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

The agenda is tentative to change. Check back often to make sure you are updated!

Last Updated: Jan 26, 2022

All teams will have 1 practice match and 10 qualification matches.

FRIDAY, Feb - 3
5:00 pm - Doors Open, Check-in, Inspection, Skills Runs
9:00 pm - Doors Close

SATURDAY, Feb - 4
7:00 am - Doors Open & Inspections
8:30 am - Driver Meeting & Opening Ceremony
9:15 am - Practice Matches Start, Skills and Judging Open
10:30 am - Qualifications Start
12:00 pm - Lunch Break
1:00 pm - Qualifications Resume
6:30 pm - Qualifications Finish for the day
7:00 pm - Doors Close

SUNDAY, Feb - 5
7:00 am - Doors Open
8:15 am - Qualifications resume
11:00 am - Qualifications finish, Alliance selection
11:30 am - Lunch break
12:30 pm - Eliminations begin
2:30 pm - Division finals, Overall finals
3:00 pm - Awards & Closing Ceremony
5:00 pm - Cleanup
 

Volunteer

Interested in joining the team?  We are always looking for volunteers to join the crew to help with inspections, run skills, reset fields, or help with match queuing! 

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/hxc8UMCK1LHoPP9PA

Volunteers will get a T-Shirt and free lunch for the days they volunteer for.

Emergency/Bad Weather Policy

In the event of extreme weather and the Alberta Government has deemed activities unsafe, we will cancel the event or change the agenda to account for any lost days. Due to fixed costs for this Signature event, any refunds will be allocated after all event expenses have been taken care of.

Calgary is known for its bizarre weather! Make sure you pack and dress appropriately!

Refund and Payment Policies

Refunds will only be issued if the event is cancelled due to weather or health-related orders from the Alberta Government. Due to fixed costs for this Signature event, any refunds will be allocated after all event expenses have been taken care of.

Health and Safety Policies

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.

We will NOT require proof of vaccination from the students. 

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

All coaches, staff, volunteers, and audience members are NOT required to show proof of vaccination.

Facemasks are not mandatory but Strongly Recommended.

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.

Date: 3-Feb-2023 - 5-Feb-2023

Travel Info

Venue Location

The Venue for the event is the BMO Centre, Halls A & B

20 Roundup Way SE, Calgary, AB T2G 2W1

Parking

Parking can be found right next to the venue, it is $15 for full-day parking.

Hotels

We have finalized our hotel discounts!

We strongly recommend booking with us because the hotel will have an arena for teams to use/scrim in its conference room.

ONLY SINGLE ROOMS AVILALBE NOW: The registration link for Sandman ($99/night) can be found here: https://reservations.sandmanhotels.com/113056?groupID=3627090#.

If you would like a room with more space, we also offer large suites at another hotel. The practice arena will also be provided at this location.

STILL PLENTY OF DOUBLE QUEEN ROOMS AVILABLE: The registration link for Sheraton ($149/night) can be found here: https://www.marriott.com/events/start.mi?id=1664472825808&key=GRP

Both hotels are a similar distance to the venue (around 2 km away). They have their own benefits.

Sandman is cheaper and is in the heart of downtown Calgary. It's also right next to the train line, where there is free transportation through all of downtown. There is also free parking and breakfast at this location.

Sheraton has much bigger rooms and is next to one of the biggest malls in the city.

Webcast

Prairies Divison (Opening & Closing Ceremonies):​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loDtdgFKv18/

Rockies Division: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fq5zeY0D8k 

Judging Format

In-Person Judging

In-Person Judging will be used this year. Judges will roam around during the competition to interview teams. All teams will have the opportunity to be interviewed at least once during the duration of the event.

Engineering Notebook

ALL teams are strongly encouraged to submit a digital engineering notebook.  These will be reviewed via a digital copy you can submit to your Team Account on RobotEvents.com. These are due by Jan 20, 11:59 PM MST SHARP

Payment

Since RobotEvents cannot accept payment for Canadian events, we have several payment options.

ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED 2 WEEKS AFTER REGISTRATION OR ELSE YOU WILL BE MOVED TO THE WAITLIST

Interac E-Transfer

Please E-Transfer to the email address: [email protected]. Please list your team number in the notes of the payment 

Online Payment

Please click here for the online payment link. (Make sure you select the correct quantity if you are registering multiple teams)

Mail-In Cheque

Please send the cheque to the following address (Addressed to Western Mechatronics Association):

Western Mechatronics

820 10 St SW Unit 3

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

T2P 2X1

Email Updates

This tab is for email updates sent out to coaches and teams in the months prior to the event.

Mecha Mayhem January Update:

Dear Coaches, Teachers, and Teams,

There is only one month until the event! This is going to be a final update containing a lot of important information about the event. Please make sure to read through the entire email.

Arrival and Check-In:

When teams arrive at the venue, please make sure to send a representative to the check-in table to pick up important information about the event. Documents such as schedule, event map, pit location, etc. When you check in, we’ll also give teams their Mecha Mayhem Medals.

Once you’ve checked in, make your way to your team pit. Each team gets their own 10’x10’ booth, similar to the World Championships. The pits are labelled, and you are NOT allowed to trade with other teams. Furthermore, you are not allowed to remove any of the pipes or drapes for structural safety reasons. However, you are welcome to decorate your pits, hang up banners, etc.

Teams can arrive at the venue anytime after 5:00 PM on Friday, February 3, for inspection, and skills attempts.

Make sure to check the schedule on Robot Events, as we are constantly updating it.

Important Notes:

• Each team pit will be provided with an outlet. Teams are expected to bring their own power expanders for their pits. In the event that you didn’t bring one, you can rent one from the BMO Centre at a rate of $15 CAD each.

• Matches are running on a quick cycle time. Please make sure that you pay attention to the current match and line up at the queue tables at least 4 matches before. We will start without you if you do not show up to your match!

• All teams will get 3 attempts for driver skills and 3 attempts for programming skills. Please try to complete them early on in the tournament. We expect the lineup to be longer near the end as teams rush to get their runs in.

• Please treat all fields, especially the ones at the hotels, with respect. Please don’t take any discs from the fields.

• Please make sure your VEXOS firmware is up to date and your team number is added to the brain. Follow the RECF-KB for more information.

• Make sure to read the previous email updates on Robot Events here if you’ve missed a previous update. They are under the “Email Updates” tab.

• The event layout map is now available! Check it out here.

Call for Volunteers:

We still need some more volunteers to help make the event a success. Volunteers will get complimentary t-shirts, lanyards, and lunch. Sign up to volunteer here: https://forms.gle/HWj7qFAgKMgqohof7.

Without volunteers, this tournament wouldn’t be possible, so a massive thanks to all of them!

Shuttle Service:

We have a complimentary shuttle service running between the hotels (Sandman Signature & Sheraton Suites) and the BMO Centre. The buses will run with the following schedules:

PLEASE NOTE: If you require a shuttle to the Calgary Airport, please let Justin know beforehand. We will try our best to accommodate your requests, but we cannot guarantee that we can provide a shuttle. (Uber and other Taxi services are available in Calgary if needed)

Customizable Merchandise:

The website for customizable merchandise is now up and live! Order online to skip the line or visit the booth in person at the venue. All proceeds go to support the event and future signature events.

Visit the store here: https://stores.inksoft.com/mechamayhem/shop/home.

Last Minute Referral Bonus:

There are a final few spots left at the tournament. If you refer any teams, we can provide both them and your team with a $50 discount on the registration fee. Please send an email to Justin if you are interested in referring a team.

We are so excited to welcome you to Canada’s first Signature Event! Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about the event, travel accommodations, event shuttles, or anything in general.  

December Mecha Mayhem Email Update:

We are just under two months until the event! As such, we have some more exciting updates about the Mecha Mayhem Signature Event. Please make sure to read the entire email, as we cover a lot of important topics related to the event.

In this email, we’ll cover a wide range of topics, starting with event agenda changes and the parking situation, drop-off/loading dock usage, and event parking in general. We’ll describe our special anodized metal and customizable merchandise offerings. We’ll finish the email with details on overall event accessibility, changes to the judging format, and a more in-depth look at the trophies and medals.

