[Coaches Update #2] January 8

Hello Coaches,

We hope you are having a great new year! There are only nine more days until the USC Invitational, and we have some very important information and reminders that we would like to share.

(1) Team folders were sent out on Dec 11, 2025 to the head coach of each team for submission of the parental/legal guardian consent forms, photo/media release forms, and lab safety forms linked in the “Combined Forms” link in the Additional Forms section section. Please remember to have each student sign and submit these forms to the appropriate team folder, as they will not be able to participate otherwise.

(2) Team numbers can be found in the Tournament Info section or by viewing your school’s team folders. The lowest team number is assigned to the “A” team, the next higher number is given to the “B” team, etc.

(3) We are now accepting team name suggestions. If you would like to have specialized names for your teams (i.e. Highschool XX Team Gold), you can let us know at uscinvite@socalscioly.org. Please be sure to send appropriate and reasonably pronounceable names.

(4) Roster forms will be collected on the day of the tournament, so they do not need to be submitted via the team folders.

(5) The tournament will be using national rules for all events. Teams should prepare with those rules in mind.

As such, Electric Vehicle will have an event time bonus and Robot Tour will have a track time bonus.

(6) As a reminder, please complete your IdealLogic Portal if you will have chaperones overseeing multiple students. Attach this emergency plan in the process. Instructions can be found here. Please ensure a school administrator can help confirm these details.

(7) Parking will be at the Royal Structure, Downey Way Structure, and McCarthy Way. Teams 1-30 in the Downey Way Parking, Teams 31-60 in McCarthy Way, Teams 61-90 in Royal Structure. Please enter via these instructions. Parking in the structures will be $20.50 all day (so you can leave and return without paying extra). Payment will be via online. Instructions are attached here. If you are coming by bus, we recommend the drop-off locations, which are starred along each route to the parking structure. We recommend that after getting dropped off, you tell the bus driver to park at the California Science Center.

(8) Team registration is on the first floor of Ronald Tutor Hall (RTH): 3710 McClintock Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90089.

(9) Your team can head to your home camp space any time in the morning, which you can find on the map attached here. Your space will be large enough to fit at least a standard 10’x10’ tent. There are no restrictions on the weight of sandbags or whatever you are using to keep them down.

(10) All participants in Engineering CAD must submit this Google Form by the day before the tournament (January 16th). This is to ensure that on the tournament day, Event Supervisors do not have to ask participants for them during the time block, delaying the event start.

(11) Please fill out this form regarding any potential accessibility needs. Your team will be connected with the USC ADA Office for any special accommodations.

(12) We will be offering some lab tours again on the day of the tournament. More details will be shared with teams in the coming days.

Best,
USC Invitational Team
On behalf of SciBAT and Southern California Science Olympiad

[Coaches Update #1] November 20

Hello Coaches,

Thank you for registering for the USC Invitational! With the tournament on the horizon, we want to share some important announcements and reminders.

Announcements:

(2) In accordance with the USC Office of Youth Protection, please follow these directions to properly assign your school to USC’s IdealLogic platform. In this platform, you will require a list of chaperones as well as your intended school administrator who can sign two attestation forms digitally (i.e. principal, district administrator, etc). Alternatively, each student can come with a parent or guardian, in which case no attestation form is required; please email us if this is the case.
USC also requires us to maintain a 1:12 ratio of adults to minors for high schoolers and a 1:10 ratio for middle schoolers, so please keep this in mind when organizing teams.

(3) Each student will need to fill out parental/legal guardian consent forms, photo/media release forms, and lab safety forms before being able to participate. These can be downloaded via the "Combined Forms" link in the "Additional Forms" section below. Registered teams will be emailed a link where they can submit these forms.

Reminders:

(1) Please submit the Certificate of Insurance in accordance with the instructions found at the bottom of the USC Invitational Page.

(2) If you are looking to travel by bus to USC, please inform us ahead of time. We will be sharing information about bus parking at the California Science Center just across the street, along with the closest entrances on campus.

(3) Please bring lab coats (not aprons) to the tournament. Competitors without the proper PPE will not be allowed to enter the competition spaces for lab events. If you need any assistance or questions about the lab coats and lab safety expectations, please let us know as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at uscinvite@socalscioly.org. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at the USC Invitational!

Best,
USC Invitational Team
On behalf of SciBAT and Southern California Science Olympiad

The 2026 USC Invitational Registration is Now Open! October 22

Thank you for your incredible patience and support! After a year-long wait, we are excited to announce the return of the second USC Invitational. With the largest invitational in the nation, we hope to further our commitment to providing a collaborative science environment and unforgettable memories for our competitors.

Date: Saturday, January 17th, 2026
Location: University of Southern California (USC)
Division: B and C
Teams: 90 maximum per division, 180 maximum total
Registration: $295

Registration is now open and can be accessed with the Register Now button above. Additional information for the tournament is available here, including a payment link, map, roster form, and more in the Downloads & Links section. Some information will be changed or added in the future, so please stay tuned for future updates. For further questions, email us at uscinvite@socalscioly.org.

We can't wait to see you compete this coming winter!