Preparing for the VEX Robotics World Championship – V5RC

How to Qualify

Teams can qualify for the VEX Robotics World Championship in a variety of ways, including:

Winning a Worlds-qualifying award at a state or regional championship
Winning a Worlds-qualifying award at a large, multi-region Signature Event
Having a high skills score in a region where a single team wins multiple Worlds-qualifying awards
Winning an Online Challenge that includes a Worlds qualification
Being invited through the event waitlist

Invitations to the VEX Robotics World Championship are generated through RobotEvents.com when a team qualifies. For more information on ways to qualify for Worlds, visit the In-Person Worlds section of the Qualifying Criteria article. Regardless of how your team qualifies for the VEX Robotics World Championship, they will have the same opportunities as every other qualifying team.

Logistics to Consider Early

Qualifying for the VEX Robotics World Championship is a huge accomplishment, and there are a lot of logistical decisions to make before you register your team. If your team is associated with a school or other formal organization, you may have to work with administrators to consider approvals for time away from school, how the trip will be funded, and how travel will be handled. International teams must also consider passports and visas, and determine whether the team will be affected by global travel restrictions.

Registration and Other Tasks

After your qualified team has been invited to participate in the VEX Robotics World Championship, you should familiarize yourself with any pertinent deadlines, all of which should be outlined in the invitation and/or emails following your registration.

Register for the VEX Robotics World Championship on RobotEvents.com
Pay the registration fee
Schedule a remote judging interview
Submit an electronic copy of the team’s Engineering Notebook if your team is eligible

Make Travel Arrangements

You’ll need to decide who will travel with your team, whether they’ll drive or fly to the venue, and where they will stay during the event. You’ll also need to figure out how your robot and other supplies will travel. These topics are covered in the articles Traveling to the VEX Robotics World Championship, Traveling with a VEX IQ Robot, and Traveling With a VEX V5 Robot.

Paperwork

Make sure everyone who will attend the VEX Robotics World Championship as a team member, coach, or volunteer has completed and submitted the REC Foundation consent form
Collect contact information and emergency contact numbers for everyone who will travel with your team, and share it with everyone in the group who might need it
If any students will travel without parents or legal guardians, have guardians sign waivers that allow you to request emergency medical care for their student, and to provide over-the-counter medications if necessary and appropriate
For school teams, know and follow any and all travel and medication policies
Pre-order next season’s game elements, either for delivery or pickup at Worlds–the kids will be eager to start after the new game reveal

Getting the Team Ready

Be sure your team understands the game rules and the season’s Q&As; there's often a game manual update in the weeks leading up to Worlds that includes changes specifically for the VEX Robotics World Championship
Watch the VEX Robotics World Championship drivers meeting if it’s released before the event
Have your team practice on elevated fields if possible (16” for VIQRC; 24” for V5RC)
- If your team is unable to elevate the field for practice, driving while sitting or kneeling can help students achieve a perspective similar to the elevated fields at the VEX Robotics World Championship
Encourage your students to mark and use the driver stations as specified in the game manual
For VIQRC, encourage your students to practice switching drivers between :35 & :25 remaining on the clock for both teamwork and driving skills matches
Encourage students to make a one-page sheet or business card for alliance partners that briefly describes what their robot/auton can do, identifies preferred starting locations, and describes the team’s typical match strategies; include a color photograph of the robot if possible, and bring 15-20 copies (even more for V5RC teams who might want to share it before Alliance Selection)
Help your team set realistic and achievable goals for Worlds (e.g., set a new personal best score, learn to say “Hello” in three new languages, or take a picture with a VEX/RECF celebrity)
Plan ahead for how students will pay for purchases at the VEX Robotics World Championship. Most onsite vendors do not take cash, checks, or Apple Pay. Reloadable gift cards may be a convenient way to provide students with limited amounts of spending money.

“Have your students ready to deal with setbacks. Maybe they planned a cool multi-pit space and your teams’ pits wind up spaced across an aisle. Maybe air travel doesn't agree with the robot and they have to do emergency repairs. If they're close on size, expect Worlds inspection to be strict. Motors will fail. Alliance partners will do exactly the opposite of the plan. Your team may be DQed by the Worlds referees who will be unbending on the rules. The best gift you can give them is to help them be ready to have tons of stuff go wrong and still have the best robotics experience of their lives.” - Mentor in the VEX World Coaches Association Facebook Group

Getting the Robot Ready

Have the team check the robot for worn/broken parts that need to be replaced
Work with the team to check the robot against the inspection sheet; Worlds is strict
Label robot brains, motors, batteries, controllers, chargers, and tools clearly with your team number; you’ll loan things out or leave things in weird places
Set a firm cutoff date for significant changes to the team’s robot; remind them to set aside time to code and practice driving the revised robot
Update firmware on everything (brain, controller, batteries, motors, etc.)

Additional Info

For more tips on preparing for the VEX Robotics World Championship, visit these additional articles: