2007 Milwaukee Vex (League and MENTOR GAME)

[Kevin Kolodziej]

Hello again!

It's that time of year again. School is starting, which can only mean one thing – robot season is just around the corner!! But if your team can't wait until January, the Milwaukee Vex League has a few new options this year:

Milwaukee Vex Mentor Challenge:

Mentors – do you wish to get behind the controls and show what you can do? Now is your chance! This Saturday, August 18th, the first ever Milwaukee Vex Mentor Challenge will be unveiled. Check out www.msoe.edu/st_orgs/mfso for all the details regarding this unique Vex competition for the big kids. Game documents will be available as well as tournament information and registration.

What is the Milwaukee Vex Mentor Challenge? Several students from FRC Teams 1675 and 1714 have been hard at work this summer developing a game using the Vex Robotics kit (www.vexrobotics.com) that mentors, teachers, sponsors, and parents can participate in. The tournament will be held on Saturday, September 29th, at Bradley Tech High School in downtown Milwaukee. Exact event details will be forthcoming, but the tentative schedule is to open doors at 9:30 and finish around 4:30. The event is limited to the first 18 teams that complete registration, which includes paying a small $25 entry fee to help cover costs of the event.

There are two things needed to make this event a success. First, we need teams! Teams must consist of post high school members, which includes professional mentors, college mentors, teachers, parents, sponsors, etc. Members DO NOT have to be affiliated with an FRC or FTC team. Urge your sponsors to experience what you do first hand. Give a kit to teachers from a school not already involved and guide them through the process to get them hooked and start a new team. We of course want to see what you long time veterans can do, but we equally want this event to be a launch pad for new teams.

Second, we need volunteers! Because the mentors are participating, we want students to volunteer and run this entire competition. We will run this event just like a typical FRC, FTC, or Milwaukee Vex competition – complete with scoring, referees, pits, queuing, announcing, and ceremonies. We can use all the help we can get, but we ask that position leaders have a minimum of two years of competitive robotics experience (FLL, FTC, FRC, etc.). Students, come help us out and cheer on your mentors!

Milwaukee Vex League:

The Milwaukee Vex League is back for its third season and is bigger and better than ever. The kickoff for the 2007 Milwaukee Vex League will be held at the conclusion of the Milwaukee Vex Mentor Challenge. Come for the fun, stay for the release of this year's new game. Again, the exact schedule will be forthcoming, but we expect to unveil the game around 4:00 on September 29th at Bradley Tech High School.

The League will run for six weeks this year, starting the week of October 8th and continuing until the week prior to Thanksgiving. The culminating tournament is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, December 1st. We encourage participation in the league, but it is not a requirement to enter the tournament. More details will be announced on or around Labor Day, including league dates, tournament details, and registration details (and yes, our popular low fee structure will be returning).

Due to demand last year, we are looking at the possibility of running two simultaneous leagues. Last year's downtown Milwaukee League will again be held at Discovery World Museum. If there is enough interest, we will also have a West League, held somewhere in the Waukesha County area for the teams that would have a difficult time getting downtown during rush hour.

League nights will occur once a week. Each night will begin with an FRC related topic (mechanics, electronics, safety, scouting, etc.) and finish with play on one of the actual Milwaukee Vex League fields. This is a great opportunity to introduce new team members to your team and bring them up to speed quickly. This is also a great opportunity to get schools involved that are unsure about taking on a robotics program.

We Want You!

Even though these events are brought to you by the Milwaukee Vex League, we welcome teams from anywhere, even outside of Wisconsin (if you're willing to make the trip, we're willing to have you).

If you are interested in the Milwaukee Vex Mentor Challenge, again, visit www.msoe.edu/st_orgs/mfso this Saturday, August 18th, or email any questions to the committee at mentor.vex.qa@gmail.com . A reminder email will be sent out on Saturday with direct links as well. If you want to volunteer for the Milwaukee Vex Mentor Challenge, send your name, phone number, email, age, team affiliation, and t-shirt size to mentor.vex.qa@gmail.com.

If you are interested in participating in either the downtown Milwaukee Vex League or the West League, please send an email to MilwaukeeVex@gmail.com and indicate which league you would be participating in. Feel free to direct any questions to the same email. Otherwise, watch your inbox for more information on or around Labor Day.

Good luck to you this fall and hopefully we'll see you soon!

Milwaukee Vex League Planning Committee

[Kevin Kolodziej]

Here is the hint for the 2007 Milwaukee Vex League game, which will be unveiled on Saturday, September 29th. Stay tuned to mfso.groups.msoe.edu for more information!

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