Quote:
Originally Posted by nuggetsyl
IMO they should announce next years game at the finals of champs. This would make first cheaper and improve the quality of robots.
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VEX Mentor here. What Nuggetsy suggests won't happen. RECF does this, reveals the next game at the Worlds Championship in April. Top teams spend the next months (May, June, July) building and designing. The New Zealand teams get into the swing across their winter (June, July and August) posting ideas, reveals, match results. North America and UK students go back to School in Sept, so build starts up in Sept/Oct. Early events like the Delaware VEX competition (19 October 2013, at the DAFB, (shameless plug)) have teams arrive that have spent the summer building.
Some get crushed and do total rebuilds in the next 4 weeks to meet again in late November and December events. (Thanksgiving? Super, a 4 day build period without school!!) Crushed again they look at the Jan / Feb season events. A last try to get to Worlds!. (Holiday break? I don't think so, too much to do. ) Meanwhile our friends on a pair of small islands in the South Pacific have entered Summer, no school, and a ton of time to build.
With a last competition date of the first week in March, teams and mentors are under pressure to get those last few berths. January, February, March: Build, hours spent by mentors, parts orders, etc. go up.
Let me interrupt this to give a huge shout out to
IFI / VEX Robotics and their
1/2 price shipping during FRC build season. A huge bonus for VRC teams!
Finally March comes, teams have worlds berths, a chance to relax. Not quite, need to put a ribbon on that Excellence presentation, need to make repairs to robots, maybe build a front end posted, and lets replace that drive train too. Travel plans, wrangle roberteers, parents, robots, parts, etc.
You have arrived!!! VEX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!!! Compete, work on the robot, compete, more work, Excellence Presentation, compete and then:
Announcement of the next years game!!!! 
There, that was a lot easier than being an FRC mentor!