http://www.usfirst.org/Vex/VexQA.htm
This will be my first thread so I hope you are kind to a Noobie. I wanted to let possible VEX Teams know about the link. If you are going to register and we can be of any help let us know. I will give one piece of advice. Make long 4 wire Teather cables and practice with them. There were no “practice crystals” in Atlanta. The FIRST time we powered up the 'bot it almost killed itself and one of my students just caught it flying off the table !!!
Very interesting. $500 seems like a reasonable cost.
The note about mentors being new to FIRST, though, I’m not sure about. I’d think that having, say, a college student who did FIRST in high school but doesn’t have the time/money/whatever to launch a FRC team form a FVC team instead would be a good thing.
Ah well–I’m sure it’ll be a blast anyways. 
In the attached picture, anywhere not in the red shaded areas wouldn’t be able to participate in the FIRST Vex Challenge this year. 
Hopefully next year, they will open up the Vex competitions to more of the country, like Michigan and California.
Art,
Thank you very much for the visual tool. It really helps out a lot. Remember, there is a chance, no matter how slight, that an event may not fill up to capacity by the close of initial registration and could be opened up to the entire US.
As far as next year goes, the pilot year is under close watch from the FIRST board of directors and will be fully evaluated by Brandeis. Not until the close of the pilot year in April of 2006 will the board of directors begin the decision making process on the future of the FIRST Vex Challenge.
Make? We were able to pick up 25 foot cables at the local 99 cent store.