FIRST LEGO LEAGUE

Decatur is home to a few parent coached FIRST Lego League (FLL) teams. FLL Challenge teams are limited to a max of 10 students and are for kids in grades 4-8. There is also an FLL version for ages 6-10 that is less competitive and more about exploring. A new season starts each August. Our high school team does not coach FLL teams but we'll do our best to help you find an existing one or get one started. We loan out materials when possible, provide mentoring, and invite teams to our annual FLL Scrimmage which helps members better prepare for their first tournament in December.

We're actively working on district awareness within City Schools of Decatur and encouraging our elementary schools to start robotics programs. If you'd like to help with this effort then please let us know. You can start by asking your school how you can help them get teams started. Our goal is to get kids of all ages involved in STEM and we need help from our community.

FIRST is More Than Robots®

FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a global nonprofit (501(c)(3)) organization that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12).

Because these programs are More Than Robots®, FIRST participants are guided by a signature set of Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements. The thrilling, sports-like challenges build self-confidence and collaborative problem-solving skills and have a proven and lasting impact on STEM learning and interest.

FIRST LEGO League’s three divisions inspire youth to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding and design skills through hands-on STEM learning and robotics.

Running a team takes time and planning, but it is also a lot of fun! No experience is needed and anyone can coach. You can run a team out of your own home if you get at least 2 adults and a handful of interested students. 

Here are some other resources to help you get started:

1. Visit the FIRST Inspires website. This is an excellent place to start. Start a FIRST Lego League Team
   The red "Start a Team" links above are great!

2. Reach out to Georgia FIRST. This is a phenomenal organization and we work with them regularly. (go to the bottom of the linked page for contacts) - Georgia has a strong robotics community and they want you to be successful.

3. Contact Decatur Robotics for more information about finding or forming your own team. Be sure to let us know if you form a team so we can get you on our list for kick-off and scrimmage events. We might be able to loan you materials, do a little training, or just cheer you on.

We gathered some great advice from a few seasoned FLL coaches. Thank you Daniel Newman, Juergen Meyer, and Eric Stevens!

General Day

• Manage expectations. The level of competition is better than at the regional and even if the team does well you may not advance. Focus on the kids having fun and celebrate the fact they made it this far.

• Keep the kids on task. It's a much more focused day, so it's important to keep track of your schedule as you may not have a lot of time between activities. It's also a more chaotic day, so keep track of your team.

• Only the kids should touch the robot, computer, and - really - everything. There's a strong focus on it being a kid-focused event, and your team can get into major trouble if a coach or parent is seen doing something. Judges walk around and always seem to see things.

• Small giveaways. Many teams prepare some trinkets to hand out as a way of promoting Coopertition. These can range from candy to stickers to whatever your team comes up with. We did blow pops last year and added something to connect them to our team, and this year we're doing small bags of chocolate candy rocks with an encouraging note on the bag.

• Learn from other teams. There is always something to learn from other teams. When your team is not lining up for a run or judging session, encourage them to observe other teams and note the techniques, strategies, and attachments they use. The scoreboard can be a helpful tool for identifying high-scoring teams to learn from.

Robot Game

• Table inspections. Check out the competition tables ahead of time. Not all tables are equal, and seeing them early can allow you to make necessary adjustments.

• Pairings and practice. Plan your robot pairings - both the schedule and the specific students - well in advance. Practice with these exact pairings as much as possible. Keep in mind that you can switch students out during a run as long as only two are at the table at a time and they do not switch sides.

• Refining team runs. Schedule your strongest team members first and then again for the fourth or fifth run. The first run provides a solid base score, while the later run allows for day-of robot adjustments if they become absolutely necessary. Having a good cushion will take a lot of stress off later runs, which will impact the core values ranking.

Judging Session

• Scope out the judging room. Locate the judging rooms early while they are being set up. The judges will not be in the room because they usually have a judges meeting before the scheduled coaches meeting. You can then direct team members on where to place props and the robot, where to stand (in front or behind the table), find a power outlet if needed, etc.

• Judging consistency. Judges may not always be consistent and sometimes are not as familiar with the rules or the objectives of the innovation project. Help your team be specific in explaining how they selected the project, how they prioritized their work, etc. instead of leaving it for interpretation.

• It’s about the journey. Improvement and iterations matter a lot for the innovation and robotics presentation scoring, so make sure to include ideas that have been discarded or steps that later have been improved upon - it’s as much about the journey as the destination.

• Judging session. Judges are often given a script that divides the session into 5 minutes of presentation followed by 5 minutes of Q&A. While a strong presentation naturally anticipates and answers many questions, be aware that some judges—especially those trained the day of the tournament—may adhere very strictly to this structure.
  Consider having the team briefly outline their presentation agenda and timing immediately after entering the room. This sets expectations and gives the judges context for any nontraditional elements (such as opening with a skit). In the past, this approach helped prevent judges from redirecting the team into introductions mid-presentation, which can unintentionally derail a well-rehearsed flow.

• Core Values. Over the years core values transition from its own presentation to something that the judges observe throughout the presentation and on the game tables.  The judges still have the same rubrics, so make sure the team is aware of these criteria.  It may also be helpful to “spoon-feed” the answers to the judges by weaving a mention of core values into the presentation. The score sheet at the table also had a core-values section. I am not sure to what extent it is used, but there may be an opportunity to practice something that will make the team stand out - for example, as part of the Coopertition interact with the team one the adjacent table and wish them a good run