Local Lego robotics teams get call to State

The boys of the Carlton-based Busted Bots Lego robotics team stared at the TV in anticipation. Would the group of nine- to 12-year-olds be one of the six teams from their region to join 70 other Minnesota teams at the state competition? When "The Busted Bots" name was announced, the boys screamed, leapt on the couch in a huddle, and jumped up and down with unbridled joy.

The FIRST Lego League robotics program began in 1998 to encourage STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - education. Regional competitions are held in each state around the country where kids compete in different activities in a bid to go to the state championships. Among 459 teams in Minnesota, two Carlton County teams, the Busted Bots and Retro Robotics, made it to this year's competition, held Feb. 18 in St. Paul. Both teams are composed entirely of homeschoolers.

"The fact that they made it to State I think is a special testament to their hard work and to the community believing in them and knowing that they could do it," said Adrea Youker, a Busted Bots coach.

With all but two of its five members new to Lego robotics, the Busted Bots didn't know what to expect at State. So Youker reached out for mentorship from the Robo Dweebs. The Two Harbors-based team talked the boys through what to expect and how to prepare.

Because the culture at Lego robotics is not just about competition, but cooperation between teams, the term "coopertition" was coined. "If a team is struggling or something, then the expectation as a whole is to gather around them even if you're not on their team," said Lindsey Weiers, a coach for Cloquet-based Retro Robotics.

Coopertition also translates into working with other teams on challenges. In a demonstration, the Retro Robotics boys introduced a robot they dubbed "The Hypnotic Wedge," named for its secondary purpose of hypnotizing the referee. Tasked by its coding, the whirring little machine rolled toward a Lego structure to press a lever which turned a color-coded wheel. Different colors come with different points, and to match colors with another team promises bonus points.

"It's really a sport against yourself because there's really no way to undermine another team, so you're just trying to go as far as you can," team member Rowan Prentice said.

The team works hard to code robots for missions. One uses its arm to switch dials in sequence, another pushes Lego pieces "home" on the game mat. The Retro Robot boys are unanimous: the games are the best. But other components of the state competition are robot design, an innovation project, and core values.

Prentice said core values was his least favorite component. "Not because I don't like working as a team and stuff," he quickly added. "It's just so hard to know where you're at because every judge has their own opinion on what they want and they just see a glimpse, really, like 15 minutes, of your presentation."

A few of the Busted Bots boys said getting along with teammates was the most challenging part of Lego robotics; regardless, the team won a Core Values Award, Youker said. Youker and her co-coach husband said they were proud of them for earning that award and coming together as a team.

The day at State was filled with setbacks for the Busted Bots. Still, the kids took everything in stride, from adapting to a rule change from regionals to state, to offering to forfeit in light of their coach's hand injury.

"My favorite part of State was when we got locked in the stairwell on the way to our presentation," team member Brock Bogart said.

"Emphasizing those core values, I think it's a really cool part of the Lego League if the kids can do it in a way that actually feels really organic to them, which is something we really tried to do," Adrea Youker said.

She noted that Lego robotics can be "a rich kid's game," so she and her husband wanted to make it more accessible. With a pitch to help rural kids, they began door-knocking and making phone calls to local businesses to scrape together the money needed to form and sustain a team. Between the sponsorships, grants, and a loaned laptop, the duo accomplished their goal of making the team free of charge.

Though the Busted Bots is currently made up of all homeschoolers, Youker said they are open to kids of any educational background.

When it comes to getting kids involved in STEM, "the younger the better," Youker said. She encouraged anyone interested in starting a team to not be afraid to lean on their communities for support.

"We've just been truly overwhelmed at the amount of support that our community has been willing to give," she said.

Another component of the state competition is the innovation project. The theme for this year's project was "Masterpiece," where the kids had to think of a problem keeping people from engaging in an activity and solve it. The Retro Robotics team, wanting more people to get involved in bushcrafting, created a cap with solar panels which can be used to charge a phone.

"If you get lost in the wilderness, you could plug in your phone and charge it, and we actually charged a phone," team member Ben Weiers said. "I think 20 minutes to charge 2 percent."

Although they didn't get an award for their creation, Retro Robotics did take home a Judges Award, which a handout described as recognizing "inspirational or one-of-a-kind teams."

The trophy itself was built out of Legos.

Both teams are excited to do it again. As a word of encouragement to anyone wanting to participate, Bogart said, "Keep trying. It's hard but the struggle is nothing compared to the reward."