Results, scorecards & example work¶
Reference for mentors coaching Ridge Racers NJ. Graded PDFs and portfolio files are usually on team Drive (REGIONALS/) — link on integrations.
Mentor guide · Improvement plan (GitHub)
Season results (headlines)¶
| Event | Result |
|---|---|
| NJ State | Champions 2025 |
| Eastern Regionals | 2nd place (371 / 860) |
| National Finals 2026 | 3rd overall (505 / 960) |
| Nationals awards | Sustainability, Team Identity |
| Racing (Nationals) | 210 / 220 — 2nd in Development; won every knockout round |
Team number: E16 (D5 at Nationals) · Class: Development · Location: Watchung, NJ
Full Nationals scorecards & analysis: Nationals_2026_Judge_Scores_and_Analysis.md · PDFs in nationals-2026/results/
National Finals 2026 — graded breakdown¶
Source: Nationals_2026_Judge_Scores_and_Analysis.md (digitized from official D5 scorecards + score overview).
| Category | Score | Max | % | Mentor coaching focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specifications | 0 | 100 | 0% | Critical — wing split, wheel visibility, tether guides, halo/decals |
| Scrutineering scorecard | 33 | 60 | 55% | Drawings (3/20) — orthographic, BOM, compliance callouts |
| Design & Engineering portfolio / interview | 52 | 180 | 29% | 7-page cutoff hurt score; testing (3/20), CAE evidence |
| Enterprise + project management | 137 | 260 | 53% | Page limit → Digital Media unscored; marketing/sponsorship mid-tier |
| Verbal presentation | 73 | 140 | 52% | Down from regionals — rehearsal count, short deck, props |
| Racing (Session 1) | 210 | 220 | 95% | Maintain — 2nd-fastest Development car |
| Grand total | 505 | 960 | 52.6% | +134 pts vs. regionals |
Judge themes (Nationals → next season):
- Specifications still 0/100 — largest single gap; split front wing (−120) and wheel visibility (−40/car) dominate deductions.
- Portfolio page limits — content after page 7 disregarded; Digital Media not scored when over limit.
- Drawings near floor (3/20) — invest in one-page-per-part orthographics before renders.
- Awards validate identity — Sustainability + Team Identity scores (15–18 range) match special awards; keep documenting real choices.
- Verbal slipped (82 regionals → 73 Nationals) — calendar six full run-throughs; see interview kit runbook.
Eastern Regionals — graded breakdown¶
Source: Nationals_Improvement_Plan.md (Regional total 371 / 860, 43%).
| Category | Score | Max | % | Mentor coaching focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design & Engineering Portfolio | 36 | 180 | 20% | KPI coverage, test data, before/after |
| Specifications | 0 | 100 | 0% | Critical — measured values, evidence |
| Enterprise | 103 | 260 | 40% | Schedule, risk, budget, sponsors |
| Verbal Presentation | 82 | 140 | 59% | Memorize, slide visibility, engagement |
| Scrutineering | 35 | 60 | 58% | Drawings detail, finish, assembly |
| Racing | 105 | 110 | 95% | Maintain — strong |
| Team Video Bonus | 10 | 10 | 100% | Maintain |
Judge themes (regionals → improvement plan):
- Specifications missing or not verifiable — assign owner and milestones immediately.
- Project schedule “messy” — enterprise / Brandon.
- Risk management missing — enterprise.
- Organize extra artifacts for judges (not only binder pages).
See Nationals judge scores for post-Nationals progress on these items.
Nationals 2026 — qualitative feedback (for next season)¶
From student debrief and judge scorecards:
| Area | What happened | System fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pit display frame | Not ready on time | Adult-owned hardware deadline ≥6 weeks; garage dry-run |
| Printed decks | Too long — reading not presenting | Time budget + short deck version |
| Interviews | Too few visual aids | Interview kit runbook |
| Verbal practice | Under-rehearsed | ≥6 full timed run-throughs on calendar |
Awards context: Sustainability and Team Identity mean judges valued measurable choices and consistent team look — keep documenting what was real.
Example work — where to find files¶
GitHub (this repo)¶
| Type | Location |
|---|---|
| Improvement tasks by role | Nationals_Improvement_Plan.md |
| Nationals judge scores & analysis | Nationals_2026_Judge_Scores_and_Analysis.md |
| Interview scripts | Nationals_Interview_Prep/ |
| Guide alignment (Development KPIs) | Nationals_2026_STEM_Racing_Official_Guide_Alignment.md |
| Debriefs & question bank | Debrief parents · Debrief students · Questions |
| Timeline | Enhanced CSV |
Team Drive / Dropbox (typical — not in git)¶
Ask team lead to link on integrations.
| Asset | Typical path | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering portfolio | REGIONALS/E16_*_Engineering.pdf or .pptx |
Extract examples for new students |
| Pit display | REGIONALS/E16_*_Pit_Display.pdf |
Team Identity reference |
| Drawings / renders | REGIONALS/Drawings/ |
Renders, BOM, beauty shots |
| Team video | REGIONALS/*.mp4 |
Large — gitignored |
| Regionals graded feedback | PDF in competition/regionals-results/ |
|
| Nationals judge feedback | Nationals_2026_Judge_Scores_and_Analysis.md · PDFs · full D5.pdf on Drive |
Reference index (sponsor deck assets): Sponsorship_Video_Slides.md lists common REGIONALS/ filenames.
Official rulebooks¶
Download current season from portal.stemracing.us/rules — do not rely on old PDFs in email threads.
Using scores in mentoring¶
- Celebrate Racing / awards — 210/220 racing and Sustainability + Team Identity are confidence builders.
- Treat Specs as a project — still 0/100 at Nationals; compliance checklist before every print.
- Portfolio pages — respect 7-page cutoff; testing and concepts must appear early.
- Drawings — 3/20 at Nationals; one KPI per drawing sheet with regulation callouts.
- Enterprise — page numbers, stay under limit (Digital Media was unscored), sponsor ROI narrative.
- Verbal / interview — regionals 82 → Nationals 73; props and 6+ rehearsal run-throughs on calendar.