System Overload's Rookie VEX Robotics® Student Workshop

Co-Hosted by West Salem Robotics Club

Date: 26-Sep-2026 Add to Calendar
Event Code: RE-WORKSHOP-26-5082
Program: Workshops & Camps
Event Type: Workshop
Event Format: In-Person
Capacity: 16
Spots Open: -
Event Region: Oregon
Standard Registration Opens: 10-Aug-2026 12:00 EDT
Registration Deadline: 18-Sep-2026 12:00 EDT
Payment Deadline: September 18th
Price: $85.00

This event is closed to registration because:

Registration opens at a future date.

General Info

General Information

System Overload’s Rookie VEX Robotics® Student Workshop is a full-day program designed to help new VEX V5 Robotics Competition students and teams begin their season with confidence. No previous building or programming experience is required.

Workshop Hours: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Please arrive early enough to complete check-in before the workshop begins.

Who Should Attend

This workshop is recommended for:

First-year VEX V5 Robotics Competition students
Rookie teams preparing for their first season
Returning students who would benefit from reviewing the fundamentals
Coaches or mentors accompanying their students

Adult Supervision: A coach or responsible adult should remain with each team throughout the workshop.

What Students Will Learn

Students will participate in guided discussions and hands-on activities covering:

The VEX competition season, game manual, official updates, and Q&A rulings
The engineering design process, robot construction, and game strategy
VEXcode programming resources and fundamentals
Engineering notebooks, team roles, and design documentation
Robot rules, inspection, judging interviews, and competition-day procedures
How to organize team responsibilities and create an achievable season plan

What to Bring

A laptop with the current version of VEXcode V5 installed
A laptop charger
An engineering notebook or notebook materials
Writing utensils

Lunch

A 30-minute lunch break is scheduled from 12:00–12:30 PM. Lunch will be provided.

Before the Workshop

Students are encouraged to watch the current season’s game reveal and download the game manual before attending. Prior building or programming experience is not required.

Registration and event details: Space may be limited, and advance registration is required. Parking information, required forms, and additional instructions will be sent to registered teams before the workshop.

Participants must follow venue rules and treat instructors, volunteers, equipment, and other teams respectfully. Our goal is to provide a supportive environment where rookie students can ask questions, practice new skills, and prepare for a successful VEX season.

Age / Grade Level:
Middle School Students
High School Students

Event Dates & Locations

Date: 26-Sep-2026

Venue/Location:

West Salem High School
1776 Titan Drive Northwest
Salem, Oregon 97304
United States

Contact the Event Partner

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Agenda

Rookie VEX Student Workshop

Workshop Hours: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
A full-day introduction to the skills, resources, and preparation needed for a successful first VEX season.

Time	Workshop Topic
9:00–9:15 AM	Welcome and Introductions Meet the instructors, review workshop goals, and introduce students and their teams.
9:15–9:45 AM	Understanding the VEX Program Learn about competition structure, team roles, engineering notebooks, judging, available resources, and what to expect during a VEX season.
9:45–10:30 AM	How to Gather Season Information Find and use the game manual, official updates, Q&A rulings, inspection requirements, deadlines, and local event information. Students will complete a guided activity.
10:30–10:40 AM	Morning Break
10:40–11:40 AM	The Basics Explore the engineering design process, building and programming resources, notebook fundamentals, team communication, and team roles.
11:40 AM–12:00 PM	Robot Rules and Inspection Basics Review common robot-size, component, safety, and inspection requirements, including how to avoid common rookie mistakes.
12:00–12:30 PM	Lunch Break
12:30–1:15 PM	Game Strategy and Robot Design Identify scoring objectives, discuss simple strategies, compare possible robot designs, and select an achievable first design.
1:15–2:15 PM	Hands-On Design and Building Challenge Students work in small groups to design, build, test, and improve a simple mechanism or complete a game-related engineering challenge.
2:15–2:25 PM	Afternoon Break
2:25–3:10 PM	Programming Fundamentals Introduction to VEXcode, motor and controller configuration, driver-control programming, autonomous routines, and troubleshooting.
3:10–3:45 PM	Engineering Notebook and Judging Practice Learn what to document, how to demonstrate the design process, and how to prepare for a judging interview. Students will practice common interview questions.
3:45–4:15 PM	Preparing for Competition Day Learn about check-in, inspection, match schedules, queuing, judging, pit organization, alliance selection, sportsmanship, and what to bring.
4:15–4:45 PM	Plan Your Rookie Season Teams create a basic plan covering meeting schedules, responsibilities, design deadlines, notebook goals, programming milestones, and competition preparation.
4:45–5:00 PM	Questions, Resources, and Closing Review key lessons, answer final questions, share helpful resources, and identify clear next steps for each team.

Workshop times and activities may be adjusted to meet the needs of participating students.

Volunteer

We always appreciate volunteers. Please contact [email protected]

Emergency/Bad Weather Policy

Bad weather should not affect this event. In case of a cancellation, the event partner will contact you as early as possible. Students should make sure their contact information in events.vex.com is up to date and includes both school and non-school phone numbers.

Refund and Payment Policies

Teams who have registered but have not paid or submitted a PO 4-weeks prior to the event (August 29th, 2026) will be placed on the waitlist for the event unless special arrangement has been made with the Event Partner.

No refund will be provided as organization incurs expenses upfront to organize the event.

If the event is canceled, a full event registration refund will be given to all paid teams.

No transportation provided.