2026-27 Hawaii Island RECF Engage League

Mission Statement / Vision

The Hawaii Island RECF Engage League's mission is to provide numerous opportunities for Hawaii Island elementary and middle school students in the Hawaii area to compete in local robotics tournaments. We aspire to provide a strong organizational structure that prepares students to succeed at state-level tournaments, resources and workshops that help students to better understand the engineering and design process, and opportunities to network and develop authentic relationships that transcend the walls of a student's participating school or club.

LATE Arrivals

Teams must be checked in 45 minutes prior to the start of the qualification matches so that the match schedule may be printed. Teams must contact the event partner if they are running late or they will be removed from the team list for the event. 

Team Payment

Teams must be paid in full before the first qualifying event. Teams not paid at this time may be dropped at the event partner's discretion to allow teams in from the wait list. If you are unable to meet this deadline we will work with your organization to arrange payment at a later date. Please email the tournament coordinator Jon Kitagawa.

League Overview

Scrimmage (September 26th, 2026 @ Waiakea Inter), Ranking Session #1 (October 24, 2026 @ Waiakea Inter), Ranking Session #2 (November 21, 2026 @ Hilo Intermediate), Ranking Session #3 *Part of Finals Day (January 9, 2026 @Waiakea Inter) 

These are ranking events in which teams will compete in the VEX IQ Teamwork Challenge for overall tournament ranking/placement in finals. Teams should expect to play up to six qualification matches during these events. Driver and Programming skills will not be offered at this event. Workshops targeted towards the needs of the league will be offered after each session and will be optional to attend; examples include programming help, notebooking, the interview process, etc. 

Finals (January 9, 2026 @ Waiakea Inter)

An abbreviated ranking session will take place prior to the finals matches. Teams should expect to play up to four qualification matches prior to finals seeding. This is the league finals where teams will be seeded and compete one last time to post their best scores with their alliance partners. Teams will also submit the engineering notebooks and complete team interviews conducted by industry professionals in STEM Fields. This event will also offer Driver and Programming Skills matches which will be submitted for overall state rankings. 

Team Expectations / Code of Conduct

We expect the following behavior and ethical standards at all REC Foundation-sanctioned events. 

• Act with integrity, honesty, and reliability
• Behave in a respectful and professional manner with event staff, volunteers, and fellow competitors
• Exhibit maturity and class when dealing with difficult and stressful situations
• Respect individual differences
• Follow all rules as listed in the current game manual(s)
• Student-centered teams with limited adult assistance
• Safety as a top priority
• Good sportsmanship, which includes supporting your alliance partners

These expectations apply to all team members and all adults associated with a team including, but not limited to, teachers, mentors and parents. Judges will consider team conduct and ethics when determining awards. 

With regards to adult interference -- If confirmed by judges / inspector / event partner, the team will be disqualified from all awards. 

Event Type:

Teamwork Challenge Qualification: A scored event that counts towards the team's finals standings and required participation. This event will only offer teamwork skills matches only. 
Finals: A scored event that will include an additional set of teamwork matches that count towards the team's final's sedding and required participation. The event will offer autonmous and driver's skills matches. The event will inlcude the finals seeding and determine the overall league winners for teamwork and autonomous skills. 
Workshops: The league will offer targeted workshop sessions after most events. Attendance to these workshops are optional and will not count towards your team's rankings. These workshops will last approximately two hours depending on the focus. 

Scrimmage

Ranking Sessions

Ranking Session #1 (October 24, 2026 @ Waiakea Inter), Ranking Session #2 (November 21, 2026 @ Hilo Intermediate), Ranking Session #3 *Part of Finals Day (January 9, 2026 @Waiakea Inter) 

8:15 AM - Event Location Opens
8:30 AM - Team Check In Opens
9:00 AM - Team Inspection Opens
9:30 AM - Opening Ceremonies
9:45 AM - Driver's Meeting
10:00 AM - Teamwork Challenge Matches
11:00 AM - Snack Intermission
11:30 AM - Teamwork Challenge Matches Continue
1:00 PM - Tournament Closing Remarks
1:00-2:00 PM - Workshop Session *Optional Attendance, Select Dates, Topics to be announced

Finals

January 9, 2026

8:15 AM - Event Location Opens
8:30 AM - Team Check In Opens & Inspection
9:15 AM - Opening Ceremonies
9:30 AM - Driver's Meeting
9:45 AM - Teamwork Challenge Matches (Ranking Session)
12:00 PM - Lunch Intermission
12:30 PM - Driver & Autonomous Skills Matches
3:00 PM - Finals Matches
3:30 PM - Awards Ceremony
4:00 PM - League Closing Remakrs / Clean up

All schedules are tentative and the official agenda for each event will be sent through email prior to the event start date. Please ensure your contact information is up to date in the RECF Events Portal.

Judging Format

All In-Person Judging - The Team Interviews and Engineering Notebooks will be judged in-person the day of the event. Teams should bring a physical copy of their notebook to submit to the judges at the time of check-in. If a team has created a digital engineering notebook throughout the season, a physical, printed, copy of the team's notebook is still required.

Please familarize your team with the following guidance articles and rubrics to ensure a high quality engineering notebook.

• Engineering Notebook Scoring Rubric
• Team Interview Scoring Rubric

Emergency/Bad Weather Policy

Event dates will be postponed / rescheduled in the event of emergency weather conditions. Teams will be notified by the event partner the day prior to the event if there is a need to postpone. Please make sure your team contact info is up to date in your events.vex.com account, and includes both school and non-school phone numbers.

Refund and Payment Policies

If the event partner cancels the event a full refund will be given (minus any incurred processing fees).

Once payment is received, no refunds will be given for teams that withdraw or do not attend. Please be sure that your team is committed to participating in the 2026-27 Big Island RECF Achieve League before registering. 

Full payment is due by the first ranking session or the team may be dropped from the event.