First LEGO League Tournament: Ballston Spa Middle School to Host Robot Building Tournament

BALLSTON SPA — On Saturday, December 3 Ballston Spa High School’s FIRST Robotics Team #3044 will host a Hudson Valley FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Qualifying Tournament. Teams from throughout the region will compete for the opportunity to advance to the upcoming Championship Tournament at Dutchess Community College in February 2017. 
 This year’s FLL challenge, named Animal Allies, requires students to design a LEGO robot that can be programmed to operate independently on the competition table, and accomplish several tasks related to human and animal interactions. Each team is judged based on the robot’s performance, design, core values and its ability to contribute a solution to proper waste disposal. There will be twelve First LEGO League teams from throughout the region competing in the tournament, as well as three Jr. FLL teams. The Ballston Spa Central School District has fielded seven FLL teams for the 2016 season and one Jr. FLL team thanks to the donations of corporate sponsors. Teams from the Gordon Creek, Malta Avenue, Milton Terrace and Wood Road Elementary Schools, as well as teams from the Ballston Spa Middle School, will be participating in the competition. 
 Practice runs at each competition table will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. The opening ceremony for the competition will follow from 9:25 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. The Senior FLL competition will take place from 9:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., with the Jr. FLL Showcase being held from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. All teams will be recognized in an awards ceremony at the conclusion of the day’s competitions at 2:45 p.m. The tournament is sponsored by the Hudson Valley FLL, Dutchess Community College, FRC Team 3044 and the New York Tech Valley FIRST Sponsors, which include GLOBALFOUNDRIES, GE, ASML, M+W Group, KLA-Tencor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, National Grid, Mattson Technology, Lam Research, Applied Materials, Turner Construction, Bechtel, SCREEN USA, Edwards, nfrastructure, Accumetra, Wonik IPS and PDF Solutions. 
 Additional information is available at http://www.sunydutchess.edu/legoleague/. Those requesting more communication may contact Ballston Spa K-12 Science Coordinator Diane Irwin by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or at the High School by calling 518-884-7150.