FIRST Day at Valley Fair a Whirlwind of Action and Fun

June 9, 2009

By Greg B.

Minnesota FIRST teams of all types brought their enthusiasm to Valleyfair for a day of demonstrations. Set up directly inside the entrance gate by the park Carousel, the purpose of the presentations was to highlight the different FIRST programs, which are open to students ranging from those in elementary school to those in high school.

To demonstrate the FIRST Robotics Competition program, Team 1816- The Green Machine, Edina, brought their 2009 robot to demonstrate Lunacy, a game in which robots had to collect 9” diameter balls and dump them in cylindrical receptacles attached to opposing robots. Team 2169- King TeC, Prior Lake, brought their 2008 robot and a giant trackball to demonstrate the 2008 game, Overdrive. Robots competing in Overdrivehad to be able to manipulate 40” diameter balls up-and-over six-foot barriers.

Prior Lake’s FIRST Tech Team also staged a scrimmage, demonstrating their 2009 game, Face Off.  In addition, demonstrations of the FIRST Lego League competition, Climate Connections, were also ongoing throughout the day.

Hoping to reach an even larger audience later this summer, the Tech teams and the FRC teams will also be present during the entire run of the Minnesota State Fair to demonstrate FRC, FIRST Tech and FIRST Lego League robots Be sure to stop by the Education Building and check out all the action!

Learn more about FIRST by visiting the organization’s website, www.usfirst.org. For those seeking Minnesota connections to specific programs, please contact the following individuals: