FTC-Iowa: Cancellation Policy

We are all very familiar with the winter months in Iowa, especially the weather and flu/cold season. Because we will be hosting several events, held throughout the State and during the winter months, we have implemented the following Event Cancellation Policy.

The decision to cancel an event is taken very seriously. We may need to cancel events for several reasons including, but not limited to, the following:

• Severe Weather Conditions (such as ice, snow, severe thunderstorms, flooding, etc.)
• Exceptional structural circumstances to the facility (including power outages, loss of heat, loss of water, fire, or damage from a natural disaster)
• Significant illness which may involve the closing of a facility prior to the event or an illness arising at an event (including a severe or contagious illness which may have had caused the facility to be closed the previous day, or a severe illness which requires extraordinary action by medical personnel.)
• Significant number of teams having to cancel due to a contagious illness within the team.

The FTC-Iowa Affiliate Partner and the Tournament Director will determine if there will be a delay, early dismissal, or cancellation of the tournament. There also may be situations where the local venue manager (such as a school’s principal) and/or relevant government agency cancels an event at their location.

If a League Championship or a Super Qualifier tournament has to be canceled, before the tournament day begins:

• Teams will be notified by an e-mail sent from the FTC Program Delivery Partner and/or event host. It may also posted onto the FTC-Iowa website and social media channels.
• We cannot guarantee that we will be able to call each of the coaches of the registered teams, but we will try our best to communicate the cancellation.
• If there are upcoming event with remaining open registrations, we will try to schedule teams to the other events. Please understand, this is not a guarantee.

If a tournament has to be canceled, during the competition, prior the completion of the judging and/or prior to the award ceremony and/or prior to the teams knowing who advances to the next level:

• All teams, competing at the cancelled event, will be entered into a lottery conducted by FTC-Iowa, the FTC Affiliate Partner.
• Teams will be randomly selected to fill the number of advancing slots into the next level of competition.
• Teams who are selected to advance, will be notified, via e-mail, and information will be posted on the FTC-Iowa website.

If a tournament has to be canceled, we will try our best to reschedule or move it to a different location. This is not guaranteed as the tournament calendar is tight. Teams will be contacted if an event is rescheduled or moved.

Refund of Registration Fees

If a tournament is cancelled, and we are not able to reschedule it, we will not be able to refund any of the tournament registration fees. Most of the funds are spent on purchasing awards and other non-refundable items for the event. If the FTC-Iowa State Championship is to be cancelled, we will make every effort to get tournament pins to each team who registered.

In consideration of and to protect our volunteers, other teams and their families, please follow the CDC recommendations and stay at home if you are experiencing any flu-like symptoms. Even with mild symptoms, you may be contagious. If we are all considerate of each other, we can enjoy a healthy FTC tournament season.

The main priority of the program is for the safety and well-being of the students and volunteers who participate in the FTC program. Coaches may need to make specific decisions for their team, especially when winter weather and/or public health and safety is of concern.

Thank you for your cooperation and consideration from all of the tournament directors.