Area Youth Recognized for Teamwork and Innovation at FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge Long Island Tournament

Contestants ages 9 to 14 took part in the annual FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge Long Island Tournament, which was sponsored by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) and held remotely on March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Team #23785 “Meteorites Squared” from Hicksville won the Champion’s Award. The top teams won by embodying the program’s Core Values of teamwork and mutual respect while achieving excellence and innovation in both a robot game and innovative project.
 
FIRST LEGO League Challenge is an international program for 9- to 16-year-old children (ages vary by country) created in a partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Group in 1998 to get children excited about science and technology — and teach them valuable career and life skills. Children work alongside adult Mentors to design, build, and program autonomous robots using LEGO® Education SPIKETM Prime or LEGO® MINDSTORMS® and create an innovative solution to a problem as part of their Innovation Project.
 
This year’s Challenge — CARGO CONNECTSM — called for teams to reimagine our global transportation system and explore ways of improving how we access and deliver needed and desired goods, making all communities more connected.
 
Twenty-one teams took part in the Tournament. The competition is judged in three areas: Innovation Project; Robot Design, and Core Values, which embody aspects of teamwork and good sportsmanship. Top robot game scores are also honored. The award winners were as follows:

Team Award

Team #

Team Name

Town

Global Innovation Award Nomination

22112

Portledge Royal Panthers

Locust Valley

Global Innovation Award Nomination

6435

Fire Dragons

Rocky Point

Innovation Project 1st Place Winner

39029

TriTech **

Dix Hills

Innovation Project 2nd Finalist

2180

LJHS LE’GO Lions (Holborow)

Middle Island

Innovation Project 3rd Finalist

51732

Dragon Racers

Huntington

Innovation Project 4th Finalist

30052

Team 4x4

Glen Head

Robot Design 1st Place Winner

22112

Portledge Royal Panthers

Locust Valley

Robot Design 2nd Finalist

15794

Buckley Cyber Dogs

Roslyn

Robot Design 3rd Finalist

1087

Brainstormers

Bayport

Robot Design 4th Finalist

46635

Brickaneers Gold

Islip

Robot Performance 1st Place Winner

50946

Overpowered Spicy Robot

Syosset

Robot Performance 2nd Place

54838

Overpowered Chicken Nugget

Syosset

Robot Performance 3rd Place

1087

Brainstormers

Bayport

Robot Performance 4th Place

46635

Brickaneers Gold

Islip

Core Values 1st Place Winner

16174

Meteorites

Hicksville

Core Values 2nd Finalist

47463

Raptor Dactyls

East Islip

Core Values 3rd Finalist

54370

BRICKii

Stony Brook

Core Values 4th Finalist

50815

Brickaneers Duplo

Islip

Rising All-Star 1st Place Winner

53114

Robat

Jericho

Rising All-Star 2nd Finalist

43820

Robotic Lightning Kangaroos

Huntington

Rising All-Star 3rd Finalist

49289

Electric Eagles

Jericho

Engineering Excellence 1st Place Winner

37506

Microchip Cookies

Plainview

Engineering Excellence 2nd Finalist

2438

Camol Clan

Floral Park

Engineering Excellence 3rd Finalist

8085

Rocky Point Radical Robotix

Rocky Point

Champion's Award 1st Place Winner *

23785

Meteorites Squared

Hicksville

Champion’s Award 2nd Finalist

6435

Fire Dragons ***

Rocky Point

Champion’s Award 3rd Finalist

53744

Imagination in a Nutshell

Jericho

Champion’s Award 4th Finalist

50946

Overpowered Spicy Robot

Syosset

* The Champions Award winner was invited to participate in the FIRST LEGO League Challenge World Festival at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas on April 20-23, 2022.
** This team has been invited to participate in the American Invitational Robotics Competition at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey on May 14.
*** This team has been invited to participate in the FIRST LEGO League Razorback Open Invitational at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Arkansas on May 19-22, 2022.
 
 
The Coach/Mentor Award went to four coaches. The 1st Place Winner was Catherine Temps of Team #16174 “Meteorites” from Hicksville. Dave Savage from Team #48026 “Savage Bricks” from East Setauket was the 2nd Finalist, and Shannen Delaney of Team #43820 “Robotic Lightning Kangaroos” from Huntington was the 3rd Finalist. The 4th Finalist was Paola Ragusa of Team #2438 “Camol Clan” from Floral Park.