MONTANA TSA

TSA/VEX ROBOTICS

 

The TSA VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) provides students with a hands-on, co-curricular competition for learning about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This event complements the existing technology-related competitions offered by the Technology Student Association (TSA).

 

The format of the TSA VEX competition is designed to provide students with the same action-packed experience of  a VEX event and enable team members to participate in other TSA Conference competitions.

 

Participants design and build a robot using the engineering design process that will best address the challenge of the designated VEX game design for the VEX Robotics Competition (VRC). In the TSA VEX Robotics Competition (TSA VRC), teams compete head-to-head, one robot versus one robot; there are NO team alliances. 

 

Please REMEMBER this when reviewing the game rules the TSA VEX rules are the same, EXCEPT there are NO ALLIANCES!

 

TSA VEX Robotics teams compete at events held at the TSA state conference or at other official VEX Robotics Competition tournaments. The season culminates with a championship event at the National TSA Conference. Each TSA VEX team must be registered with both TSA and VEX in order to compete at the 2016 National TSA VEX Championship in Nashville, TN. The top 3 teams from Montana qualify to move on to the National Event.

 

AWARDS

 

The Montana TSA VEX Championship will have five (5) award categories, with one division for High School (HS). Middle schools (MS) may also compete in this division. The award categories are:

 

• Skills Challenge

• HS Tournament Champion (head-to-head)

• MS Tournament Champion (head-to-head)

• Design

• Excellence

 

EVALUATION

 

Skills Challenge: Including both Robot Skills and Programming Skills, this part of the competition determines the team rank for advancement to the Head-to-Head Tournament. Each team should complete at least one, but no more than three, of each skills challenge. The best score from each skills challenge will be used to rank teams. The combined skills ranking will be posted, in order, by rank.

 

• Robot Skills Challenge – a one minute (60 seconds) challenge in which a team operates its robot in the competition field using driver skills and controller(s), with the opportunity to score as many points as possible unopposed by any other robot. Each team has up to three attempts. The highest score is used to determine ranking.

 

• Programming Skills Challenge – a one minute (60 seconds) challenge where a team operates its robot in autonomous mode in the competition field using programming skills, with the opportunity to score as many points as possible unopposed by any other robot. Each team has up to three attempts. The highest score is used to determine ranking.

 

Design Award: All teams are eligible to interview for the Design Award. A minimum of two (2) representatives from each team will report to the interview event area at the time and place stated in the conference program. Teams are given the opportunity to sign up for available interview time slots. Teams must bring their engineering notebook to the interview and be prepared to respond to questions, as well as explain their iterative design process to judges. Team conduct throughout the event is a factor in the Design Award.

 

Head-to-Head Tournament: Teams will be matched according to their combined rank from the skills challenges and assigned slots in the head-to head tournament. Teams compete head-to-head, one robot versus one robot; there are no alliances. A combination of single and double elimination matches may be held in order to determine a tournament champion.  Single elimination matches involve one match, with the winning team advancing to the next round and the losing team eliminated from tournament play. Double elimination matches are the best of three matches. The first team to win two matches advances to the next round. The first team to lose two matches is eliminated from tournament play. Elimination matches continue until a tournament champion is determined.

 

Excellence Award: Judges review the results from the Robot Skills Challenge, Programming Skills Challenge, Head-to-Head Tournament, and Design Award to determine the best overall VEX Robotics team. Team sportsmanship and conduct throughout the event is a factor in the Excellence Award.

 

THE NEW VEX GAME

 

The game for the 2015-16 competition year is Nothing But Net; an exciting, fast-paced game in which robots try to score in a variety of ways.The object of Nothing But Net is to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance by scoring balls and bonus balls in your low and high goals, and by elevating robots in your Climbing Zone.