May 2023 registration announcement

Based on current registration trends, we have an important update for May’s event, and for the 3lb bracket at remaining events this season.

Our earlier announcement for May, which put a restriction on the number of bots an individual builder could compete with, led to an increase in early registrations. Knowing that we typically see a large spike in registrations in the last week, we dove further into the data, specifically within the 3lb weight class, to make some more informed predictions about the potential number of competitors. We learned that the early spike in registrations is almost entirely driven by returning builders, while the spike in the final week of registrations is typically driven by new/rookie builders.

This data would suggest a late surge is coming. We need to act now to ensure we:

• Deliver an exceptional event
• Improve upon the experience in March and remedy the technical issues
• Ensure that we will be able to offer as many individuals as possible the chance to compete.
• Operate within the limits of our building footprint at the House of Havoc in Norwalk

So we are implementing the following changes:

• We are implementing a registration limit for the 3lb weight class, effective immediately. A maximum of 160 3lb bots will be able to participate in the May event. This will be on a first come, first serve basis and so once we reach 160 bots from unique builders, we will close registration in the 3lb bracket and open a waitlist.
• We are creating an elevated NHRL Freestyle experience, adding in games, prizes and mini tournaments to make it an attractive and useful space to play, learn, and train. We will continue to allow builders in the bracket to bring an additional 3lb robot to compete in Freestyle that isn’t entered into the tournament.
• We will add some events to the NHRL schedule for this season, some being Freestyle-only. Details about these additional events will be provided after our May event. We're also exploring an additional 3lb-only qualifying event for later this year, to be held outside of Norwalk.
• We are working on the NHRL Rookie Academy, a custom program to bring new builders into the sport in a safe, fun and competitive environment.

Registration limit

We have made the decision to implement a registration limit for the 3lb weight class, effective immediately. A maximum of 160 3lb bots from unique builders will be able to participate in the May event. This will be on a first come, first serve basis and so once we reach 160 bots from unique builders, we will close registration in the 3lb bracket and open a waitlist.

We previously introduced a limitation of only having bots from unique builders when we get to 160 bots. This restriction will remain in place in addition to the new registration limit. When we approach 160 registered 3lb bots, we will begin the process of asking builders with multiple 3lb bots to choose one for the tournament, as previously outlined. That will get the number of registered 3lb bots under 160.

The second time we hit 160 registered bots, all registered bots will be from unique builders. At that point, our registration limit will take effect, and any further bots will go onto a waitlist. This ensures we will be able to offer as many individuals as possible the chance to compete.

If a bot withdraws after the registration deadline and before seeding, they will be replaced by the first bot on the waitlist from a builder who is not already registered.

12lb and 30lb brackets are unaffected at this time.

While we may adjust the numbers, it is highly probable that there will be registration limits in the 3lb class for all remaining qualifying tournaments this season, including the event planned for June 24 & 25. Eligibility to compete in the 3lb bracket at the rest of our events this year will be based on a set of criteria designed to ensure maximum fairness. The criteria will be announced when registration opens for the June event.

This is a very difficult choice for NHRL to make. We know it's a reversal from our long-time position about caps, but as we have further evaluated the levers we have available to us to increase our capacity, we've made the decision to shift our strategy in 2023 to supporting NHRL's growth in other ways.

Expanded Freestyle

We knew NHRL Freestyle had incredible potential when we saw what you all do with grudges (Bugsbee and Milktankette firework display anyone?) and we revel in seeing the ideas you share such as Break The Bank. To build on this we are creating an elevated NHRL Freestyle experience adding in games, prizes and mini tournaments to make it an attractive and useful space to play, learn, and train. We will continue to allow builders in the bracket to bring an additional 3lb robot to compete in Freestyle that isn’t entered into the tournament so you’ll still get a chance to fight it or just to test something new you’ve been working on. We’re working on nailing down exact details of this and will have more to share shortly. All robots will still need to pass safety and pit space is limited, so only builders who are in the tournament can compete in Freestyle for now and cannot take up additional pit space for the Freestyle bot. We also only have two big cages, so the majority of Freestyle improvements you will see in the 3lb first.

Additional Events

We will add some events to the NHRL schedule for this season. We're looking at at least one Freestyle-only event, and we're exploring the idea of a 3lb-only qualification event held outside Norwalk, CT (It probably won’t be in Norway, so pack away your snowshoes). Details about these additional events will be provided after our May event.

Rookie Academy

NHRL is committed to growing this sport, and we have seen huge growth in new builders coming to our events. We’ve also read with pride and excitement all the enthusiasm that you all have for helping beginners into this sport that we all love.

One of the pillars of NHRL is accessibility and we cannot help grow the sport without helping fans become builders, but we also want to ensure this is in a safe way and one that’s enjoyable for builders. With that in mind we will soon be sharing further details about the NHRL Rookie Academy, a custom program to bring new builders into the sport in a safe, fun and competitive environment. More to come in the coming months.

We are committed to growing NHRL and this sport in a safe, fun and highly competitive way that is enjoyable for all. We’ll have more details to follow on all the above but we want to thank you for being on this incredible journey with us and I can say this with a guarantee: there are even more exciting things to come down the road.