FLL State Championships

Richelle's First Lego League team won this Young Team trophy at the Qualifying Tournament and earned a place at the State Competitions.

Her team attended the State Championships Saturday. It was a long and busy day with check-in at 7:30am and the Awards Ceremony concluding at 5:00pm. It was one of those days of intense activity interspersed with short intervals of hurry-up-and-wait. We had the added wrench tossed in of one team member not feeling well. At one point, she went to a quiet room with her mother and rested for awhile.


This is the centerpiece Richelle made out of Legos for their pit table. The black letter fade into the background but it spells "Thunderstorms" - their team name.



The format for State Championships is the same as the Qualifying Tournament. They are judged in the areas of Teamwork, Technical (robot design and programming), and Research Project. They also have three turns at the competition tables to complete as many pre-defined missions as possible within 2.5 minutes (Performance). The top score is saved and the others are discarded.

When all is said and done, there are several categories of awards. Teamwork, Technical, Project, Performance, Young Team, Rookie Team (one trophy), Champion Runners Up, and Champion. FLL believes that what the kids learn is far more important that what they win, so a team earns only one plaque/trophy. They also award a high percentage of teams. There were 60 teams participating and 26 trophies or plaques awarded at each of the two championships for a total of 120 teams and 52 trophies/plaques. The first and second place winners in the Teamwork, Technical, Project, and Performance divisions received a trophy; the third and fourth place teams received a plaque. Trophies were also given for first through third place in Young Team, Champion's Runners Up, and Champions.

Richelle's team came home with.....*drum roll, please*......Second Place in Teamwork! The trophy is made of yellow Lego pieces glued together in the shape of a Loving cup mounted on a base of flat Lego pieces. The only non-Lego pieces of the entire trophy are the stickers on the sides and the engraving on the base. It's traveling to all the girls' homes and my camera was dead at the competition but I have pictures coming. Meanwhile, here's Richelle wearing her participation medal for State Competition.



So that is over with but I'm committed to coaching another team in the fall. This year's experience will be very helpful.