We are here to �empower students.

Inspiring students, one robot at a time.

Presented by

Chris Stewart

Event Engagment Manager

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Presented By:

• With the REC Foundation for 1 year
• Currently manage 7 states
• North Dakota, Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan
• Coached robotics for 17 years. FLL, BEST, VRC, and VIQRC
• Ran events including championships for FLL, VRC, and IQ totaling 12 years
• Taught for 21 years

Chris Stewart

Event Engagement Manager

A FEW WORDS FROM OUR CEO

Dan Mantz

CEO and Chairman of the Board

The REC Foundation provides programs that engage and excite students about STEM, and prepares them for future careers in the workforce. From Aerial Drone Competitions to land based robotics challenges and industry-leading certifications, we are proud to say that for over a decade, we have inspired millions of students around the world, one robot at a time.

Mission

The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation’s global mission is to provide every educator with competition, education, and workforce readiness programs to increase student engagement in science, technology, engineering, math, and computer science.

Vision

We see a future where every student designs and innovates as part of a team, overcomes failure, perseveres, and emerges confident in their ability to meet global challenges.

Passion

We are passionate about engaging future generations through programs that promote curiosity, celebrate discovery, and create opportunity.

Integrity

Our commitment to integrity and honesty is the cornerstone of our organization and guides us as we �build experiences that are inclusive and impactful for all.

Excellence

We strive for excellence by dedicating ourselves to delivering exceptional customer-focused programs and continuously improving to achieve the highest standards of performance.

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REC Foundation

Values

ABOUT THE

REC FOUNDATION

2010

Articles of Incorporation

as 501c3 signed in

April of 2010

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109

EMPLOYEES

2,690

EVENT PARTNERS

2,690 Event Partners hosted workshops, scrimmages, camps

and competition.

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109 Employees in 36 US States and Australia, Canada, China and

United Kingdom

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20M

VOLUNTEER HOURS

Over 20 Million hours are invested by our volunteers annually

FOUNDED

COUNTRIES

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Teams from 92 countries participated during �the season.

EVENTS

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The REC Foundation hosted 2,965 events during the season.

REGISTRATION

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Over 40,000 teams registered for REC Foundation competitions.

2022-2023

Season Highlights

WORLDWIDE

TEAM GROWTH

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100%

growth from

2018 to 2023

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2022-2023

Team Registration Breakdown

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92 countries throughout

the world participated

in the 2023 season.

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2022-2023

Global Impact

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54,000

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High School

67,000

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Middle School

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160,000

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Elementary School

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2022-2023

Robotics Competitions*

*US ONLY STUDENT PARTICIPATION

30,000+ �STUDENT COMPETITORS

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50,000+ �ATTENDEES

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50 �STATES

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50+ �COUNTRIES

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Girl Powered is an REC Foundation initiative to redefine the face of STEM and strive for equal (50%) representation of girls in our robotics programs.

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Our JROTC robotics programs are designed to teach high school students the value of citizenship, leadership, service to the community, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment, while instilling self-esteem, teamwork, and self-discipline.

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• REC Foundation JROTC Program established in 2019
• REC Foundation is an official STEM partner for JROTC
• All 7 Army Brigades participated in 2023
• Air Force, Marines, Navy, and Space Force JROTC also compete
• Over 500 JROTC Teams in 2023
• JROTC National Championship held during VEX Worlds

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Strategic Partnerships

Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC)

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• Partner with NTID Regional STEM Center (NRSC) to support over 100 Deaf and Hard of Hearing teams in over 35 states
• Host NRSC D/HH Robotics Regional Tournaments
• Events qualify directly to VEX Worlds
• Share staff and technology
• Train staff on hosting events

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Strategic Partnerships

National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)

• The ARM Institute strengthens U.S. manufacturing through innovations in advanced manufacturing technology, particularly robotics and artificial intelligence, and prepares the workforce to work alongside these technologies.

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• ARM fosters collaboration between those who can create & maintain robotics with those who can leverage it for maximum economic impact.

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• The ARM Institute maintains roboticscareer.org, which includes a robust database that allows those in the robotics industry to find training opportunities and jobs.

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• The REC Foundation formalized their partnership with ARM in 2023.

