Join us for our Regional!

Every year since 2010, W.A.F.F.L.E.S. Community Robotics has invited the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge community to the Kingston Regional, hosted in collaboration with Queen’s University.

Tournament Date

February 15-20, 2020

  • Monday-Thursday, 6-9 pm: Reviewing & robot feedback (by appointment)
  • Saturday, time TBD: Celebration

Tournament Contact

Stephen Swartzentruber
Coordinator, Kingston Regional
sswartzentruber@wafflesrobotics.com

Tournament Location

Virtual; attendees will receive an invitation to their virtual judging session.

Registration

Register through FIRST Robotics Canada.

Schedule of Events

Schedule to be released once it has been finalized.

Past Events

9th Annual FIRST LEGO League Regional

Individual Awards
Adult Coach Award – Karly Holmes (FLL 37727)
Youth Coach Award – Taegen Poles (FLL 105, FLL 37641, FLL 45981, FLL 45982, FRC 4476).
Outstanding Volunteer – Eden Bibic (FRC 4476)

Team Awards – FIRST LEGO League
Champion 1st place – 37781 Welborne Wildcats
Champion 2nd place – 37727 Organized Chaos
Champion 3rd place – 44462 L Cubed
Innovation Project – 45872 Infinity Squad
Core Values – 41176 Bob’s Builders
Robot Design – 44847 GERT Bots
Judges Award – 1947 The Smurfs
Robot Performance Award – GERT Bots with a score of 360

10th Annual FIRST LEGO Jr. Expo

Team Awards – FIRST LEGO League Jr
Programming Design Award – 1 Mini W.A.F.F.L.E.S.
Creative Model Award – 2 Micro W.A.F.F.L.E.S.
Building and Discovery Award – 3 Wee W.A.F.F.L.E.S.
Innovation Awards: 11695 Lakeshore School 1 – Captain Community and 11665 All-Star Learning LEGO Jr.
Model and Design Award – 11696 Lakeshore School 2 – Boom Chicka Boom
Cooperative Model Award – 11697 Lakeshore School 3 – Boom Builders
Discovery and Programming Award – 19478 Top Path Tigers
Creative Programming Award – 20398 Rebuilders
Innovative Programming Award – 20908 Clumsy Goose

8th Annual FIRST LEGO League Regional (2018)

  • Champion’s Award: 24343 Home Grown *
  • Project Award: 105 W.A.F.F.L.E.S. *
  • Core Values: 37641 W.A.F.F.L.E.S. TOO
  • Robot Design: 1946 HCCS 1
  • Mentor/Coach Award: 24343 Wilburt Feenstra
  • Volunteer of the Year: Stephen Swartzentruber

* Teams advancing to Ontario East Provincial Championships

9th Annual FIRST LEGO League Jr. Expo (2018)

  • Solid-As-A-Rock Model Award: 11696 Super Astronauts
  • Construction Innovation Award: 11697 The Lunar Eclipse
  • Master Programming Award: 1 Mini W.A.F.F.L.E.S.
  • Explosive Ideas Award: 9704 WeeRhinos
  • Picasso Award: 14725 Space Explorers Extraordinaire
  • Gracious Professionalism Award: 13361 Space Rhinos
  • Spirit Award: 11695 Mini Moon
  • Rising Star Award: 13362 Recess Rhinos

5th Annual FIRST LEGO League Regional (2015)

  • Champion’s Award Winner: 1989 Team High Tech*
  • Core Values: 1946 LEGO Heads
  • Project: 1948 Comet Warriors*
  • Robot Design: 105 W.A.F.F.L.E.S.
  • Robot Performance: 1989 High Tech (score of 468)

* indicates the team will advance to Ontario Provincial Championships.

  • Youth Mentor Award: Rose Wagner and Griffin Sawchuk from team 16931  Mech Masters
  • Coach Award: Madame Dosset, for team 5444 Think and 2192 Rideau Rhinobots.
  • Outstanding Volunteer of the Year: Sarah Beyers from 105 W.A.F.F.L.E.S.

