On Sunday the 25th of October, two Cathedral School teams competed in the First Lego League Challenge Regional Finals at CQ University, Townsville. The two teams were mentored by Mr Dallimore (Junior School Team) and Mrs Longergan (Middle School Team).
What is the First Lego League Challenge?
‘FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge is a competition catering for upper-primary and lower-secondary school students. Every year, teams of up to 10 students build, program, and compete with a robot, while also learning about a modern problem in science and engineering and developing solutions for it. The entire competition for the year is based around one of these themes: Past themes include natural disasters, senior citizens, food health & safety, climate change, medical science, and nanotechnology. Tournaments are run with the feel of a sporting event, and teams compete like crazy while having the time of their lives. What FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge teams accomplish is nothing short of amazing. It’s fun. It’s exciting. And the skills they learn will last a lifetime.’ CQ University.
Both teams were successful with the judges awarding the Middle School team, the Engineering Excellence Award, and second place in the overall competition. The Junior team tied for third in the overall category and also collected the Excellence in Robot Design Award.
The Middle School team is aiming to build upon their success with an invitation to the State Finals in Brisbane later this year… stay tuned!
Brooke admits to feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement at the experience. “Mum was there for support, but once I was on the field and started playing, nerves went away,” Brooke said. Brooke ended up being selected for the state team, but plans are on hold due to the current pandemic.
Brooke started playing the sport in HPE whilst in Junior School, and she really enjoyed it. She now plays in under-15s for local team, Wests, in a mid-field position. She trains twice a week unless preparing for a big competition when she trains four to five times a week.
Both teams were successful with the judges awarding the Middle School team, the Engineering Excellence Award, and second place in the overall competition. The Junior team tied for third in the overall category and also collected the Excellence in Robot Design Award.
The Middle School team is aiming to build upon their success with an invitation to the State Finals in Brisbane later this year… stay tuned!