18 student teams will compete Sunday in Columbia FIRST Lego League robotics tournament
Kids with their robots compete Sunday in what is expected to be an exciting and suspenseful tournament.
There will be 18 teams of students ages 9-14 competing in the Columbia FIRST Lego League Tournament from 8:30 a.m. to around 4:30 p.m. at Oakland Middle School, 3405 Oakland Place.
"We haven't had this many teams since before COVID" at the tournament, said Kate McKenzie, coach of the two Jefferson Middle School teams. "I'm excited about it. We have a lot of potential."
Three teams will advance to the state championship in February.
There are 12 teams from Columbia and six teams from Marshall, Sedalia and Jefferson City in the tournament.
In previous months, teams worked together to design, build and program a robot to autonomously complete missions on a 4-by-8-foot game field of mechanical Lego models. Points are scored by robots activating levers or wheels and picking up and delivering items to other areas of the field. The matches last 2 1/2 minutes and each team will compete four times during the tournament.
Founded in 1989, FIRST is global not-for-profit organization preparing young people though robotics programs that build skills and confidence. FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.
This year's theme is: masterpiece, a confluence of arts and technology.
The opening ceremony is at 8:30 am. Practice rounds take place from 9 to 11 a.m. Robot competition matches are from noon to 3 p.m. The award cermenony is around 4 p.m. after judging.
The public is welcome and the event is free.
Judging sessions are closed to the public but projects will be displayed and team members will be available to talk about their projects with visitors.
"We're going to have demonstrations for other levels of robotics," McKenzie said.
High school robotics teams also will demonstrate their robots. The FLL Explore program for children ages 5-10 will be introduced. There also will be a large table of Lego pieces.
There is nothing for young children involving robotics in schools, McKenzie said.
Rock Bridge and Hickman high schools have started FIRST Tech Challenge teams, a program for students in grades 7-12. Jefferson Middle School has a team that will be showcasing its robot on Sunday.
Army Ants, a citywide team that has earned many awards will set up for the tournament and provide volunteers, McKenzie said.
"They make this possible," said McKenzie. "They set up every year and they set up tables and game areas. One of them is the DJ for the day."
The event is organized by the Columbia Educational Robotics Foundation and Jefferson Middle School Robotics. Financial sponsorship is from Veterans United Foundation and Watlow.
Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on X at @rmckinney9.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Student teams will compete in robotics tournament Sunday in Columbia
