Kalahari Classic V5RC MIDDLE SCHOOL Signature Event

Middle School

Date
21-Jan-2026 - 22-Jan-2026 Add to Calendar
Event Code
RE-V5RC-25-0165
Program
VEX V5 Robotics Competition
Event Type
Open Tournament
Event Format
In-Person
Field Control System
Smart Field Control
Capacity
50
Spots Open
50
Event Region
Ohio
Max Registrations per Organization
6
Early-Bird Registration Opens
1-Oct-2025 12:00 EDT
Standard Registration Opens
15-Oct-2025 12:00 EDT
Registration Deadline
31-Dec-2025 12:00 EST
Payment Deadline
1-Nov-2025 12:00 EDT
Price
$375.00

A maximum of 50% of team registrations can be from any one event region

Region Maximum % # Spots Allowed # Spots Remaining
Ohio 50% 25 25
This event is closed to registration because:
  • Registration opens at a future date.

General Info

Welcome to the Kalahari Classic V5RC Middle School Signature Event 2026!

The year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Kalahari Classic!  It is going to be the best one yet! 

This will be a fun, challenging, and competitive event for all.

It's fun because you have access to one of the largest indoor water parks in the United States of America. It's challenging because we aim to bring the best of the best VEX Robotics teams together from Ohio and beyond so we can offer high-level competition and better prepare our students for the future. Our setup is similar to VEX Worlds, enabling us to provide a great student experience for all!  This Signature Event starts with a team procession where every team gets to walk the stage, has an experienced & knowledgeable key volunteer staff, and continues to offer an upbeat, high-energy, fun competition environment!

There will be three World Spots offered at this event: Excellence (1), Teamwork Champions (2)*

We will contact registered teams closer to the event with more details, including event information, directions, event maps, schedules, and food information.  In the meantime, you can find us here:

 

Ready for a Water Game?  Plan your stay at one of the nation's largest indoor water parks! 

Please see the Hotel Information tab about room rates and the link to reserve your room.

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*World Spot Eligibility:
Signature Events will be awarded World Championship qualification spots if they meet all established criteria set forth by the REC Foundation. Failure to fully comply with these criteria may result in the event being ineligible to receive World spots, regardless of prior expectations or historical precedent

 


Grade Level: Middle School

Skills Challenge Offered: Yes

Judging Format: Remote Engineering Notebooks

Event Dates & Locations

Date: 21-Jan-2026 - 22-Jan-2026

Venue/Location:
Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Sandusky
7000 Kalahari Drive
Sandusky, Ohio 44870
United States

Contact the Event Partner

You must login to contact this Event Partner

Code of Conduct

The REC Foundation considers the positive, respectful, and ethical conduct of teams to be an essential component of the competition. Participants are expected to behave in a respectful and professional manner, and to operate as student-centered teams with limited adult assistance. This includes all students, teachers, coaches, mentors, parents, and spectators associated with a team.

For more details, please refer to the REC Foundation Code of Conduct and Student-Centered Policy. If you have concerns about compliance with the Code of Conduct, please speak to the Event Partner during the event.

Agenda

**TENTATIVE SCHEDULE**

Wednesday, January 21st 

8:00 AM Doors Open
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM       Registration / Inspections / Skills / Judging
10:00 AM Team Procession
10:45 AM Opening Ceremony & Event Meeting
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM Lunch Break
12:00 - 3:00 PM Qualification Matches / Skills Open
3:00 - 8:00 PM Waterpark!

 

Thursday, January 22nd

8:00 AM Doors Open
8:30 AM - 12:00 PM          Qualification Matches / Skills Open / Judging
12:00 - 12:30 PM Lunch Break
12:30 - 1:00 PM Alliance Selection
1:15 - 3:30 PM Elimination Matches / Finals
3:30 PM   Awards & Closing Ceremony

**All teams will experience at least eight (8) Qualifying Matches each.

Volunteer

Be a part of the excitement by joining the team of volunteers who will help in a variety of ways to make this event a success for the students involved!  You can register for an entire day or just a portion of the day, as your schedule permits, for most positions.

Lunch is included for all full-day volunteers.

