Sportsman Classes
What are Sportsman Robots?
Sportsman-class robots have limits on the destructive power of their weapons, to make them easier to build and easier to contain within arenas, and to increase the chances that the robots won't be completely destroyed in their matches. Wedges are limited too: under the standard SPARC rules a robot may have only one passive wedge, which discourages slow wedge-on-wedge matches and is meant to make matches more exciting and entertaining. The SPARC rules don't require an active weapon, but some events do, so check your event's rules. Lifters, hammers, and low KE (kinetic energy) 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. The Sportsman class can be a great entry point to building your own large robot! Take a look at the Events page to steer you to events that run Sportsman class competitions.
"Sportsman" may sometimes be confusingly used to describe a non-destructive class (no chopping, sawing/cutting or crushing), but a non-destructive combat class match normally allows a bot to have wedge(s) without an active weapon. Be sure to talk to your Local Groups to see if they have variations on the standard SPARC Sportsman rules. The event organizer's ultimate goal is to provide a safe and fun place for people to play with their robots.
SPARC Sportsman rules
The SPARC Restricted Class Regulations (SPARC Restricted Class Regulations v1.0) limit spinning weapons to a tip speed of 20 ft/s, with exceptions for saws and saw-like weapons with a fine enough tooth pitch, and allow only one passive wedge (active wedges are unlimited). Events may add further limits, especially for open-air or other non-standard arenas.