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Strategic Partnerships

Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute (ARM)

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The Society of Women Engineers Partnership agreement connects the REC Foundation with this powerful, professional organization's members. Through this partnership, local SWE chapters, both professional and collegiate, are provided with RECF event information, team locations, and volunteer training resources. The TEM and EEM in each region can assist teams and event partners in connecting with these local groups. SWE members can provide valuable support including volunteering at events, mentoring teams, and providing professional advice to students.

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Strategic Partnerships

Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

• RECF articles included in Girl Scouts of America National publications
• STEM Tool Kit - Resources provided to all troop leaders includes links to RECF resources
• Coming Soon: girlscouts.recf.org
• Local Girl Scout Councils will serve as “Hubs”
• Troops may check out equipment for competitive teams and/or badge activities
• Councils may create “community-based” teams, combining girls from multiple troops
• “Pilot” locations
• Atlanta, GA
• Las Vegas, NV
• Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas
• Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa
• Girl Scout National Convention - Badges

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Strategic Partnerships

Girl Scouts of America

IMPORTANT COLLABORATIONS

Updates for the 2023-2024 Coaches and Event Partners

2024-2025… Surprise!

VEX Robotics World Championship

Changes for 2024

2024 VEX Robotics World Championship, �Dallas, TX

• 10 VRC HS - April 25-27
• 2 VEX U, 2 JROTC, 6 VRC MS - April 28-30
• 5 VEX IQ ES and 5 VEX IQ MS - May 1-3
• $1800

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Game Manual

More Rule Alignments between VRC and VIQRC

• VRC:
• # of elimination alliances (16-23 teams = 8, 24-31=12, 32+ = 16)
• Division events that do not qualify for Worlds: Bo1 Division and Overall Finals
• If the event does qualify for Worlds: Bo3 Division Finals and Overall Finals
• VIQRC:
• Division format to mirror Worlds
• Each Division has it its own Finals, then an overall Finals with all Division Champions
• 24/25 Game: will allow for a 3rd drive team member
• VRC and VIQRC:
• Minimum matches is 6 for qualifying events, 8 for Championship events
• Programming Skills Matches will called “Autonomous Coding Skills Matches”
• T13 (Multi-Division Events): Divisions must be assigned in sequential order by team number

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Certifications

RECF Certifications - moved to the REC Library and Google Forms

• EP, VRC/VIQRC Head Referee, Judge Advisor, VRC/VIQRC Drive Team
• More control over information
• Easier to update when things change
• TEMs working on a coach certification/training course
• TM Training Course in development
• Certified Head Referees & Judge Advisors now get access to the corresponding Q&A on RobotEvents

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Advisory Boards

Ben Mitchell�VEX U �ben_mitchell@recf.org

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Dylon Caudill

Event Partner dylon_caudill@recf.org

Brandi Bolinger

Coach �brandi_bolinger@recf.org

Carol Kujawa�Student �carol_kujawa@recf.org

• ESS/TSS job changed to Regional Support Specialist
• Event support is still main job function
• Gives ability for RSS’s to assist with some team support functions

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Regional Support Specialist (RSS)

Job Function

• Monday 16:00 recently approved events become visible
• Events are visible for at least 1 week prior to registration open
• Monday 16:00 Events open for registration at least 8 weeks out from event
• Closing date set by EP
• Typically ½-1 week prior to event
• Payment Deadline set by EP
• Typically 2 weeks prior to event

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Stewart

Release Schedule

Team �Updates

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Local Event Early Bird: �changing from 2 to 3. �Operates the same as usual

Signature Event Early Bird: �set at 3.

Events open for Early Bird: �16 weeks prior to event date

Standard Registration opens: �14 weeks prior to event date

Flat Organizational Fee: �Moving from 4 to 6

Coach Training/Certification �(in development)

Team Swapping:� is disabled 2 weeks prior �to event date

Team Registration Deadline: �December 15th

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Updates for the 2023-2024 season

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Event Partner Specific

Event Region

Championship Application

• Multi-Year Agreement Addition
• To be considered for a multi-year agreement, an EP must have hosted a successful Event Region Championship or Signature Event in the last two seasons.
• If more than 48 teams, skills must be available for teams over 2 days.
• Event Regional Championships are now required to offer 8 qualifying matches per team prior to finals.

