Your job: watch the practice field so teams can test their robots between matches. Keep turns fair, keep the area safe, and reset the field when it needs it. Teams use the practice field to try a fix or rehearse a run before their next match, so a well-run one takes a lot of pressure off the day.
What the day looks like
You stay at the practice field while it is open. Teams come and go all day, often in a hurry:
- A team waits for a turn, runs its robot, and steps away for the next team
- Game elements get knocked out of place and need putting back
- Coaches ask how long the wait is, or whether their team can go next
Activity level is moderate. You are standing at the practice field most of the time.
Your mission
Keep turns fair. When several teams are waiting, take them in the order they arrived, and give every team the same length of turn. If the event has set a turn length, use it.
Keep the area safe and clear. Only the team taking its turn should be at the field. Keep bags, boxes and spare parts off the field tiles and out of the walkway.
Reset game elements between runs. Put the game elements back where they belong, so each team starts its turn from the same setup.
Be awesome at it
Keep a simple queue. A short written list of team numbers settles most "we were here first" questions before they start.
Tell waiting teams roughly how long they will wait. A coach deciding whether to stay or go back to the pit needs that more than anything.
Ask before you reach onto the field during a team's turn, and never touch a robot. The students drive and handle their own robots.
When problems happen
Questions about the game rules or whether a robot is legal go to the Head Referee. Do not rule on them yourself.
If someone is hurt, or anything looks unsafe, stop the field and tell the Event Partner straight away.
If a disagreement over a turn gets heated, bring in a lead rather than settling it alone.
Who this suits
No experience required. If you can stay calm with a line of eager teams and keep a fair queue, you will be good at this. It suits a parent or an older student who likes being near the robots without being on the competition floor.