4th Annual Kingston Regional (2014)

Individual Awards

  • Outstanding Volunteer Award: Wesley Dossett – mentor FRC 4476
  • Adult Coach/Mentor Award: Leanne Baksh – Mentor FLL 775
  • Young Adult Mentor Award: Eden Bibic – mentor FLL 105

Team Awards

  • Judges Award (Rising Star): 5444 THINK
  • Robot Performance Award: 775 – NAYBERS
  • Core Values Award: 12850 – Mother Teresa Mustangs 1
  • Project Award: 1947 – Nerds
  • Robot Design Award: 1989 – High Tech
  • Champions Award 3rd Place: 14243 – Attic Elves*
  • Champions Award 2nd Place: 105 – W.A.F.F.L.E.S.*
  • Champions Award 1st Place: 775 – NAYBERS*
* indicates the team will advance to Ontario Provincial Championships.

3rd Annual FIRST LEGO League Regional (2013)

Individual Awards

  • Young Adult Mentor: Wesley Dossett
  • Adult Mentor: Catharine Anderson
  • Outstanding Volunteer: Brennan Bibic

Team Awards

  • Project 2nd Place: 1135 – HCCS1 Inferno
  • Project 1st Place: 9167 – Whole Wheat W.A.F.F.L.E.S.
  • Robot Design 2nd Place: 15023 – K-Town Comets
  • Robot Design 1st Place: 10617 – CAGIS Kingston*
  • Core Values 2nd Place: 15532 – Mother Theresa Mustangs
  • Core Values 1st Place: 15184 – NAYBERS
  • Performance 2nd Place: 1895 – High Tech*
  • Performance 1st Place: 6546 – Strawberry W.A.F.F.L.E.S.
  • Champions’s Award: 6546 – Strawberry W.A.F.F.L.E.S.*

The teams with a * are advancing to the provincials, plus the one below that didn’t end up winning a trophy.

*1157 HCCS 2 (Skittles)

4th Annual Jr. FIRST LEGO League Expo (2013)

Hosted at Duncan McArthur, Queen’s West Campus

2nd Annual FIRST LEGO League Kingston Regional (2012)

Hosted at Duncan McArthur, Queen’s West Campus

3rd Annual Jr. FIRST LEGO League Expo

Hosted at Duncan McArthur, Queen’s West Campus

1st Annual FIRST LEGO League Regional (2011)

  • Champion’s Award Winner: 34 W.A.F.F.L.E.S.*
  • Robot Design Award: 53 Roarbotics*
  • Project Award: 14104 RoboRhinos
  • Core Values Award: 13407 Rhinobots
  • Robot Performance Award: 53 Roarbotics*

* indicates the team will advance to Ontario Provincial Championships.

Information for Attending Teams

Parking

Parking is available free in the designated parking lot adjacent to the Hall.

Food

No concessions are available for virtual participants.

Concessions (including coffee in the morning) will be available for teams throughout the day.

Teams may bring their own food to the competition. You may bring your own coolers with food and drinks, but it is your team’s responsibility to ensure it is kept out of the way and to clean up after yourselves.

This is an all-day event. We encourage you to bring a refillable water bottle.

How to Access the Team Roster

To access your Team Roster, login to your FIRST account and press ‘Print Roster’ under the ‘Contact Options’ button. If you have registered all your team members as students on this team, and they have completed their electronic Consent & Release forms, then you only need to provide this printout at registration. Otherwise, you need to collect paper Print & Release forms from all participants (including mentors and coaches).

How to find the printable team roster. Make sure you bring this to the competition!

Dress

Dress for all teams is casual. In fact, we encourage your team to adopt a fun and unique team identity, which allows others to understand something about your team, your engineering experience, or your Project or Inspire Model. Think smart marketing! Remember to HAVE FUN!

Virtual participants are encouraged to dress up similar to an in-person event.

Team Check-in

Coaches must submit the following for their teams to the team check-in volunteers:

  • Team Roster: Download your team roster from the Team Registration System, print a copy, and bring it to team check-in. Staple additional FIRST® Consent and Release Forms to the Team Roster for any team member or coach who does not have an electronic consent form on file. A FIRST® Consent form is required for every team member, coach, and mentor who will be with the team during the competition day.