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50% VRC Game Elements (unlimited)

50% of Portable Field Perimeters (max of 4)

No longer offering metal perimeter discounts

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Note: EPs will also get trophy and banner discounts later in the year, but they are not currently available.

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Event Partner

Discounts

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Events most be ready for approval �at least 10.5 weeks prior to the event.

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Event Posting

Deadline

The current posting �deadline is October 13th.

Event Partners can choose 1 event �banner with discount code:

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• Code of Conduct
• Build. Lead. Achieve
• Inspire
• (New) Liability Release - 22” x 28”

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Event Banners

Choices

Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF)

• Ensure the Head Referee and Judge Advisor has completed and passed the Certification Courses for the relevant program and adheres to the rules in the Referee Guide, Game Manual Guide to Judging, and Official Q&A.

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Event Partner (EP)

• Adhere to the REC Foundation Code of Conduct and ensure event Volunteers adhere to the same.
• Event Partners may only use the official, unmodified version of Tournament Manager along with approved hardware and networking solutions found in the REC Library. Using non-standard software and hardware will not be supported by the REC Foundation or VEX Robotics and is done at your own risk. For questions, please contact your REC Foundation Manager.
• Make every effort to provide all teams with equal opportunity to register for the event (unless the event is an invitational) and not provide an unfair advantage to any team or prevent any team from registering.

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Commitment

Event Excellence

• The Judging Process gives students an opportunity to:
• Practice written and verbal communication skills through the Team Interview and Engineering Notebook
• Demonstrate values of the REC Foundation Code of Conduct and Student-Centered policies
• Judged awards can qualify teams to higher levels of competition
• Judging recognizes and celebrates what teams have learned and validates the hard work they have put into the competition as an educational activity

The Importance of Judging

Judging is an integral part of REC Foundation programs

Quick Overview - 2022/23 Season

• Guide to Judging rewritten & reformatted for clarity & brevity
• Remote Judging process clarified & aligned to in-person judging
• New tools for judges
• Q&As from last season addressed�

Certification

Judges & Judge Advisors

• Judge Advisor Certification has been updated for the 2023-2024 season�
• Judge Advisors are required, and all Judges are highly encouraged, to take the certification�
• Overall, the goal of the certification is to facilitate greater consistency in the judging process across events

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The Judges Award can now be given to two different teams at an event�

• The first Judges Award is a required award for any event that includes judged awards. The second is optional.
• EPs of larger events may desire to include a second Judges Award to recognize an additional team�
• The Judges award does not typically have a qualifying spot associated with it - this change should not have an impact on the qualifications beyond allowing judges to recognize an additional team at their event

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New This Season

Second Judges Award

The Innovate Award has been modified to be based on a specific aspect in a team’s engineering notebook.�

New Description: The Innovate Award recognizes an effective and well documented design process for a novel aspect of a team’s design. The team should indicate to the judges where this aspect can be found in their Engineering Notebook. The team who earns the Innovate Award should be among the top contenders for the Design Award.

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New This Season

Innovate Award Changes

New Key criteria of the Innovate Award are:

• In their notebook, teams identify a specific section or specific pages covering the origin and development of a design element, strategy, or other attribute that is a key part of their team’s robot design or gameplay �
• This design element, strategy, or other attribute is unique or uncommon among teams at the event�
• The development of this design element, strategy, or other attribute is well-documented from initial conception through execution�
• The Engineering Notebook demonstrates a clear, complete, and organized record of the robot design process

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Innovate Award

Updated Criteria

• Directly relates to Innovate Award
• Values teams organically creating their own engineering design solutions to play this season’s game
• Rewards teams that show evidence of “start to finish” design process

Teams are asked to show “evidence of independent inquiry from the beginning stages of their design process” for Expert level

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New Engineering Notebook Rubric Criteria

“ Innovation / Originality”

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Be ranked in the top 30%* of teams at the conclusion of the Robot Skills Challenges

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Be ranked in the top 30%* of Autonomous Coding Challenge rankings at the conclusion of the Robot Skills Challenges

This is a new criteria

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New This Season

Excellence Award Criteria Adjustments

Be ranked in the top 30% of teams at the conclusion of qualifying matches.