Want to find out more about volunteer roles and expectations? Visit the REC Foundation Knowledge Base at REC Foundation > Volunteers to check out position descriptions and find volunteer training materials.

Please use the following link to register if you would like to help volunteer in some capacity at the Kalahari Classic event this year:

Volunteer SignUp - Coming Soon!

Emergency/Bad Weather Policy

Teams will be notified 24 hours prior to the event if there is a weather concern for the event.

Refund and Payment Policies

Refund Policy:

Regardless of whether the Event Partner or the Team cancels, registration fees will NOT be refunded. 

 

Team swapping is not allowed within 4 weeks of the event.

Note: Beginning in the 25/26 competition season, teams with unpaid purchase orders or unpaid event registrations that are 90 days past due will not be able to register for events.

Webcast

All live streams can be found on the Kalahari Classic YouTube Channel

Judging Format

  • Digital Engineering Notebook Submissions 
    • Engineering notebooks will be submitted digitally for evaluation via a link found within the "My Account" panel of the team contact on RobotEvents.
    • The notebook submission deadline is Tuesday, January 6, 2026,  at 11:59 PM EST.
  • In Person Team Interviews:
    • Team interviews will be conducted in-person at the event.
    •  All teams will have the opportunity to be interviewed at least once.  Some teams may receive second interviews if the Judges need additional information. 

Judges will be working in accordance with the Judge Guide, which states that "All teams being judged for an event should be judged in the same format to ensure consistency in the judging experience."   

Please refer to the Guide to Judging for all judging and Engineering Notebook information, criteria, procedures, rubrics, etc. 

Payment

Registration fees are due within three weeks of registration or by November 1st, 2025, whichever comes first.  Any teams that fail to pay registration or submit a PO within these guidelines will be moved to the waitlist and the spot will be opened up to other teams.  

 

Note: Beginning in the 25/26 competition season, teams with unpaid purchase orders or unpaid event registrations that are 90 days past due will not be able to register for events.

Hotel Information

Hotel Information

Thank you for choosing the Kalahari Resort. Here is the information for your group to reserve through our online reservations system.

Reservation link:  COMING SOON!

Once you click on the link, it will take you to the event pricing web page for this event. No passcode required this year!

 

**Please note, the rooms will be available online until the cutoff date or until the rooms are gone, whichever comes first. Please reach out if you have any issues with reserving your rooms** 

Important Reservation Information

Resort Fee of $24.99 is waived

Standard Run of the House Sleeping rooms will provide four (4) wristbands each day to the nation’s largest indoor water park, additional person in sleeping room at $25.00 each per day. Larger rooms will include a greater amount of wristbands.

Deposit policy for individual reservations: One night (plus tax) at the time the reservation is made. Cancellation policy for individual reservations: 72 hours, or more, prior to arrival to receive full refund less $25.00 processing fee. Less than 72 hours prior to scheduled arrival forfeits entire deposit.

Transportation Information

Concierge service located in Resort Lobby – individual pricing is available to guests to include Cleveland Hopkins Airport and local attractions shuttle.

General Information

Complimentary wireless internet for all guests in the hotel and meeting rooms.
Complimentary on-site, self-parking for all guests
20% off all services at Spa Kalahari for all guests.

Signature Event Early Bird Policy

All Signature Events will have a specific Early Bird Registration that is independent of all local/regional Early Bird systems:

  • Each team starts the season with three (3) opportunities to register during the Signature Event Early-Bird period
    • An opportunity is taken away each time the team registers for a Signature Event, whether during the Signature Event Early-Bird period or Standard period
    • A Signature Event Early-Bird opportunity is not taken away if a team registers for a tournament hosted by their school or organization (where the team’s coach is the Event Partner)
  • Signature Event Early Bird Registration will open 16 weeks before the event at 12:00PM EST
    • Note: Modifications to this may be made for events in August and September
  • Standard Registration will open 14 weeks before the event at 12:00PM EST
  • An Event Partner may register their own teams to their Signature Event during Signature Event Early Bird Registration no matter how many other Signature Events they are already registered for  
    • The Event Partner must be the Primary Contact for the teams they are registering

Team Swapping is not allowed within 4 weeks of the event