Your team will receive the following at Team Registration:

  • Schedule of Events: Your team will be provided information about the tournament day, including a competition schedule.

Pit Area

Download event mapThe Pit is where your team will spend most of the time. This is where you will work on your robot and programming. This is also the area where you can enjoy downtime with your team, get to know other teams, see their robots, and find out about their Projects. Your team will have access to:

  • One standard-sized table
  • Electricity – Bring an extension cord and a power strip, as your access point will consist of a single outlet/plug. A power strip will allow you to charge your robot and your laptop at the same time.

We recommend that you bring the following for your team to have in the Pit Area:

  • A bin or large bags (like trash bags) to store personal belongings, like coats, under your table
  • Your robot and all your robot supplies (attachments and additional building pieces)
  • Your laptop computer and power cord
  • An extension cord and power strip
  • A box or small bin to carry your robot and attachments to and from the competition area
  • A team display board
  • A team banner or other team sign – to hang from your pit table and carry for Opening & Closing Ceremonies
  • Games (there will be long periods of downtime – bring some small games that the team can play when things are slow)
  • Items to share with other teams (optional) – At many tournaments, teams bring something little that says something about their team that they can share with other teams (e.g. A team might pass out Kiss candies with a note to remind teams about the K.I.S.S. principle, “Keep It Simple, Silly.”). Or whatever else you would like to share that says something about your team, your school, your Project, your robot, etc.

Some Pit Area Rules for you to keep in mind:

  • Coaches should NEVER work on the robot, the attachments or the robot programming. In fact, coaches should refrain from handling the robot, attachments or the computer – save your internet surfing for another time. A team that violates this may be ineligible for award. NOTE: If your team encounters technical difficulty, let someone at the tournament know so that the officials at the event understand why a coach might need to handle a robot or work on the computer.
  • Teams may not program their robot using Bluetooth. They must program it using a wired connection between the robot and a laptop computer.

Judging Information for Teams

Judging

Team judging begins at 9:00 AM. Each team will be judged within a judging block. Your team will spend fifteen (15) minutes with the first set of judges, have five (5) minutes to regroup, spend fifteen (15) minutes with the second set of judges, have five (5) minutes to regroup, and spend fifteen (15) minutes with your final set of judges.

Teams may bring a PowerPoint or similar presentation, but this is not recommended. If a team elects to do this, they are responsible for providing a laptop to show the presentation and a projector or monitor to enlarge the presentation. A power outlet may not be available to power either the projector or the laptop. Time to setup the presentation will be taken from the team’s interview time.

Spectator Policy

Team members, parents, and coaches are permitted in the judging rooms.

  • Judges have discretion whether to allow spectators to videotape or photograph the judging session. Ask the judges upon arrival.
  • All spectators must remain in the designated areas in front of the judges.
  • All spectators are expected to be silent through the judging period. They should not attempt to influence the judges in any way.
  • All cell phones (for team members and coaches) must be turned off during the judging session.

Team Information Sheet

All teams should complete the Team Information Sheet and prepare approximately 15 copies for distribution to the judges. Your team should give one copy to each judge during both the initial judging session and the call-back sessions. This will help the judges to guide their questioning of your team and will enable them to better compare teams during deliberation.

Team Information Sheet (.docx) | Team Information Sheet (PDF)

Youth Mentor Award and Adult Mentor Award Nominations

The students on all teams should prepare one or two Coach Award nominations. One Coach Award nomination should be submitted for each of the following awards:

  • Youth Mentor Award, for mentors who are in high school or post-secondary education.
  • Adult Mentor Award, for all other mentors.

In your nomination, indicate:

  • The name(s) of your nominee(s). You may nominate more than one person if you have multiple coaches that you want to recognize for each award. For example, you may want to recognize a husband-wife team that has helped your team.
  • Your team name and number.
  • The type of award you are nominating them for (either the Youth Award or the Adult Coach Award).
  • Up to a one-page description of the impact the coach has had on your team. Include personal stories and testimonials. Submissions are not evaluated on spelling or grammar, but try to have another coach or parent proof-read your submission.

