FIRST LEGO LEAGUE CHALLENGE

Each year FIRST National releases a themed Challenge in early August. which is at the heart of FIRST LEGO League Challenge. Teams of students ages 9-14 engage in research, problem-solving, coding, and engineering – building and programming a LEGO robot that navigates the missions of a robot game. As part of Challenge, teams also design an innovative solution to a real-world problem relevant to the theme. Teams typically meet twice a week to fulfill three criteria to be shared at regional events:

• The Robot Game  
  Using a LEGO SPIKE Prime or MINDSTORMS robot kit, a team designs, builds, and programs an autonomous robot to achieve specific missions and earn points. Robots compete in three 2.5 minute rounds in an attempt to earn as many points as possible, and teams are evaluated on mechanical design, programming, innovation and strategy, and Gracious Professionalism.
• The Innovation Project
  Teams conduct research to solve a real-world problem, develop an innovative solution, share their findings with community stakeholders, and present their work at the competition. They are evaluated by a panel of judges in research, innovative solutions, and presentation.
• Robot Design
  Teams build and program a LEGO SPIKE Prime or MINDSTORMS EV3 robot and share their work at the competition. Teams are evaluated on their Engineering process of  robot design, coding, and innovation and strategy. Teams share their processes, design iterations, and strategies with a panel of judges at their event.

Teams learn and exemplify the FIRST philosophies of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition through Core Values. Teams are evaluated on how they work together, as well as inspiration, teamwork, and gracious professionalism.

The culmination of the season are events where teams gather to show and share what they have learned about the season theme and compete to advance at the regional and state level for a chance to compete on the world stage.

Forming Your Team

• Teams are required to have two adult coaches with a desire to have fun and learn with the team!
• Recruit 2-10 students in grades 4-8, ages 9-14.  

Registration is a two-step process – Teams must register nationally with FIRST and locally with FUNducation Central and West Florida Region for an event.

• National Registration, with FIRST, gets your team an official team number, access to order the yearly Challenge Set, access to the yearly challenge documents and access to order a LEGO robot.  National registration opens in May and closes in October.
• Event Registration allows you to register for a competition in the FUNducation Central and West Florida Region. Event registration opens early September. Teams must be registered nationally before registering locally with FUNducation FIRST Florida Central and West.

Team Meet Up! 

• Teams set their own schedule, but typically meet twice per week for 1.5 – 2 hours.
• Reference your yearly Team Meeting Guide for ideas on where to start and how to navigate the season.

Competition Structure – FUNducation Central and West Florida has a tiered structure where teams advance based on Core Values, Research Project, Robot Design, and Robot Game scores at each level. 

• Scrimmage – This is a practice event where teams come to show and share what they have to date and ask questions about the Challenge Season. Teams also simulate an actual competition by experiencing a review session with judges and the robot game. 
• Qualifier  
• Regionals 
• State 
• World

Check for tournaments on our calendar page and be sure to share event information with families.

Prices below are for basic items needed for participation and do not include items such as team shirts, meeting supplies, or spare parts/LEGO bricks. All pricing is subject to change.

First Year / Rookie Team

• LEGO® Education SPIKE Prime Robot & Expansion Set $540
• FIRST ® National Team Registration ($275) and Challenge Kit ($95) $370
• FUNducation FIRST Central and West Scrimmage Event: TBD
• FUNducation FIRST Central and West Qualifier Event: TBD

Additional Costs for Advancing Teams:

• FUNducation FIRST Central and West Regional Event: TBD
• FUNducation FIRST Central and West State Event: TBD

Team Scholarships & Grants

FUNducation Central and West Florida Region offers a very limited number of scholarships to teams. Please contact us for details regarding the current opportunities.

As regional Program Delivery Organization and a STEAM nonprofit, FUNducation coaches teams and works with organizations and individuals to create and power their own successful teams. For more information, email suncoastfll@gmail.com.