Iowa FLL Championship FAQs

When is the Iowa FLL Championship?

The Iowa FLL Championship will be held on Saturday, January 19, 2013. Opening Ceremonies begin at 9AM; Closing Ceremonies start at 4:15PM.

Is it open to the public, is there a cost?

There is no cost, and everything is open to the public! Note that the “Core Values” judging rooms are only for the kids, no coaches, parents, or the public is allowed.

Where is the Iowa FLL Championship?

ISU is hosting the Iowa FLL Championship in Howe Hall, Hoover Hall, Black Engineering Building, and Pearson Hall in Ames, IA.

What if there is bad weather on the day of the tournament?

Please review the Inclement Weather Policy. If it looks like bad weather on tournament day, you may want to consider getting to Ames the night before.

What is Kamen, Evans, Daniels – where is that?

These are the competition tables for the robot matches, which are located in the lower level of Howe Hall. We named our tables after important people at FIRST headquarters – Dean Kamen founded first, Scott Evans designs the FLL Challenge and Betsy Daniels is one of the people who has been running FLL for a long time.

What hotels are available in Ames?

We have a hotel listing for Ames, along with special FLL discounts, available on the Important Documents page.

What is a local tournament?

A local tournament can be hosted by any team or organization. Teams can get together and have a mock tourney at their school and invite other area teams — it’s a great way to prepare for the state championship. We will be posting a list of local events on our site soon. Please contact fll@iastate.edu if you are hosting a local event.

Will my team have fun at the championship?

Of course!

Are teams doing the same activities as they did at regional qualifiers?

Yes – teams will do the same three judging sessions as well as 3 matches with their robot.

What if my team’s robot can only do one or two missions…should we still come?

Absolutely! There is far more to FLL than your robot’s ability to perform missions. The overall goal of FLL is for kids to learn about science, technology and engineering, as well as developing teamwork and public speaking abilities. Not only does the FLL championship give teams the chance to work with other teams and experience, it lets the teams experience all of the outreach activies offered throughout the day.