VEX Tournament Robotics
About Bogle Competition Robotics
VEX Robotics is a fun and exciting way to learn new skills (CAD, Coding, Robotic assembly and operation, technical writing), make new friends, and apply the Engineering Design Process. The VEX Competition team at Bogle is a class and an after-school club for the full year. The VEX Competition robotics program is a student-run, teacher/coach-facilitated program. Students are responsible for their team robot design, strategies used while competing at tournaments, programming, and documentation of the Engineering Design Process used to guide their team. Students are expected to have a cooperative, positive, and respectful attitude at all times. Students are also expected to spend a substantial amount of time outside of school to gain skills and knowledge to help their team succeed. Outside of school, students are expected to be self-motivated to research VEX V5 Robotics related to their role, read VEX V5 message forums, watch YouTube videos about VEX V5 robots, and try any other means to become experts in their role on their team!
The VEX V5 competition season starts in July and ends on the last day of school in May. A student who makes the team will be automatically enrolled in the upcoming school year for the Automation & Robotics elective class at Bogle. This class will take the place of an elective class for the full year, so teams can learn the ins and outs of competitive VEX V5 robotics. During the school year, students will spend time after school 2 to 3 days a week for 1 hour building, coding, testing, and driving their robot according to the current game rules and VEX V5 Competition. Additionally, students will compete in large tournaments against other schools approximately 3 to 5 times during the VEX V5 season. These competitions are held at various locations around the valley on Saturdays and last approximately 10 hours each. Students must be dedicated to attending class, practice, and competitions.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR TEAMS THAT COMPETED AT VEX WORLDS:
One Piece of Steak, Teletuff Rockers, and Brainz ‘N Boltz
All Bogle teams that attended VEX Worlds worked hard, had fun, gained new robotics experiences, and made new friends! Everyone is proud of the students for their dedication to robotics all year long and we can’t wait to start the new VEX challenge next year!
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Future 2026-2027 Competition Robotics Students:
All new students for next year’s competition robotics team, you have some Summer Homework to prepare you for the upcoming season! Please complete these items below:
- TOP PRIORITY! Open the new VEX robotics game “Override” manual from the attached link: https://content.vexrobotics.com/docs/2026-2027/override/files/override-0.1-game-manual.pdf They need to read and be familiar with the content from all of Section 2 (Pages 8-40) & Section 3 (Pages 42-45). Extra resource: watch the video from this link: https://youtu.be/uut1jd7-kAI?si=QRnojqkcwsjMy6Wp
- Determine what Main Role you want to be on a team (have a backup role in mind also):
Designer & Notebooker A team member who helps design the Robot to be built for competition. The student is responsible for leading the strategic concept, mechanical design, and iterative improvement of the robot, ensuring it complies with game rules while meeting performance goals. They translate game strategy into physical mechanisms, document the design process in the Engineering Notebook, and collaborate closely with builders and programmers to refine the robot, often using CAD software (Onshape) to design and test ideas before physically building.
· Builder (There can be two primaries on a team of four) – A team member who is responsible for bringing the robot to life by translating the Designers plans into a physical, competition-ready robot. They assemble structural components, mechanisms (intakes/lifts), and electronics using VEX V5 parts, ensuring the robot is robust, reliable, and compliant with all size/part rules.
· Coder – A team member who contributes to the computer code that is downloaded onto the Robot to be the “brain” of the robot. The student is responsible for designing autonomous routines, developing driver control code, implementing sensor feedback, and iterating code based on testing, usually in C++ or Python. (C++ Recommended)
· Driver and Strategist – A team member who operates the robot during matches, adhering to game rules, and collaborating with their team. The student also contributes to the Match strategies used to score points during a Qualification Match or Robot Skills Match, including assessing the impact of other Teams’ performance and strategies on the Team’s strategy (e.g., scouting).
****** If you plan on being a coder, builder, or designer, I HIGHLY suggest you get some experience using the tools you will need for your roles ******
· Coder: https://kb.vex.com/hc/en-us/articles/8780205244308-Get-Started-Coding and anything else found online or in YouTube.
· Builder: Make things using screwdrivers, wrenches, hacksaws, hammers to bend and manipulate metal, power tools (bandsaw, drill/drill press, sanders).
· Designer: Onshape and make a student account. Look up VEX V5 YouTube tutorials, get into Onshape, and dive in by designing robot components!
- Look up any “VEX Override robot reveal” or “Override Robot Design” on YouTube or on the internet and try to learn as much as you can about some Override robot designs and how they relate to the role you want.
Want to be the best team this year?
How to prepare for a specific role in Competition Robotics. Roles are Builder/Designer, Driver, Notebooker, Coder.
- Design potential mechanisms/robots on paper or learn how to use Onshape CAD software to design robot mechanisms that will be beneficial to the current game.
- Learn how to code in C++.
- Research winning VEX VRC Notebooks and see what is required to maintain an award-winning notebook. The notebook is a crucial element in qualifying for awards during tournaments!
- Build something at home using hand and power tools! Ask family members if they can show you how to properly use any tools, such as screwdrivers and wrenches for nuts and bolts, hacksaws to cut metal, sandpaper or sanding files to file down metal, how to measure twice before cutting anything, and any power tools. Always remember to use safety glasses everybody!
- Practice driving using remote controlled vehicles, drones, or simulators and focus on using strategies.