A VEX IQ tournament is a small production, and every role below keeps a different part of it moving. Each has its own one-page guide — the same guides we hand volunteers at our events.
Who defines these roles? VEX and Global Robotics define the official competition roles and any certifications they carry. gainingSTEAM helps local Event Partners train and coordinate the volunteers who fill them — these guides are our training material for the official roles.
The roles
- Team & volunteer check-in — the first face of the event. Confirm teams are present so the match schedule can be built, and get volunteers badged and pointed the right way. Slow and correct at check-in means fast and smooth all day.
- Queuing — get the right teams to the right field at the right time. Referees control the match; you control the flow.
- Field reset — after each match, make the field match the setup diagram again. Fast, careful, any age. Kids are great at this.
- Robot inspection — check robots against the rules checklist before they compete. Not robot police — coaches for legality.
- Scorekeeper referee — part of the referee team: count, record, and verify scores. Accuracy protects fairness.
- Judge — interview teams and review engineering notebooks, then help deliberate awards. The most all-day of the roles, and one of the most rewarding.
- Emcee — call the matches and carry the room between them. Public-speaking comfort matters more than robotics depth.
- Pit admin — the help desk. Answer the question, or find the person who can. Mostly seated.
- Floater — go where you're needed: cover breaks, double up when a field falls behind, step in when something unexpected happens.
- Setup & teardown — build the event before the doors open and pack it away after. The most physical role, and a good fit if you can only give a couple of hours.
Leadership roles
Every area has a lead — Head Queuer, Lead Inspector, the Head Referee, and the Judge Advisor. Head Referee and Judge Advisor are vetted roles with certifications behind them. If you're new, don't worry about these yet — your lead is the person you'll escalate to all day.
Which role should you pick?
- Like welcoming people? Check-in.
- Like keeping things moving? Queuing.
- Bringing kids along? Field reset.
- Detail-oriented? Inspection or scorekeeper referee.
- Want to hear kids light up about what they built? Judging.
- Happy on a microphone? Emcee.
- Rather sit and help people? Pit admin.
- Only free for an hour or two? Setup & teardown.
- Don't want to commit to one station? Floater.