Competition Tips

About the tournament

The ISU FLL tournament is a very exciting event! In 2006, we had 70 teams attend, bringing more than 2,000 people to the campus for the day! During the day, teams have three rounds on a competition table, trying to achieve the best score possible. The matches are projected onto large screens around the building, complete with live commentary by our popular MC, “Monkey Head.”

Teams also present their project presentation, along with an interview about their robot’s design and how they worked as a team.

Awards

We give lots of awards at our tournament – ranging from “team spirit” to “robust design” to the prestigious “Champion’s Award.” Remember, the Champion’s Award is given to the best overall team, not just the highest scoring robot. The team’s presentation, interviews, robot performance, and gracious professionalism are considered for the Champion’s Award.

What is gracious professionalism, you ask? Gracious professionalism is how your team interacts with other teams. FLL teams should always be friendly & helpful to other teams – no matter how well your team, or their team, is doing.

Presentation & Interviews

A few little tips for your presentation and interviews – keep them interesting and exciting. Leave a lasting impression on the judges – do a dance, sing a song, make a skit, etc. Use visual aids, PowerPoint, posters, pictures, anything to make sure the judges understand what you know. Also, always make sure you make eye contact with your audience.

Competition

Don’t stress about the competition – especially the time limit. Lots of teams think “I only have 2.5 minutes!” so they rush, causing mistakes. Take your time and double check everything before you send your robot out on that mission! Also, make sure that plenty of your team members get to participate at the table. Only two team members are allowed by the table at a time, so take turns setting up the robot.

Team Spirit

Most teams design their own t-shirt to wear to competition. This helps your team stand out among all the other teams. Some teams have their own cheer, a song, a victory dance, some even bring a mascot! Also, many teams bring small items to trade, like buttons or keychains.