Tournament Information
Driving Directions & Maps
Parking Information
Cars and Vans – Parking will be available for tournament participants in the University Center Parking Garage and Lot 9 at no charge. To reach the parking garage from Cumberland Avenue turn onto Phillip Fulmer Way. The parking garage will be located on your right immediately after the University Center. Lot 9 is the first surface lot on your right after passing the UC Parking Garage and Andy Holt Blvd. No parking passes will be needed for these locations. DO NOT park in any other lots on campus, you may be ticketed!
Buses – Bus parking will be reserved in the metered parking spaces along the Northeast bound lane of Volunteer Blvd from Lake Loudon Blvd to Andy Holt Ave. From Cumberland Avenue turn onto Volunteer Blvd, turn left onto Circle Park Drive, continue through Circle Park and then turn right back onto Volunteer. Park at any of the bagged parking meters on the northeast bound side of Volunteer. (These spaces are along the street in front of the Claxton Education Building.)
Information on Event Day
The information table will be located in Brown Lounge in the University Center.
Dining on Campus
Sbarro, Quiznos and Grab ‘N Go (sandwiches, salads, candy & drinks) located in the newly renovated Rocky Top Café in the lower level of the University Center will be open from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Tournament Day. The Rocky Top Café accepts cash & credit.
Starbucks, located on the main floor of the University Center, will be open from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm on Tournament Day.
Schedules
Registration – University Center, Brown Lounge, 6:45-7:45 am
One coach from each team should check in at the registration table to register their team, submit roster substitutions, learn of last minute announcements, and collect event day programs and nametags.
Coach Hospitality Room – University Center, Room 218, 7:00-2:00pm
A hospitality room with coffee, juice and pastries will be available for team coaches on the morning of Tournament Day. Stop by to meet the director, ask questions and converse with other coaches.
Reception – University Center, Ballroom, 3:00 – 4:15 pm
Following the conclusion of events, a celebration reception will take place. Refreshments will be served. All participants, coaches and parents are invited to attend.
Awards Ceremony – Alumni Memorial Building, Cox Auditorium, 4:30 pm
Cheer on your team and your competitors as individual event medals and team trophies are awarded.
Team Rooms
Each team will be assigned a team room. Room assignments will be posted soon.
Please respect the University and leave your room in the condition you find it upon arrival… discard all refuse, leave furniture in its original location, and leave white/blackboards clean. Please remember to collect all of your items at the end of the day. Items left behind may be discarded when the rooms are cleaned following the tournament.
Wireless Internet Access
We have arranged for "guest" wireless access during the tournament on Saturday. Anyone with a wireless card will be able to log into the UT wireless network which should be accessible in team rooms and the other places you may be during the day. Login instructions will be available at the Information Desk
Impound Events
Division B – Physical Science Lab, Robo-Cross, Scrambler and Trajectory
Division C – Electric Vehicle, It’s About Time, and Junkyard Challenge
Devices are to be impounded between 7:15 and 8:00am. See the tournament schedule for impound locations.
All impounded devices should be retrieved after the completion of the event. Please be prompt, event coordinators will close their event venues shortly after the completion of their event. Any unclaimed devices can be retrieved from Walters Life Sciences, M313 after the conclusion of the Awards Ceremony. Unclaimed devices will be discarded after tournament day.
Event Information
All events are closed, unless otherwise specified. Parents, coaches, and other observers will not be permitted entrance. Only event judges and contestants will be allowed in the room during competition.
Compute This - Event will use Microsoft Office 2003 on Windows computers.
Electric Vehicle - Please read the general rules as well as the specific rules for the "Electric Vehicle" event CAREFULLY. Your entry will be checked and if your vehicle or its operation is not consistent with the rules, this can result in your car being placed at the bottom of the rankings.
In addition to the above, I would like to point out certain rules and requirements that seem to be the most frequent problems:
Rule 1: Make sure you deliver your car to the impound during the prescribed period. You may not remove your car from the impound until your 10 minute window for your run starts. You must set up your car and make your 2 runs within the prescribed 10 minute window. Make sure you account for the time required to set up your car in the 10 minutes.
Rule 2, introduction: The track distance will not be announced until immediately following the impound period.
Rule 2, section e: The vehicle wheel base must be within the prescribed range. This will be checked at the impound.
Rule 2, section f: Your car must have a stationary, pointed object from which to measure. This point must extend forward of all other parts of the vehicle and one end of the pointer must be no greater than 1 cm from the track surface when the vehicle is on the track. Your vehicle's run can't be measured without this pointer.
Rule 4 introduction: If you wish to file an appeal, you must leave your car at the impound site. If you take it out, you cannot file an appeal.
Rule 4, section a: No team advisors can enter the track area. Only the 2 team members. If team members need to communicate with the advisor, they must leave the track area.
Rule 4, section b: You must predict the travel time. It must be less than or equal to 45 seconds. This must remain the same for both runs although the vehicle can be adjusted between the two runs.
Rule 4, section c, subsection ii: Competitors should come prepared to verify the track dimensions to their satisfaction. The event coordinator makes every effort to lay out an accurate track but competitors should be prepared to verify the distance themselves and adjust their car appropriately.
Rule 4, section c, subsection iii: The vehicle's pointer (referenced above) is placed even with the starting line, not the vehicle's wheels or any other part of the vehicle.
Rule 4, section c, subsection iv: The vehicle must have a switch of some sort that is actuated with a pencil, dowel, or similar object. The competitors CANNOT touch the car to start it.
Rule 4, section d: If the car runs over the finish line, the measured time is the time to reach the finish line. If the car stops and then continues moving again before reaching the finish, the measured time is the time from the start to when it first stopped moving. The exception is if the car hits a side wall but continues moving, in which case it will be allowed to come to a stop on its own. If the car hits a wall and does not continue moving, its time and measurement scores will be based on the time it hit the wall.
Rule 5, section f: If any rule/requirement is violated by a team, the team will be ranked in a second tier by their run score, regardless of the violation. The exception is that if the car does not have a pointer and cannot affix one at the competition, the car cannot be allowed to run because the rules require the pointer for measurements.