Your job: get the tournament's electronics running before doors open. That means the event network, the Tournament Manager laptop, and the Raspberry Pis that drive the field monitors, the pit displays and the audience projector. The setup crew handles the fields, tables and signage; you handle everything that plugs in.
What the day looks like
You arrive about 90 minutes before doors, once the setup crew has the fields down. The fields go first because the displays have to be placed around them. Then you work through the electronics in a fixed order:
- The event network. Each tournament has its own rack bag holding the Wi-Fi access point, the network switch, the router and the Tournament Manager laptop. You place it on the tech table and switch it on.
- Tournament Manager. You turn on the laptop and open the right tournament.
- The displays. You place each Pi and its screen where its label says, and check it shows the right thing.
Activity level is moderate. You carry cases, place screens and run power cords, with some time crouched at outlets.
Your mission
Go in order. Tournament Manager has to be running before any display Pi is switched on. A Pi that came up first won't find it, and needs restarting once Tournament Manager is ready.
Follow the colours and labels. Blue is elementary school, red is middle school, and green is skills. Every box is labelled with its exact job, so you never have to guess where a Pi goes.
Point the field monitors at the drivers. Students watch the timer and score during their match, so those screens face the driver stations. Pit displays go wherever teams can see them without crowding the walkway.
Check every screen. Before doors open, walk the room and confirm each display shows the screen it should.
Be awesome at it
Ask the Event Partner where the tech table goes before you unpack anything. It needs to sit close to both competition fields.
Run cords along walls and table legs, and tape down anything that crosses a walkway.
Keep the empty boxes together and out of the way. The teardown crew packs each Pi back into its own box at the end of the day.
When problems happen
If a screen doesn't show its display, check its power and its cable first, then restart the Pi. Setting up the display Pis covers the rest.
Someone asking for the Wi-Fi password? Send them to the Event Partner. It isn't published.
If Tournament Manager won't open the right tournament, stop and fetch the Event Partner rather than creating a new one.
The step-by-step guides
Who this suits
No experience required. If you are comfortable plugging in electronics and following a labelled checklist, you will be good at this. Each step guide walks you through it.