3, 2, 1, LEGO! Those words opened each competitive heat on Saturday at the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) West Ontario Championships, held at the University of Waterloo. Some very focused 9 to 14 year olds were competing in the 2013 FLL challenge, Nature's Fury.
The program was created in 1998 by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Founder Dean Kamen and the LEGO Group’s Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, to help children discover the fun in engineering, science and technology.
"The only difference between this sport and all the others is every kid on our teams can go pro. There's a job out there for every one of these kids." Dean Kamen, FIRST Founder.
Programming Award winners, Fireflies, Oakville (E-BOTS)
Teams can be associated with a school, pre-existing club or organization, homeschooled, or just friends with an interest in science and technology.
The SKK Bots team The Toads won the Research award for their creative study of how toads can be used to detect impending natural disasters, such as earthquakes.
The SKK Bots team The Toads looked at how toads sense change in environment and have the tendency to leave areas prior to earthquakes." Maud Gorbet, Professor, Systems Design Engineering, Waterloo
Award Results at the West Ontario Championship
| Awards | Team Name | City |
|---|---|---|
| Champions' Award 1st Place | The KIN-nects | Oakville |
| Champions' Award 2nd Place | Category 10 | Toronto |
| Champions' Award 3rd Place | Lego My Lego | London |
| Innovation & Strategy | Here Comes Trouble! | Garson |
| Presentation | Robot Rampagers | Waterloo |
| Teamwork | Sci-Nadoes | Mississauga |
| Programming | Fireflies | Oakville |
| Innovation Solution | Robot Notre-Dame Du Sault | Sault Ste. Marie |
| Inspiration | Rusty Bolts | Kitchener |
| Mechanical Design | Boisterous Beepers | Oakville |
| Research | SKK Bots, The Toads | Cambridge |
| Gracious Professionalism | Falcon Robotics | Chatham |
| Playoff Winner | Tornado Cats | Oakville |
| Judges' | Garbage Geeks | Mississauga |
| Robot Performance 1st Place | Here Comes Trouble! | Garson |
| Coach of the year | David Spacek | Sault Ste. Marie |
| Young Adult Mentor | Down 2 Earth | Mississauga |
| Volunteer Award | Jeff Laucke | Sarnia |
| Volunteer Award | Linda Wainewright | Oakville |
Playoff Award winners, Tornado Cats, Oakville (E-BOTS)
Champions' Award 1st Place, The KIN-nects, Oakville (E-BOTS)