GEARED UP Mentor Conference: Full Schedule

Welcome to GEARED UP 2026: Mentor Conference! Join us at James Madison University’s Festival Conference & Student Center in Harrisonburg, VA, for two days of learning, connection, and community.

You power 10,000+ students across DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. This day is built for YOU. Whether you’re a rookie coach launching your first team or a 20-year veteran looking for fresh ideas, you’ll find sessions, workshops, and conversations designed to sharpen your skills and recharge your passion.

Proudly presented by Aramco Americas. See you in Harrisonburg.

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9:00am EDT

DEEP DIVE: FRC Season Planning and Build Process Workshop

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A working deep dive on FRC season planning: attendees build their own season calendar, set milestones, and assign roles during the session. The most consistently requested FRC topic nationally — bring your laptop and leave with a concrete plan.

Speakers

Joey Kerns

Educational Specialist, Robotics & Engineering | Coach, Fairfax County Public Schools | FRC 614

Sunday August 9, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FRC, Panel

11:00am EDT

DEEP DIVE: Building a Team That Outlasts You - Succession & Sustainability for generations of students

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

A deep dive on building a team that outlasts any individual mentor: succession planning, institutional knowledge transfer, mentor recruiting pipelines, and team identity that survives departures. For mentors thinking three to five years ahead.

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom B (275) FRC 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FRC, Panel

11:00am EDT

Intro Workshop to FRC's most dreaded robot components: bumpers

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Grand Ballroom A (400) @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Join Vector Space FRC team leaders Adam and Elise Spontarelli for a hands-on building session. Adam and Elise run a community makerspace, where teaching hands-on skills is at the heart of their mission. In this session we're tackling one of FRC's most dreaded robot components: bumpers. We will walk you through intentional bumper design, material choice, best practices for fabrication, and the ethos around creating high quality robot parts. Participants will work in pairs to create a corner bumper section, learning skills that they can take home to their team.

Speakers

Adam Spontarelli

Facilities Manager & Director of Education, Vector Space

Adam began his career as a Mechanical Engineer in the Nuclear Industry, modeling the flow of fluid and heat through pipes and debris, around baffles and impellers, across differing liquids, gasses, and solids. If the laws of Thermodynamics seemed to misbehave and joules of energy... Read More →

Elise Spontarelli

Executive Director, Vector Space

Elise Spontarelli is co-founder and Executive Director at Vector Space, a community makerspace in Central Virginia. She's made an entrepreneurial career rendering lines, arcs, and polygons. You'll often find Elise giving her designs life by plasma cutting, laser engraving, and screen... Read More →

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom A (400) 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

FRC, Workshop

11:00am EDT

PROGRAMS TEAM OFFICE HOURS with Bonnie, Matt, and Alicia

Sunday August 9, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

Conf Room 1 @ 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Open office hours with the FCH programs team — drop in for an org-chart walkthrough, registration help, contact-routing questions, or open Q&A. A standing resource throughout the day for mentors who want direct access to staff.

Speakers

FRC, Unconference | FTC, Unconference | FLL, Unconference

GEARED UP Mentor Conference

9:00am EDT

Joey Kerns

11:00am EDT

11:00am EDT

Adam Spontarelli

Elise Spontarelli

11:00am EDT

Matt Sanders

Bonnie Crites

Alicia Haun

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