Finding or Starting a Team

Finding a Team

Unfortunately, our agreement with FIRST prevents us from directly putting parents or students in touch with teams. There is absolutely nothing that we can do about this, so please respect that situation. However, we are doing our best to create a means to assist people finding each other.

If you are looking for a team, the steps we recommend are:

• Visit http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll to become familiar with the program and register on Team Up! This is the official means for people to find each other.

• Visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HudsonValleyFLL and look for posts that invite you to post replies indicating your interest in finding a team.

• Check with local schools, scout groups, home school networks and other groups in your area to see if there is already a team in the area, or if there is group interest in starting a team.

• Attend one of our tournaments to talk with teams and establish contacts.

We realize that these are not ideal, but it is the best we can do given our current limitations.

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FLL Challenge Teams

Sometimes the most frustrating thing involved with FLL is finding a way to join or create a team.

First, let's talk about who can begin a team:

• • Schools

  • Scouts (Boy Scout and Girl Scout organizations both sponsor teams)

  • Home School Networks

  • Community Organizations

  • Neighborhood Groups

  • A parent

Anyone can start a team. Every team needs at least 2 coaches, and 3 to 10 team members who are between the ages of 9 and 14 on January 1 of the year in which the challenge is announced (it is announced in late August or early September).

The items that teams require in order to participate:

• • Registration with F.I.R.S.T. is absolutely required (at http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll). Warning: FLL registration cuts off typically in late September, but may be earlier depending upon the number of teams registering.

  • LEGO Mindstorms EV3 or NXT or Spike robot kit (This may be purchased at a discount when team registers with FIRST.)

  • FLL Challenge Field Setup Kit (purchased when the team registers with FIRST)

Optional items:

• • Competition table

  • Additional LEGO components

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FLL Explore Teams

FLL Explore teams may be formed and supported in ways very similar to the FLL Challenge teams. In this case the teams consist of two coaches and 2 to 6 team members who are between the ages of 6 and 9. Since this is non-competitive the ages for this program are somewhat flexible, but it is good to keep in mind the interest of the children.

The items that teams require in order to participate:

• • Registration with F.I.R.S.T. is absolutely required (at http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll). 

  • LEGO parts to construct a model to demonstrate what the team has learned. Teams are strongly urged to use the LEGO WeDo, WeDo 2.0, or Spike Essential kits (which introduce some basic robotics concepts).