The Planning Committee has been working hard on some innovations to this year's event. I can't tell you about them all now, but it will be pretty cool.
We've had some questions from area teams, and I thought I'd address them here.
Q1. When is registration?
A1. We plan to open team registration on Monday, August 24. We will still have Early Bird discounts for teams that register by September 18.
Q2. Do you need volunteers?
A2. Absolutely, and you can
sign up now! One of the things we're piloting this year is volunteer training. So if there's a position you've wanted to try, but haven't yet, we can pair you up with a seasoned veteran in that position to see if it's a good fit for you. Simply let us know in the "Is there any other information" field if you'd like to be trained - or to be a trainer.
Q3. Indiana went to districts in 2015. Is this event for Indiana teams only?
A3. We welcome all our FIRST friends! All FRC teams are welcome to join, regardless of geography. We will have a hard cap of 32 teams, to make sure every team plays in eliminations.
Q4. Our team struggles with budget issues. We're not sure we can afford to attend the event.
A4. That's not really a question, but I'll still give advice.
It is $300, but teams can get up to $50 off with the aforementioned Early Bird discount and with another initiative that is still being finalized. In addition, we host separate Student and Adult Roundtable Discussions where team members can share difficulties as well as best practices to overcome them. Finally, since the CAGE Match is set up to introduce people to coopetitive robotics, we welcome prospective team sponsors and partners. In fact, contact me and I'll make that person a judge at the event, to make sure the hook sets deep. We will also have a VIP experience for those who are not able to be there the entire day.