General Info

Western Mechatronics is pleased to host the VEX Robotics Alberta 2021-2022 Tipping Point Provincial Championship. This event will be held at the Strathmore Civic Center. Join our official discord here: https://discord.gg/mbVbtQXbG8

View the event here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQCb009PwwE&ab_channel=WesternMechatronics

We will NOT require proof of vaccination from the students, coaches, adults, or any audience members.

Facemasks are not mandatory but Strongly Recommended.

*Subject to change at a moment's notice if the Alberta Government changes restrictions/guidelines.

 

Payment: For payment please bring cash or a cheque to "Western Mechatronics Association" at the venue or e-transfer the fee to [email protected]

 

This capstone tournament is meant to provide teams with the opportunity to compete with all teams across Alberta (and Saskatchewan), using their best designs yet, and take a shot at qualifying for the World Championship.

In accordance with the current VRC Qualifying Criteria, Alberta has 5 Highschool Spots, and 1 Middleschool Spot.

These spots will go to:

1x High School Excellence Winner

2x Tournament Champions

1x Design Award

1x Skills Champion

1x Middle School Excellence Winner

 

In addition to the 6 spots to Worlds, we will be giving away 17 + 2 custom awards! Check the Awards tab for the awards list.

Our two custom awards are Sponsored by AC Robotics, a local robotics charity in Calgary for University Students. The awards and their criteria are as follows. Please note that the deadline to submit is 10 AM on March 5:

Ingenuity in Programming Award - For demonstrating creative and outstanding implementation of programming. To be considered for this award you must submit your code to the following link: https://forms.gle/nr9ZBQyiFZz8buV18

Prize: Ras-Pi

Ingenuity in Mechanical Design Award - For demonstrating creative and outstanding implementation of mechanical design. To be considered for this award you must submit an annotated/labelled diagram of their robot (Pictures, or Drawings, or Cad) to the following link: https://forms.gle/Jf6zTNGNMHZT95A28

Prize: 2x Spool of 3D Filament

 

Make sure to register your phone numbers to SMS messages that will be sent to teams! Put your team number and phone numbers here: https://forms.gle/ymvtsVqmmk6oGya5A

 

Check the Judging section for info on how to submit Digital Logbooks

The following was sent to all coaches in Alberta:

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I have a lot of important information regarding the Alberta Provincial Championships that will be happening in about a month on Saturday, March 5, 2022.

 

The RobotEvents page can be found here: (https://www.robotevents.com/robot-competitions/vex-robotics-competition/RE-VRC-21-7097.html)

 

First, Location:

Due to COVID Restrictions and Vaccine Mandates, we were significantly constrained with the available choices. Fortunately, we were able to find a place to support audiences and the needs of School Board Covid Guidelines.

 

Provincials will be hosted in Strathmore (1hr East from Calgary) at the Strathmore Civic Centre. 120 Brent Blvd, Strathmore, AB T1P 1E9

 

Second, COVID Mandates:

In order to allow as many teams and schools as possible to attend the event, we will NOT require proof of vaccination from the students. However, Coaches, Adults, and any Audience members will need to show proof of vaccination or negative test within 72 hours of the event.

 

In Short:

All students under the age of 18 will NOT be required to show proof of vaccination.

All coaches, staff, volunteers, and audience members are required to show proof of vaccination.

 

Facemasks are required and mandatory at all times during the event.

 

We will be doing our best to separate teams into their respective cohorts with appropriate spacing. Everyone will be encouraged to socially distance when possible and hand sanitize frequently.

 

Restrictions are subject to change based on the Alberta Government. If any updates happen we will assess accordingly and provide you guys with an update as soon as possible.

 

Third, Arenas:

If you are interested in bringing an arena to the event (We need at least three more arenas from teams), please get in touch with me. We will provide a discount for your teams in exchange for borrowing your arena. Arenas need to have a complete set of game elements and objects (GPS strip is optional but recommended).

 

The GPS Strips will be on ALL competition fields and skills fields during Provincials. 

 

We plan to have two competition fields, two practise fields, and one skills field.

 

Fourth, Accomadations&Food:

There are fast-food locations near the event center for teams to grab food. In addition, we are looking at the potential of purchasing meals at the event (I will get back to you on that once we get more information).

 

As for Hotels, you can stay in Calgary and make the one-hour drive in the morning, or you can stay the night at one of the hotels in Strathmore.

 

We are also looking at obtaining hotel discounts in the Strathmore area. We will get back to you once we get more information.

 

Fifth, Qualifications to Provincials:

At the time of writing this email, we have removed the qualifications to provincials. If you have teams that want to attend the event, make sure to register on RobotEvents!

 

For the teams that have been building all season but haven't gotten a chance to participate in an event due to COVID or other guidelines, your work has not gone unnoticed. If you think you will be able to attend the provincial championships, make sure to register your number officially on RobotEvents! Please get in touch with me if you coach any of these teams and have any concerns/questions.

 

Finally, Additional Important Information:

Regarding spots to the World Championships, we have a total of six spots to give out (five high school, one middle school). Check the Robotevents page for more information on which awards will be awarded and which qualify for Worlds.

 

Make sure to bring your own power expanders to the event. We will provide power extensions to each table but not power expanders.

 

Agenda and other details can be found on the RobotEvents Page: Here (https://www.robotevents.com/robot-competitions/vex-robotics-competition/RE-VRC-21-7097.html)

 

If you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know. All this information will be posted on Robot Events.

 

I look forward to seeing you all at this year's Provincial Championship!

Grade Level: All

Skills Challenge Offered: Yes

Judging Format: All In-Person Judging

Eligible Teams: