the rhythm starts: watch the match schedule, be ready when queuing calls your teams — robot and controller in hand, drivers only past the line — and between matches, the pits are for iterating, charging, and snacks.
Judging happens all day
Judges interview teams during the day, and the students do the talking — coaches hang back. If your team gets a second interview, that's a good sign, not a problem. Award deliberations are confidential, so nobody (including you) hears anything until the ceremony.
Your actual job all day
Logistics and morale: know the schedule, keep batteries charging, feed them, and keep it fun. The kids run the robot. Win or lose, ice cream after.