Agenda changes:

With a lot of teams needing to catch afternoon/evening flights on Sunday, February 5, we have made some slight changes to the schedule to ensure that you’ll be able to get to your flight on time. Please check the agenda again on RobotEvents.

Event Parking & Loading Dock:

The venue that we are using for the event, the BMO Centre, has a special complimentary loading dock for teams to unload their robots, tools, and boxes in a quick, easy, and efficient manner that is close to the convention halls. This will be offered on Friday between 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM. For the teams that want to make modifications and fixes to their robots overnight/during the competition, you can bring your robots in/out of the venue through the normal entrance. The loading dock is provided for your convenience and can accommodate any car/shuttle size, but you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. If you are interested in using the loading dock, please register a time block here with the code: MEC346

For standard event parking, the price is $15 CAD/day, and it provides multiple entries. To get a parking pass, simply visit the event concierge after you park, and the staff will provide you with a day-use parking pass. Parking areas are in lots 10 and 11

Anodized Metal:

Represent your team colors by purchasing some anodized metal at the signature event! We are pleased to announce that we will offer anodized c-channels (halfcuts, 2-wide, 3-wide, and 5-wide) in several colors. The prices are all in CAD and are the cheapest available from any vendor. If you are interested in anodized metal, please visit our website, where you can purchase and pick-up at the venue. Please note that the anodized metal cost includes the cost of new metal + anodizing cost. Anodized metal will not be available for purchase at the event; we will only take orders online.

Customizable Merchandise:

Show that you attended Canada’s first VEX Signature Event with our customizable merchandise. We offer t-shirts and hoodies for teams and spectators to purchase online and in person! Customize your merchandise with different colors, graphics, and team numbers. All for prices that are 50% cheaper than at the world championship!  The online store will be up soon on the RobotEvents website, but in the meantime, we have some sneak peeks at some of the designs you can put on your hoodies/t-shirts below.

Event Accessibility:

We’re happy to announce that the event is fitted with a wide range of accessibility options for people in wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility requirements. Food options for all diets, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, etc., will be available at the different food trucks located at the venue. Appropriate and sustainable waste disposal and complimentary water stations will also be set up throughout the event. In addition, there will be washrooms that are gender-inclusive. If your team requires any additional accessibility, please let us know! We would be happy to be as inclusive and accessible as possible.

Judging Format Changes:

Previously, we had remote judging for teams to sign-up for. However, we are announcing that all judging will be done in person at the event with roaming Judges. This ensures that all teams will have a fair chance at showcasing their latest robot designs. Notebooks will be due on January 20 at 11:59 PM MST. We will not be accepting physical notebooks for this tournament. Make sure that you submit your notebook on RobotEvents!

Trophies and Medals:

To finish off, if you haven’t seen the trophy design for the event, we’ve included a short video of it. These will be awarded to teams for each of the 17+ awards offered at the event. Some of our sponsor booths from local post secondaries and tech companies will also be giving out custom awards, so we recommend you visit them for a chance to win as well!

Finally, to commemorate this capstone event, we will provide every attending team with a set of custom Mecha Mayhem lanyards and medals.

I hope you’re as excited as we are about the event!  I will leave you with a quick look at our arena LED wall prototype designs, which will be used for match competition fields.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about the event, travel accommodations, event shuttles, or anything in general.

Shuttle Schedule

The shuttle is complimentary and available to use for anyone.

Please note that they are first come, first serve. It may be difficult to bring your robot back and forth.

Friday, Feb 3.

BMO Centre -> Sandman Signature & Sheraton Suites

8:00 PM - First Departure

10:30 PM - Final Departure

Saturday, Feb 4.

Hotels -> BMO Centre

6:00 AM - First Departure

8:15 AM - Final Departure

BMO Centre -> Hotels

9:00 PM - First Departure

11:00 PM - Final Departure

Sunday, Feb 5.

Hotels -> BMO Centre

6:00 AM - First Departure

8:00 AM - Final Departure

BMO Centre -> Hotels

4:00 PM - First Departure

6:30 PM - Final Departure