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No longer a 10 team minimum

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Changed from 20%, �no longer a 5 team minimum

*Teams that do not participate in the Skills Challenges are given a score of zero for ranking purposes

New This Season

New skills scores report(s)

• New Report in Tournament Manager to assist the Judging process for blended events�
• Will likely be further developed to include 30% markers and separated skills rankings by grade level

To be used as a final check that an Excellence Award winner meets all criteria

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New This Season

Excellence Award Checklist

Email

judging@recf.org

Next Scheduled Update

August 15th

Official Judging Q & A

https://www.robotevents.com/judging/2023-2024/QA

Judging �Updates

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RobotEvents

• Consent Forms
• Easier EP Management of forms
• Team gets notified 2 weeks, 1 week, and 48 hour reminders if they have not uploaded consent forms
• Working on report that includes team number, number of students on team, and number of consent forms uploaded
• Team Swapping: Disabled 2 weeks prior to event
• "Is this an Invitational event" question as a check box
• Smart Field Control or VEXNet legacy control system field for VRC/VEX U events
• Flat Organizational Fee: Moving from 4 to 6
• Team Registration Deadline: December 15th
• Credit Card Processing Fee - 3%
• $5 Per Team RECF Event Fee

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RobotEvents

• Refund Policy text added (EP cancels or if Coach cancels)
• Need specific policy
• Grade Level in titles (HS/MS, MS Only, ES/MS, etc)
• Payment Deadline field in Pricing tab
• Need clear policy on when teams may be moved to the Waitlist
• EPs can now add 20% over capacity without EEM/RSM approval
• Head Referee/Judge Advisor fields now required
• Early Bird
• Local Early Bird: changed to 3
• Signature Event Early Bird: set at 3
• Events open for Early Bird 16 weeks prior to event date
• Standard Registration opens 14 weeks prior to event date

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• Added 2023/24 VRC Over Under and VIQRC Full Volume games
• In normal event flows, the Saved Match and Match On Field will now advance automatically
• Added a new option to require the event password to access the Wizard and Options pages
• Added a check for duplicate teams in the Team List wizard configuration page
• Added handoff sounds to the Basic IQ game
• The number of elimination alliances is now a per-division setting
• You can now use the Enter key after typing in a mobile device authorization code to authorize the device rather than having to click the button
• Teams are assigned to divisions in numerical order by default per new rule T13
• Removed some unneeded buttons on the Slides tab
• Some preliminary work done to modernize the built-in web interface

Tournament Manager �New Feature

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Audience/Pit/Field Queue Displays

• The Rankings display screen now shows more teams at one time, giving teams faster access to their rankings
• The Pit Queue screen now shows the next 6 matches instead of 3
• The correct portion of the elimination bracket is now shown automatically based on the currently-queued match
• The Field Queue display now shows 2 robot status lines per alliance for VEX U
• Minor visual improvements to the audience displays

Tournament Manager �New Feature (YOU MUST UNINSTALL THE OLD VERSION)

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TM Mobile

NOTE: The current TM Mobile does not work with this release. A new version is coming soon.

• Matches can now be saved directly from TM Mobile without requiring the TM Operator to click Save
• TM Mobile configured devices are no longer removed when re-running the setup wizard

Tournament Manager �New Feature

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Raspberry Pi/Le Potato displays

• Support added for Le Potato remote display devices (support beyond 23/24 season not guaranteed)
• No need to install TM on Raspberry Pis/Le Potatoes anymore - TM will automatically download each time the device is started
• Raspberry Pis with wifi will now enter a wireless setup mode if no connection is found, eliminating the need to set them up using a wired network
• Wifi SSID and password can now be set using the Raspberry Pi Imager utility when flashing an SD card for easier setup
• Pis/Potatoes can be rebooted from TM by right-clicking on them in the Remote Display page

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Fixes/Changes

• Fixed an issue with incorrect matches in the Saved Match box for multi-division or multi-fieldset events
• Fixed an issue with the Pit Queue screen if a match was queued while the timer was running
• Fixed an issue where the Saved Match Results screen was distorted after showing a Skills Match score

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Tournament Manager �New Feature

