This coming fall, the Colorado Energy Alliance is excited to bring you the first annual Colorado Robotics Invitational. As a follow up to last year’s successful “Power Up the Rockies” event, CRI is working toward becoming a premier off-season competition and festival for the robotics programs of the Rocky Mountain West.
Many details will be posted here in the coming weeks and months, but here are some bullet points to whet your appetite.
WHERE: East High School, home of Team 1339, Denver
WHEN: September 27-29 (Friday through Sunday)
WHAT: a two day-long competition, held inside the schools Panek and Calloway gyms, played on a full official Destination Deep Space field. Also other events as part of the annual Colorado Energy Day, including outdoor exhibition matches, conferences and workshops, a team picnic in City Park, chances to interact with energy industry companies, and the opportunity to share your passion for robotics with a predicted 20,000 visitors on Saturday.
WHO: hopefully your team. We would particularly love to have all the teams of the Colorado Front Range participate, and our friends and neighbors across the state and within a day’s drive (Wyoming, Utah, Kansas, Idaho). Of course, anyone is welcome to come from anywhere that FIRST has a presence. If your team has multiple robots and drive teams, we welcome you to bring them and enter them into the competition as well (we plan to have two there ourselves). Only one entry fee will be charged per team.
PRIZES: blue banners and trophies, plus a $750 cash prize to be shared by the winning alliance. Other judged awards TBD.
ENTRY FEE: only $100 per team.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS: participants will be asked to share their robots with the community as part of the Energy Day festival on Saturday, including helping to run a public booth outside, and using their robots in the outdoor exhibition (weather permitting, of course). We will also be asking for volunteers in key positions in the coming months, such as set-up/tear-down, MC, announcers, A/V, referees, etc. Check here for more details as plans become more firm.
OTHER DETAILS: space for a full pit area (with power) will be adjacent to the main competition arena. 1339’s shop (inside the school, just down the hall) will be open for most machining tasks. Food trucks will be on site Saturday, and there are plenty of good places to eat within an easy walk. Pit setup and some practice rounds will take place Friday evening.
There are a lot of other details to cover, and I’m sure y’all will have plenty of questions. We really do hope to make this a great event that continues annually. Thanks particularly to teams 2996 and 1619 for your past participation in the 2017 and 2018 events that got this party started; we hope you will want to join us again this year too, and help to make the event great.
I’ll be making myself available after Houston Champs to answer questions and concerns, or to work with anyone who wants to join forces with us to help make this happen. Thanks, I’ll keep y’all updated.
Joel