Sportsman Classes
What are Sportsman Robots?
They are a special class of robots that require an an active weapon, but limit the destructive power of the weapon to make them easier to build and contain within arenas and to increase the chances that the robots won't be completely destroyed in their matches. The weapon requirement is meant to make matches more exciting and entertaining as some slow wedge-on-wedge matches aren't much fun to watch. Lifters, hammers, and low KE saw blades are common in the class, but pneumatic flippers and crushers are also allowed.
The most common weight-class for Sportsman robots is 30 pounds but some events run 12 pound versions of the class and other heavier weights have been tried as well. Take a look at the Events page to see which events run Sportsman class competitions.
The Sportsman class can be a great entry point to building. You can find the full rule set at Sparc.tools but talk to your event organizers to see if they have variations on the rules. The full ruleset can seem a bit over-complicated but some events run simplified versions of the rules and are happy to work with you. Most event organizers just want to provide a safe and fun place for people to play with their robots.