Team Elements

Team members. Kids ages 9-14 with typically 6-10 kids per team. A minimum of 4 is recommended.

Coach. Responsible for registering the team, obtaining the LEGO MINDSTORMS kit, having access to a personal computer (PC or Mac), organizing the practices and finding a practice space, getting the team to and through the competition. Coaches do not need technical expertise but must be willing to acquire some basic knowledge of the programming environment and LEGO robot design (see Coaching 101). Extensive technical assistance will be available through mentors, manuals, and this web site.

Identify a Coach

Coaches can be teachers, parent volunteers, or technology professionals. Greatest success happens when  all of the above combine their specific skills to generate the richest experience. Don't worry if you're not a "techie".  Successful FLL teams have been coached by non-technical folks.  Remember, success is not defined by how many trophies you win.

Mentor. Technical advisor. Scientist, engineer, or technical professional from local industry. Assigned to the team upon request. For more information, visit the ASME New Orleans Section web site.

Team Operational Profile

The selection of a coach will be a determining factor in defining the team operational profile.  Teams operate under several categories. They can be associated with a school, managed by school personnel; or they can exist as an independent club operated by Scout Troops, Park and Recreation volunteers, or a group of interested neighbors.

School Team: School teams can operate as co-curricular or extra-curricular activity; or a combination of both. Following are scenarios that can be adopted.

After school profile: Students meet after school for practices. Practice times/days vary according to defined goals. A general standard here is two days a week to start, working to three or four days a week as the deadline nears, with each practice lasting 1.5 to 2 hours. This is probably the most common method for first-year teams.

During school/daily profile: Students have a 45 minute project period written into the normal school day.

During school/weekly profile: Students are taken out of their normal class one day a week for a project period of 2 to 4 hours.

Club Team: Many schools allow outside clubs to operate during the school day following the scenarios listed above. If this is the case, it may be advantageous to adopt the school time as practice time. If the club is totally independent of the school the after school practice profile will fit the best

Practice Venue

An adequate practice venue is contingent upon having access to the necessary computer hardware and the space to build and test the robot. Eventually, each team will want to set up a practice field to give your team a chance to test actual project performance. The practice field can be as simple as clearing an area on the floor and placing any challenge components within the space, or as elaborate as a full competition table. Some teams have found it advantageous to share access to a practice field with other teams in the area.

Team Size

Team size is a function of resources and the team operational profile. There are 4 main areas that team members can work on: programming, design, building, and hypothesis. These requirements can be fulfilled with as few as 4 kids or as many as the coach is willing/able to work with.