General Info

Iowa VEX IQ State Championship

The Iowa VEX IQ State Championship Tournament will be held on Saturday March 20th, 2021.  Students this year will design robots for the Rise Above Game, details can be found here:  https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/competition/viqc-current-game

This year there will be a few changes to our normal tournament format.

1. We will be having only one tournament with a max of 30 teams. This tournament is open to elementary and middle school students. This format allows us to have appropriate social distancing in place throughout the pits, queueing, and match areas.

2. Everyone at the tournament will be required to wear a mask.

3.  Spectators are allowed but we encourage teams to have no more than 4. This will help ensure ample room for social distancing. 

4.  Screening for temperature will take place at check in.

5. Please review Robotics Educations Covid-19 guide for Educators, Coaches and Mentors. Located Here: https://www.roboticseducation.org/documents/2020/09/covid-19-guide-for-educators-coaches-and-mentors.pdf/

6. No consessions will be available. However, we will have a food truck on site like last year.

DUTY TO SELF-MONITOR:
Participants and volunteers agree to self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 (symptoms typically include fever, cough, and shortness of breath) and agree to not attend if any symptoms, potential exposure, or suspected illness are present. As a participant, volunteer, or attendee, You recognize that your participation, involvement and/or attendance at the Junior Jacket Vex IQ Robotics Tournament is voluntary and runs the risk of potential exposure of Covid-19.  You take this risk by participation and hold Junior Jacket Robotics blameless. 

Skills Challenges will be available to all teams, with 3 Max Driver attempts and 3 Max Programming attempts per team.  

The top ten (10) teams from the qualification rounds will participate in Finals.  These ten (10) teams will be automatically paired into 5 Alliances.  The top scoring alliance in Finals will earn the Tournament Champion Award. 

Competition Preparation

This event is sure to be a fast-paced and exciting event. To help all teams prepare, here are a few tips for each team:

1. Review the rules and run through the inspection checklist about a week before the competition so that there is ample time for adjustments. The inspection checklist can be found here: http://link.roboticseducation.org/viqc_robotinspectionchecklist20192020

2. Check the official Game Manual for rule updates and changes here:
http://www.roboticseducation.org/vex-iq-challenge/viq-current-game/

3. Check the official QA Forums for rule updates and changes here:
https://events.vex.com/VIQC/2020-2021/QA

4. Carefully read all of the information contained in this tournament posting all updates will be posted here

5. Pack for the event the day before the day of departure. Here are a few items that you don't want to forget.

• Spare parts & tools
• Batteries and chargers
• Programming cable
• Power strip
• Laptop computer
• Engineering notebook.

6. Prep for your interviews with the judges. Check the awards tab to see what awards will be given during the tournament.

7. Remember that safety comes first; please don't bring tools that pose a safety risk to your team, or others nearby as the venue is a very tight fit. 

8. Understand how the game will be played. Game manual can be found here: https://content.vexrobotics.com/docs/viqc-rise-above/VIQC-GameManual-10012020.pdf

9. Read through the Robot troubleshooting guide. The guide can be found here:
http://content.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/pdf/VEX-IQ-Troubleshooting-Flowcharts-20141117.pdf

10. Ensure that you have the latest version of firmware. It can be found here:
https://www.vexrobotics.com/iq/products/vexos

Grade Level: All

Skills Challenge Offered: Yes

Judging Format: All In-Person Judging