Gear Guys
Since 2010, we have had one or two boys’ teams competing in FLL. In the past we had a variety of crazy team names, including Awesome Acrobotic Brain Busters (A2B2) and Bacon Creative Juice (BCJ). In 2012, members from A2B2 and BCJ are competing together as Gear Guys. The Gear Guys tackled the Nature’s Fury challenge in 2013-2014. On February 1st, they competed in the 2014 New Mexico FLL Championship in Albuquerque, NM. After a long day filled with triumphs and challenges, they emerged victorious as the winners of the 1st Place Champions Award, the highest honor at a regional Championship! This honor earns them a place at a post-season championship. It looks likely that they’ll get an invitation to compete at the International Open in Toronto, Canada this June! We’re very proud of all the Gear Guys have accomplished, despite the challenges they faced this season!
Download the Master of Disaster: New Mexico Edition App (works on all computers, tablets and smartphones)
Recap from 2012-2013
On January 26, 2013, the Gear Guys competed in the FLL New Mexico Regional Tournament. They did excellent in all areas of the competition and after a long day emerged with the 2nd Place Champions Award! Earning the 2nd Place Overall Award for the region also secured an invitation to the prestigious 2013 FLL North American Open held in LEGOLAND California! The boys traveled to Carlsbad, CA May 16-19, 2013. In addition to competing in all aspects of the competition, they got to meet people from across the United States, Canada and even Korea. Between events, they had a great time running around LEGOLAND.
View the boy’s 2013 Research Project video: The Safety Alert Wheel
Gear Girls
Since 2008, the Gear Girls have been competing in FLL. Founding member Samantha has been joined by a fresh roster of fellow Girl Scouts each year. In 2012-2013, six girls competed, including five returning team members. They mentored the Gear Kids’ Jr. FLL Super Seniors Challenge team, and this year’s Disaster Blaster team. Over the years, the Gear Girls have won an award in every category of the FLL competition:
- 2010 – Rising Star Award o 2010 – 1st Place, Robot Performance
- 2011 – Teamwork Award
- 2013 – Research Presentation Award
- 2014 – Robot Mechanical Design Award
2013-2014 Nature’s Fury Season
On February 1, 2014, the Gear Girls competed at the 2014 New Mexico FLL Championship. They scored high in every category. At the end of the day they emerged with a top award for Robot Mechanical Design, for their ingenious attachment system and excellent use of gears! The Gear Girls created an amazing product to help protect homes from wildfires. Check out their video at: http://www.youtube.com/
They also submitted their product to the FLL Global Innovation Awards for consideration. Read about their solution on the FLL Innovation website.
Finalists will be announced in April. This will be the last year for most of the girls as they age out of the program. We’ll have to see what the future will bring, but we’re very proud of their accomplishments! 2012-2013 Senior Solutions Season Recap On January 26, 2013, the Gear Girls competed in the FLL New Mexico Regional Tournament. They did excellent in all areas of the competition and won the top Research Award for their research and presentation project!
View the Girl’s 2013 Research Project video: Tracklet AD
Gear Daddies
The DEVOted Gear Daddies gathered in the summer of 2013 to form an adult team as part of a fundraising event for the New Mexico FIRST LEGO League. The Gear Daddies, made up of Earl, Brad and Zac (with extra support from Lori and Nara) won top honors at the 1st New Mexico FLL Adult Tournament Fundraiser with a score of 200 out of 400 possible points. The event was held in conjunction with Adult Night at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (NMMNHS) on August 9, 2013. The event had an 80’s theme, so the team went all in, dubbing themselves the DEVOted Gear Daddies after the popular 80’s band Devo. It was a great chance for adults to work as a team and experience all the challenges and pressure the kids feel in the real competition. We’ll just have to wait and see what 2014 holds in store for the Gear Daddies!