Eagle County FIRST LEGO League Regional Qualifier

Berry Creek Middle School, Edwards CO  |   November 21, 2009    |    8:00am - 5:00pm

The Western Slope Competition will be in Carbondale for 2010. See Below.

Welcome to the 2009 FIRST LEGO League Competition!
 

This Year's Competition is Titled "SMART MOVE"

We are a nation on the move. Every day people drive to work or school, vacationers fly to other states and countries, food moves from the farm to the grocery store, and you might take your dog for a walk. This year's competition takes a hard look at transportation. How do people and things move? Why?  How much energy is consumed moving them?  Are there ways to move people things faster? Safer? With less energy?

For more information on the competition, be sure to go to the Official 2009 FIRST LEGO League competition website at: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll/smartmove1.aspx.

Below you'll find information on this year's game, presentations and interviews. Use the links on the left to get Event Schedules, more information the Awards and Coaches Hints.

Robot Game

In this year's mission, you'll be driving your robot up ramps, moving vehicles, moving road markers, placing sensors, and retrieving beacons all while avoiding nasty obstacles and wheel traps.  See the FIRST LEGO League 2009 Game Description for detailed videos and descriptions.

Like all sports or competitions, FIRST LEGO League adheres to a set of Published Rules. You need to familiarize yourself with these rules before the competition. Don't ask referees to change the way they score just because you don't like a particular rule, and don't ask the judges to rank the teams in a different way because you don't agree with the the weighting!

The rules evolve as the national FLL team receives questions from the worldwide teams and tournament directors. Be sure to check the Questions and Answers board regularly. Our judges and referees will be working from the Q&A set posted the night before the event. Don't ask our referees or judges to change the decision because you didn't ready the latest Q&A!

One major change we noticed this year is in mat placement. In the past, the mat was to be placed in the left bottom (southwest) corner of the table. This year, the rules state that the mat is to be centered between the left (west) and right (east) walls and pushed against the bottom (south) wall. 

IMPORTANT: We have changed the scoring system this year to better align with the worldwide FIRST LEGO League standards. This year, we will be using a Best of Three format. Each team will compete three times during the day and will have two practice rounds. Only your best score will be used for ranking. In the event of a tie, the judges may use your second and third best scores as tie breakers. There will also be no make-ups if you have a robot failure or miss a round, so be on time, and do your best.  

ALSO IMPORTANT: Robot performance only makes up 25% of your total score! Be sure to leave sufficient time to focus on your Project, Technical and Teamwork skills too!

We've added a new event this year for your enjoyment: Alliance Rounds. Click here to learn more about this fast-paced exciting multi-team competition!

Project Presentations

Your challenge this season is to look at your community and discover how people, animals, information, and things travel. Once you know how people and things move in your community, pick one main mode of transportation and do some research. What kinds of problems keep people and things from getting where they are going safely? What kind of problems keep people and things from moving efficiently, getting where they are going quickly and using the least amount of energy? How could your team help solve one of those problems?

Read the project description at http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll/content.aspx?id=15162  carefully. Don't wait until the last minute!  These projects take time and thought.  Our judges will be looking for more than a couple of facts collected from a Google search. They'll be considering several different areas during your presentation, including:

IMPORTANT: To qualify for the Colorado Championship Event, you MUST prepare and present a team project this year!  You can still compete in the Southern Colorado Qualifier without a project, but you cannot advance to the Championship Event without one, no matter how well your robot performs. Your Project is worth 25% of your total score.


 

Technical Interviews

All teams are expected to participate in the Technical Interviews. Each team will meet with our technical judges to discuss their robot design and demonstrate its prowess. Judges will be considering the following areas in selecting the top teams:

The technical and teamwork scores from the Technical Interviews add to your team's total points, so doing well will really increase your odds of winning the top awards. 

IMPORTANT: Your Technical Interview makes up 25% of your total score!  You need to do well in the interviews to ensure a top-slot in the competition, so be sure to spend time as a team reviewing your design, programming and team participation.
 

Teamwork

Engineering and science wouldn't exist without strong teamwork. No one can create a 128-bit microprocessor, 28-ton rocket, or 400-mph commuter train single-handedly. And all new science breakthroughs are based on the hard work of others.  As Sir Isaac Newton, the father of modern physics, optics and calculus, once said of himself, "If I have seen further than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants."

The judges and referees will be observing your team at all times, looking for those qualities that allow a team to work well together and exceed expectations.  They'll be watching for:

IMPORTANT: Your Teamwork Rating makes up 25% of your total score!  This is a tough category -- You won't know when you're being scored. Guess you'll need to do your best to show these skills throughout the entire competition :-)
 

[ Home ] [ Schedule ] [ Awards ] [ Coaches Hints ] [ Alliance Rounds ]

Send mail to shanti.flaherty@eagleschools.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2009 Southern Colorado FLL Regional Competition and Eagle County FLL Regional Competition. 
Content borrowed from Eagle Valley Middle School, USFIRST or ColoradoFIRST remains the property of those organizations.