Students should submit nominations via email before the event to sswartzentruber@wafflesrobotics.com or submit paper copies to pit administration during the event. All nominations are kept confidential.

Project Judging

Your team will spend fifteen (15) minutes with the judges. Your team will have five (5) minutes to deliver your Project presentation to the judges – this includes set-up time; the last ten (10) minutes are reserved for the judges to ask questions. This presentation should be rehearsed and polished. The judges will wait until your presentation is over to ask questions. Please try to keep your presentation with the five (5) minute guideline! Judges will not stop your presentation, but teams generally benefit more from the Q&A period. Props and costumes are permitted, and judges will look for creativity in the presentation style. A standard 110v outlet will be available in the Project judging room for your AC powered devices.

Remember, to be eligible for a FIRST LEGO League Project award, your team needed to identify a problem relating to the theme, design an innovative solution to the problem you selected, and share your problem and solution with others.

Robot Design Judging

In the Robot Design Judging area, your team will find a Practice Table with a Challenge Set. The team can use the field for explanation and/or demonstration purposes. During this session, your team will spend fifteen (15) minutes with the judges. The team should be prepared to present your Robot Design Executive Summary (as outlined in the Robot Design Executive Summary document), which should last no longer than four (5) minutes, to allow for the judges to ask your team questions.

You must bring your robot, its manipulators, and a diagram, printout or a laptop that shows your programming to the robot design judges!

Note: The Practice Table and Challenge Sets used in the Robot Design Judging room may be lightly used and may not be equivalent to the Practice Table and Challenge Sets your team has used before.

Core Values Judging

Your team will spend fifteen (15) minutes with the judges. During the first five (5) minutes, your team will be given a surprise teamwork activity to complete in front of the judges. The judges will be looking for evidence of your team dynamics: How well does your team communicate? Do they respect each other? Do they incorporate each other’s ideas into the solution? Does your team have leaders? Do they incorporate elements of Gracious Professionalism® in the way they communicate with each other? Are they able to solve the problem and complete the task?

The final ten (10) minutes are reserved for the judges to ask the team questions about the activity and their season.

List of Awards

Award
Description
Champion’s Award This award recognizes a team that embodies the FIRST LEGO League experience, by fully embracing our Core Values while achieving excellence and innovation in both the Robot Game and Project. The Champion's Award places equal weight on all four of the Core Values, the Robot Design, the Project, and the Robot Game performance.
Project Award This award recognizes a team that excels across the Research, Innovative Solution and Presentation categories. This team utilized diverse resources for their Project to help them gain a comprehensive understanding of the problem they identified, develop a creative, well-researched solution and effectively communicate their findings to judges and the community.
Core Values Award This award recognizes a team that excels across the Inspiration, Teamwork and Gracious Professionalism® categories. This team displays extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit, knows they can accomplish more together than they could as individuals, and shows each other and other teams respect at all times.
Robot Design Award This award recognizes a team that excels across the Mechanical Design, Programming and Strategy & Innovation categories. This team uses outstanding programming principles and solid engineering practices to develop a robot that is mechanically sound, durable, efficient and highly capable of performing challenge missions.
Robot Performance Award This award recognizes a team that scores the most points during the Robot Game. Teams have a chance to compete in at least three 2.5 minute matches and their highest score counts.
Judges Award During the course of competition the judges may encounter teams whose unique efforts, performance or dynamics merit recognition. Some teams have a story that sets them apart in a noteworthy way. Sometimes a team is so close to winning an award that the judges choose to give special recognition to the team. Judges Awards allow the freedom to recognize remarkable teams that stand out for reasons other than the Required Award categories.
Outstanding Volunteer Award The FIRST LEGO League program would not exist without its volunteers. This award honors an extraordinary volunteer(s) whose dedication to FIRST LEGO League has a positive impact on the team experience.
Youth Mentor Award and Adult Mentor Award Coaches and mentors inspire their teams to do their best, both as individuals and together. This award goes to the coach or mentor whose leadership and guidance is clearly evident and best exemplifies the FIRST Core Values.