Joe Stephens works on the robot in the pit between rounds.
At 7:15 on Friday morning, March 18th, we boarded the bus not knowing the excitement we were about to face. Except for those on the operations and driving team who were at the competition the day before for practice rounds.
We left Putnam High School at 7:30 and were on our way to a day of fun. We arrived at the Meadows Theater and the place was packed with other teams, their friends, their family members, and other spectators. In the auditorium, two arenas were on the stage to help the competition move along faster. The teams would set up on stage, two minutes of playing went by, scores were added and displayed, and the next round was played while the other arena was cleaned up.
Our team was one of the first ones up. The "cheerleaders" jumped, yelled, danced, and rooted for our team. We even had our mascot running around, the Lego Maniac. Team members also paraded around the seats with a bright green banner.
In the pit
For our little trading trinkets, we handed out custom-made LEGO people keychains. On the front of their shirts read "FIRST LEGO 1999", and on the back our three schools were listed. Didn't get a chance to grab one? Look for 'em at the national competition! We'll be trading and giving out lots more.
All in all, we had a great time. We may have ranked low, but we learned a lot.
And here we are, showing everyone what team spirit is all about!
