Dear California Teams and Event Partners,
We know these continue to be challenging times here in California and across the world. The REC Foundation is committed to developing options to support teams, programs and Event Partners during this pandemic. This season will take many forms depending on local conditions and there are a lot of unknowns, but I hope this information will help begin the process of re-engaging our robotics communities. I speak daily with coaches and EPs across the state, and I am humbled by their positivity and energy to move forward.
Here are the July updates!
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2020 Event Partner Summit Recap
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The REC Foundation held a three-day virtual EP Summit July 14-16. The sessions covered a range of topics, from our Covid-19 response efforts, to judging updates and technical trainings. All EP Summit sessions were recorded and posted to the REC Foundation YouTube channel.
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Sign up now for the California Event Partner Summit
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We had a great dialogue with EPs from across the nation at our virtual EP Summit and received much feedback for the upcoming season. We have scheduled two virtual CA Event Partner Summits - Wednesday, August 12 from 4:00 - 5:30 PM and Wednesday, August 19 from 4:00 - 5:30 PM. Space is limited so please sign up soon. These free, virtual CA EP Summits will cover planning for the upcoming season, changes to both VEX IQ and VEX VRC events, qualifying criteria and the CA state championships. We will also dedicate a substantial portion of time to discussing hybrid and virtual event models for this season.
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REC Foundation & VEX Robotics Virtual Town Hall Meeting
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The REC Foundation’s CEO Dan Mantz and VEX Robotics' Global Competition Manager Grant Cox answered questions during a virtual Town Hall on July 1, 2020. They discussed a range of topics, including the Covid-19 response, planning for this season and the new game challenges for VEX IQ and VRC. The recording of this event is available on the REC Foundation YouTube channel.
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Check out the REC Foundation 2020-21 Season Restart Guide
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To support our Event Partners during this pandemic, we have developed a Season Restart Guide. The guide provides an EP Checklist, suggestions on event options, an overview of hybrid/remote competition models, as well as tips for teams, and Covid-related and online learning resources. The guide also provides details on the mandatory Online Consent Forms, which are required for all team participants and must be submitted online (paper versions are no longer an option for events). We know that this guide is not all encompassing but it is the start of our continuing response to support our global robotics community.
Please contact your Regional Support Manager if you have any questions.
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Event Postings in RobotEvents.com
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Event Partners can post events for this season to RobotEvents.com, but we will not open any events for registration until after August 15. Please make sure to review the EP Checklist in the Season Restart Guide prior to posting. We ask EPs to pay particular attention to their health policies and protocols in their posting, as well as details on their refund policies. Given the ever-changing circumstances, we are going to have flexibility in the deadline for posting events this season. Many events will go live but not have registration open until closer to the event date. Also, events may have to use hybrid event models, such as Skills Only and Virtual Event Judging, to comply with local health mandates. The details on these hybrid event options will be released by August 15, so EPs should review that information when it is released.
Please contact me at steven_rummel@roboticseducation.org if you wish to discuss your event options for this season.
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New Robotics Mentor or Coach for next season?
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If you are changing who manages your school or program's teams, make sure to contact us so we can transfer the RobotEvents.com account. Registration for the 2020-2021 season is now open, so please make sure to renew teams instead of creating new ones with different numbers, as this makes team support more challenging. Please know the REC Foundation requires all RobotEvents.com accounts to be managed by adult mentors who have graduated high school - students should be managing team accounts or serve as Event Partners.
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Thank you all for your continued engagement and support of students during this unprecedented time.
Sincerely,
Steve Rummell
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