Local Manager Information

This page contains registration instructions, forecaster forms, and other pertinent information for local managers of the WxChallenge. If a local manager requires any other information, please contact us at the Contact page.

New Teams

If your school does not have a local manager, please contact the WxChallenge Manager. Tell us a bit about yourself: if you are a student or professor, your university, whether you can serve as a local manager and put together a team from your school, how many people from your school might be interested - the more information, the better. We will be sure to get back to you in a timely fashion.

Registration Instructions

To get a team registered for a season, please follow these steps as closely as possible to avoid any delay in your team's registration process.

• Advertise the contest to prospective students, faculty, and staff. WxChallenge recommends, talking directly to classes, leaving information with professors to discuss with their students, and department-wide mass email lists.
• If you wish to have certain classes separated from the rest of your University so that professors can use the challenge as part of their class, please contact the WxChallenge Manager with the class listing (e.g., METR 4424), the class times, and the professor's name. A Class Id will be set up for each class, which will be indicated when you register the forecasters on the website. Please note that the forecasters that participate as a class are also participating as part of their University.
• There are two methods that the local manager can use to get forecasters registered into the WxChallenge. Local managers may use either method or a combination of both. Each team has a registration key used during the registration process. This is different from the team password (which is to be kept private). You can obtain your team's registration key from the password/registration key retrieval page.
  • Student can fill out a Registration Form (local manager may use custom forms) and turn it into the local manager. This sign-up form will be kept by the local manager and does not need to be sent into the WxChallenge manager. The local manager can then manually enter forecaster information on the registration page
  • Local managers can give out their team's Registration Key and allow students to use the registration page to self register.
• You may view your team's current roster on the roster page.
• The team password is for the local manager only and is not to be distributed to anyone else. The team registration key can be made public to your team (if desired). If you need to change either your team password or registration key, please contact the WxChallenge Manager.
• Your team is now registered to compete. Good luck.

Registration Fees

• Collect entry fees from each participant at your school. Individuals do not submit payments to the WxChallenge. Only team local managers submit payments to the WxChallenge.
• There are two options for submitting fees to the WxChallenge.
  
  

  Option 1 : By Check

  • Make check out to "OU Foundation" NOT "Brad Illston" and NOT "WxChallenge".
  • Put your school’s name and three letter ID in the memo field of the check. Incclude a copy of your invoice.
  • Mail it to:
    University of Oklahoma Foundation Inc
    Attn: WxChallenge Payment
    PO Box 258856
    Oklahoma City, OK 73125-9935
    
  
  

  Option 2: Online (Credit card or Paypal)

  • Go to the OU Foundation Page for WxChallenge.
  • Choose either the credit card or Paypal option.
  • Do not send checks via this method.
  • In the comments field, put the semester for which the payment covers and any other needed information.
  
  
• The payments do not need to be sent in by the registration date, but receipt of the payments are due by the end (Friday) of the second city for the given semester. If a time extension is needed, you must have contacted and heard back from the WxChallenge Manager by the due date.
• If your financial administrators need a W9 form from the University of Oklahoma Foundation, one can be found here.

Mid-Season Adjustments

Between the Fall and Spring semesters, teams can make a few adjustments to their rosters. Local managers can make the following adjustments:

• Teams can add new participants.
• Teams may NOT remove old participants.
• Teams may adjust forecaster information (email address, password, Class ID, etc.) as long as it pertains to the same forecaster. (e.g., accounts can not be transferred to someone else)
• Participants who signed up for the Fall only can change their account to a Full account after submitting the Spring entry fee.

To make adjustments to your team roster, please have the necessary changes submitted to the WxChallenge Manager by the specified date. Any changes submitted after the deadline will not be accepted under any circumstances. The payments do not need to be sent in by the registration date, but receipt of the payments are due by the end (Friday) of the second city of the Spring semester. If a time extension is needed, you must have contacted and heard back from the WxChallenge Manager by the due date. If you have any questions, please contact the WxChallenge Manager.