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Known Issues

• Raspberry Pi 2 devices may not function correctly

Qualifying Criteria

• Invitational events must have qualification matches
• A Live Remote Skills event is a Scrimmage
• VEX U events may not be Invitational
• All qualifying events must offer Robot Skills Challenge matches
• A team must have a posted Robot Skills score or have competed in a qualifying event in the current season to be eligible for an Event Region Championship invitation
• World Championship spot allocation process has been redefined
• Active team counts as of December 15 are taken into consideration for additional World Championship spot allocation in January
• A Certified Head Referee and a Certified Judge Advisor must be listed in RobotEvents for an event to be considered “Qualifying” and for results to upload - 3 weeks out
• Online Challenges winners will not be announced until March 15

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Qualifying Criteria

• Leagues must have a minimum of one (1) week between Ranking Sessions; 2 Ranking Sessions may be run within a week but will count as 1 Ranking Session
• Top 10 skills in MS VRC, HS VRC, and VEX U will receive an invitation to Worlds 2024
• Previous Worlds winners do not qualify for the next World Championship
• Teams receiving an invitation to the World Championship will have two (2) weeks from receipt of their World Championship invitation to register

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Qualifying Criteria

• Criteria have been added for Blended vs Split Event Region Championships
• If both grade levels within a program in an Event Region have more than 1 World Championship spot allocated to each, the Event Region must hold split Event Region Championships (one per grade level).
• Example 1: Region X has 3 HS VRC spots and 3 MS VRC spots
• Example 2: Region X has 4 MS VIQRC spots and 7 ES VIQRC spots
• In examples 1 & 2, each grade level must have its own Event Region Championship.
• If either grade level or both grade levels within a program in an Event Region have only 1 World Championship spot allocated, the Event Region may choose to either hold a blended Event Region Championship or split Event Region Championships (one per grade level).
• Example 3: Region X has 3 MS VIQRC spots and 1 ES VIQRC spot
• Example 4: Region X has 1 HS VRC spot and 1 MS VRC spot
• In both scenarios, the Event Region may have either a blended or split Event Region Championship(s)

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G1/G2 Enforcement at Events

• Code of Conduct Reporting Tools
• Gives EPs a documented procedure to handle these issues at local events
• More actionable items in addition to “removing a team from judged awards”
• Hoping to “raise the standard” at local events to reduce issues at Championship events
• Removes an extra step from the CoC process after the event
• Widespread acceptance, support, and excitement for this
• Need ALL EPs to get on board and be trained in this process for it to be effective

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New Rules

Holding

New Rules

Holding

New Rules

Return Triballs to Match Load Zones

New Rules

Goal Tolerance

New Rules

<T4>

Same same, but different…

• Starting tiles
• Preloads
• Autonomous zones
• Match Load introductions
• Match Load availability
• Autonomous Win Point

New Rules

VEX U (Head-to-Head)

Same same, but different…

• Starting tiles
• Match Load introductions
• Elevation Tiers

New Rules

VEX U (Robot Skills Challenge)

New Rules

VEX U (Robot Rules)

* Some screenshots may be cropped for space

https://www.robotevents.com/VRC/2023-2024/QA/1578

Notable Early Season Q&A’s

https://www.robotevents.com/VRC/2023-2024/QA/1538

* Some screenshots may be cropped for space

Notable Early �Season Q&A’s

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https://www.robotevents.com/VRC/2023-2024/QA/1553

* Some screenshots may be cropped for space

Notable Early

Season Q&A’s

Additional Resources

VEX Library / STEM Labs

RECF Library

VEXcode VR / VR Skills

Head Referee Certification

Don’t Worry

Scoring isn’t that complicated!

New Rules

“Benefit of the Doubt”

New Rules

Starting Size

New Rules

Blocks return to the Supply Zone

tl;dr - don’t overthink it!

New Rules

Randomized game objects!

New Rules

VEX IQ Pneumatics Kit

VEX Library / STEM Labs

RECF Library

VEXcode VR / VR Skills

Head Referee Certifications

Additional Resources

Contact

Please reach out to us with any questions or concerns. Thank you for all of your support.

We are here for you

1519 Interstate 30 West

Greenville, Texas 75402

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Address

903 401 8088

support@recf.org

Phone & Email

THANK YOU