Participation requirements for off-season events

[seanwitte]

I was unable to find anything that states what the participation requirements are for the off-season events. Do you have to be affiliated with FIRST or can anyone enter? Do you have to be in High School? Are there age requirements or can anyone with a robot pay the fee, show up, and compete?

[wilsonmw04]

I think all the off-season events are independent. You would have to check with each one to get specifics.

[Rosiebotboss]

Typically, the same rules apply at the post season events as do the regular regionals. High school student drivers, height and weight restrictions (Although I do not know of any that actually have inspections). The hosts will "tweak" the game rules. Beantown Blitz introduced the Golden Tube, Battle Cry 8 will have a game tweak.......

[EricH]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

I think all the off-season events are independent. You would have to check with each one to get specifics.

Correct. I belive that most off-seasons (not all) have a "standard" set of rules:
--They play the current game. Changes may be made to the rules; however, those changes are only good at that competition.
--Size and weight might not be checked. (This allows for mods to improve performance.)
--One day only. (IRI is the notable exception.)
--Only pre-college students can drive, unless there are "Mentor Rounds." (Which may or may not count towards your ranking.)
--Any high school may enter, even if they are not rookies yet, as long as they have a robot from somewhere.
--Theoretically, anyone with a robot can compete.

NOTE: These are merely what I have seen as the "standard" rules from the events I have been to. Always check with the event, as some may have special rules/registration requirements/tweaks. The above list is not necessarily accurate.

And on the tweaks: SCRRF Fall Classic 2006 played 2-on-2 almost exclusively, with no backbot rule, due to only having 12 teams at the event. This will hopefully not be repeated this year.

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by EricH

--One day only. (IRI is the notable exception.)

And BattleCry@WPI.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by artdutra04

And BattleCry@WPI.

And dare I mention the Capital Clash in 2005 and Mission Mayhem 2006?

Usually you'll see FRC teams with their current-year robot. Sometimes you'll see pre-rookies running older robots (or even a current one, like 1980 running 225's 2006 machine at Duel last year), but these tend to be in the minority. Every event I've been to still maintains the student-driven rule, mentor rounds excepted.

[seanwitte]

Originally Posted by Billfred

And dare I mention the Capital Clash in 2005 and Mission Mayhem 2006?

Usually you'll see FRC teams with their current-year robot. Sometimes you'll see pre-rookies running older robots (or even a current one, like 1980 running 225's 2006 machine at Duel last year), but these tend to be in the minority. Every event I've been to still maintains the student-driven rule, mentor rounds excepted.

I was just wondering why nobody has started a FIRST-esq event where anyone, including adult hobby robotics geeks, can compete. Sorta like Battlebots but without the side of cheese.

[DonRotolo]

If there was an off-season for grown-ups, I'd be so there. I'd have to borrow the kids' robot though...

Don

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

If there was an off-season for grown-ups, I'd be so there. I'd have to borrow the kids' robot though...

Don

That's what you call a MENTOR Round...If your local offseason doesn't have one, start one. (Although this would be more like a mentor offseason...)

[Jeremiah Johnson]

Originally Posted by EricH

That's what you call a MENTOR Round...If your local offseason doesn't have one, start one. (Although this would be more like a mentor offseason...)

Talking more like an open competition, not just a SINGLE round. IRI nixed theirs this year, and AFAIK, they were the only competition to feature one... although, I'm pretty sure I'm wrong.

An open competition would be nice.

[ScoutingNerd175]

Originally Posted by Budda648

Talking more like an open competition, not just a SINGLE round. IRI nixed theirs this year, and AFAIK, they were the only competition to feature one... although, I'm pretty sure I'm wrong.

Beantown had one last year. I don't knjow about this year.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Budda648

Talking more like an open competition, not just a SINGLE round. IRI nixed theirs this year, and AFAIK, they were the only competition to feature one... although, I'm pretty sure I'm wrong.

An open competition would be nice.

Fall Classic had their first one last year. The mentors had so much fun that I'm sure it'll be back.

[Ken Leung]

An interesting question to ask, if the person who asked the original question didn't hint at already, is what's stopping all these other high school students, adults, engineers, hobby groups to watch the game during kickoff, spend about 1000-1500 for an IFI controller, spend 6 months designing a robot (at their own pace), look up one of the off-season events, and pay a few hundred dollars to play the game?

All they have to do is follow the robot and game rules, which might not even apply for some off-seasons, and save all the money spent on registration fee and kit of parts.

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me! If there are several off-season in the region, they might even make it to a few events.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Billfred

And dare I mention the Capital Clash in 2005 and Mission Mayhem 2006?

Or Virginia Robot Rumble 2006/2007? Or the Maryland State Fair 2002/2003? There are probably a number of others.


Sean, I know that there are several FIRST Vex Challenge teams that are basically adult hobby groups that grab kids (typically members children) to drive the bots for them at competition. Some Vex scrimmages/off-seasons may even allow adults to drive, as they are often desperate to get more than a few teams.
There are probably some adult robot leagues floating around, I'm just not sure how many would be local to us (check possibly to see if the Reston Robotics Association, or whatever it's called, knows of any). Besides, if you have the free time, I know a certain programming team that would love your mentorship.

[RoboMom]

Originally Posted by seanwitte

I was unable to find anything that states what the participation requirements are for the off-season events. Do you have to be affiliated with FIRST or can anyone enter? Do you have to be in High School? Are there age requirements or can anyone with a robot pay the fee, show up, and compete?

FIRST has typically been hands-off for anything to do with the off-season.
As has been stated the local organizers can pretty much do whatever they want with the rules and invitees. The model used by most FRC off-season events is usually based on the past year game, but really you could almost do whatever you want. FIRST does "let" organizers use an official field from FIRST (with limits). We are lucky in this area that the Goddard field is an option. With Mike Wade's passing, the system for that is being ironed out but there is a lot of support to keep this an option from a lot of dedicated people included those at Goddard.

Running an off-season FRC event is a lot of work. But it also can be a lot of fun, and is a team-building venture of another sort-working with lots of people.

There were numerous "off-season" or "on-season, but not official" scrimmages this year involving Vex robots. Same for the FIRST LEGO League robots.