General Info

*This is NOT an Invitational and ANY team may register, but it IS desgined for newer teams.

Push it in! Pull it in! Drag it in! We want your bot, whatever you got.

Jackson Area Robotics and Union University are excited to welcome you to the High Stakes season. 

This tournament is designed for TEAMS who would benefit from some early season support. Bring a Hero Bot, a Base Bot, or a Starter Bot. From learning where to place robots to practice interviews, join us for a fun day of learning all about the new game. Teams, Coaches, and/or Organizations should be new-ish to Vex Competitions. 

This early event will give teams a headstart on the season. Get students on the field in September, so they can start snagging those State spots!

Teams that have consistently made it to State the last several years, are welcome to come volunteer or mentor. We hope to be able to assign each registered team a student mentor to help them navigate their day. By donating some time to this early season event, experienced teams can give back to the community, build strong relationships, and foster good will for the upcoming season. If a more experienced team wants to compete and get an early start on the season, they are encouraged to come with a very basic bot or allow a less expereinced driver on their team to take the lead. However, as this is NOT an Invitational, all teams may register and compete with the understanding this format may not be very beneficial for their experience level.  

This is also intended to get an early start on VOLUNTEER training. EPs and coaches, don’t wait until November to identify volunteers from the community. In order to have a strong season, a strong network of volunteers is necessary. We are asking that each team provide ONE volunteer willing to train to be a Judge Advisor, Head Referee, Emcee, Tech Support, Skills Scorekeeper, or Judge. There’s no better way to build confidence in new volunteers than to work alongside an experienced certified Key Volunteer who will be dedicated to answering questions, sharing tips and tricks, and teaching best practices. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4CADAE2BA1F94-50093565-ready 

In addition, we are needing a few more experienced volunteers to allow new volunteers to shadow for training. Please consider signing up as an Experienced Volunteer to help train new ones. ONLY volunteers who sign up at least two weeks in advance will recieve free lunches. 

Meals through the Union University cafeteria are $10 prepaid and $14.21 on the day of the event. No outside food or drink will be allowed in the Grant Center. This will be strictly enforced out of respect for Union's policy. Lawn areas are available for picnic lunches. Teams who wish to pre-order tickets for meals from the cafeteria must do so by noon on Friday, Sept. 6. 

All team members and adults must have the RECF waiver completed. Instructions avialable at this link. https://kb.roboticseducation.org/hc/en-us/articles/7119161700759-Participant-Release-Form

Payment is due two weeks after a team is registered or immediately if after September 6, 2024, unless other arrangements are made with the EP.  All teams not paid after two weeks of registration will be moved to the waitlist and may be added back in, IF there is still room on the roster. If your registration payment process takes longer than two week, clear communication will keep teams from being moved to the Waitlist.   

Team swapping policy will be strictly followed as outlined in this article. https://kb.roboticseducation.org/hc/en-us/articles/8337081839895-Team-Swapping-Policy-in-Event-Registrations#:~:text=The%20following%20policy%20was%20instituted,be%20swapped%20from%20that%20organization.

Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.

Grade Level: All

Skills Challenge Offered: Yes

Judging Format: No Judging