Team Quickstart Guide
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Overview of the program, including Challenge, Explore, and Discover divisions
Engineering notebooks, rubrics, coach guides, and more
Includes current season theme, missions, rules, scoring, and model build instructions
Weekly plans for team meetings — great for new coaches
What to expect at events, including judging and schedules
Official app for LEGO SPIKE Prime and Essential kits
Legacy LEGO Mindstorms programming platform
Python-based alternative for SPIKE and EV3 kits
Comprehensive tutorials from veteran teams covering:
Programming: SPIKE Prime (Word Blocks & Python), EV3, Pybricks
Robot Design: Base designs, attachments, modularity, alignment
Judging & Core Values: Practice activities, Innovation Project prep
Team Management: Calendars, checklists, coaching tips
First-year teams will need to purchase a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime kit
Used EV3 or LEGO Mindstorms kits can be found on eBay to save money
Engineering notebooks are optional — any notebook will work
After year one, expected cost is around $350 per season
Other costs may include:
Team t-shirts
Snacks
Minimal travel for events
Minimum: 2 hours/week from August through competition
Many teams add extra practices the 1–2 weeks before competition
Not all students need to attend every practice – sub-teams are helpful
Local competitions are typically half-day Saturday events (8 am–1 pm)
State competition is a full day event in January at Iowa State University
Each team needs at least 2 coaches (no STEM experience required)
Mentors can be community members, local businesses, high schoolers, or topic experts
These contacts can also become sponsors to help cover team costs
For Innovation Project, Core Values, and Robot Design
Helps teams identify problems, design solutions, and present ideas effectively
What to bring and how to prepare
Guide for hosting or participating in mock tournaments
Team photos, build help, peer advice
Tips and support from veteran coaches
Real-time discussions with teams and mentors
Season reveal videos, challenge animations, and team stories
Videos on programming and robot design
Mission strategies and robot walkthroughs