When is machine check-in? What is machine check-in? Why is it mandatory?

Machine check-in is always held the night before game day.

At machine check-in, all team’s robots are checked by the hub personnel to ensure that they are in compliance with the rules governing dimensions (24”x24”), weight (24lbs), and part compliance.

Machine check-in is mandatory for two reasons:
1) it ensures that everyone is ready to go the morning of game day so that competition may start on time, and 2) it affords the teams a last minute effort to make sure their machine can be made compliant should a problem arise. As long as a team representative checks the robot in, it is not necessary to have the entire team present. However, teams are strongly advised to be on-hand for machine check-in, since a parent/coach/teacher cannot work on the robot if it is found to be somehow non-compliant. Robots not checked in the night before will not be allowed to compete on Game Day.

 

When are notebooks due? What is the purpose of having notebooks due at this time?

Notebooks are due on Mall Day.

All teams must submit a notebook prior to team competition.
1) Late notebook submittals will penalized (reduction of points). 2) In addition to the notebook being part of scoring for the BEST award, notebooks are also used for team seeding on Game Day. Late notebooks will also automatically seed the team at the bottom ranking.

 

When is demographic data due? What is the purpose of the demographic data? Why is it mandatory?

Demographic data is due by Mall Day. We will send you an electronic form to complete and submit in the week prior to Mall Day. The purpose of the demographic data is to ensure that the competition is reaching the correct audience, to gather statistical data for the annual report, and to provide our national sponsors with an idea of where their support is going. The demographic data for each hub is an annual mandatory submittal for the hub each year; therefore the team demographic data is a required deliverable to BEST Robotics, Inc (BRI).

 

Can the team use parts not furnished by BEST?

Per the competition rules, the only allowable unfurnished parts are the ones on the “Team Supplied” list or identified as optional in the parts list (but were not provided by Cowtown BEST). If you run into a problem with your parts, please contact your hub director, David Kwast, kit coordinator, Robin Kwast, or co-director Jody Snow for assistance.

 

Where can I find additional resources for help with the BEST competition?

Please visit the national BEST website at www.bestinc.org. You can also try one of the veteran teams. BEST encourages veteran teams to mentor/support rookie teams. Both teams receive points for this co-operation as part of the BEST award.

 

Will the hub volunteers be able to debug our EasyC program if it stops working?

No, all the hub volunteers will be able to do in the event of program failure is to reset the processor to the initial settings.

 

What if I have a question about the game rules?

Questions about the Game Rules are answered via the Q&A on the www.bestinc.org site. Please make sure you read the published rules and answers to previous questions carefully before submitting your question, as it may already have been answered. These answers come from the national Game Rules Committee and apply to all hubs.