The Fort Jackson Patriots FIRST LEGO League Team 22589 received the Judges Award at the 2015 -- 2016 FIRST LEGO League "TRASH TREK" Challenge Jan. 16 at Doby's Mill Elementary School in Lugoff, South Carolina.
Achilles Sauvao and Noah Best, both C.C. Pinckney Elementary School students, were competing in their initial FIRST LEGO League competition that happened to be part of the Columbia Area Qualifier, Official Qualifying Tournament.
Gregg Taylor, the team's coach and inspiration, said he was "electrified watching those two kids jumping out of their seats, running forward to receive (the award) and lapping the crowd with award in-hand."
Taylor was proud his students' "accepted the challenge and exhibited the confidence in what they have learned to go forward, so others may follow."
The audience was very appreciative of their efforts and courage to compete among teams with numerous participants, he added.
Taylor said the support of Families, schoolmates and the Fort Jackson community helped prepare his students for the competition.
The FJ Patriots Team 22589 entertained questions from the panels of judges in three separate qualifying sessions, before entering the robot competition area.
"They spoke for themselves," Taylor added, "while I told the event organizers, judges and staff of their experience, the attrition on the team and their determination."
Once in the pit, they introduced their robot named CCPAN (pronounced "See-pan," because the second "C" is silent) to everyone that gathered to witness the robots hitting the bricks.
During the competition each team had their robots go through three timed rounds side by side against other teams.
Once a team pressed the start button, their robots navigated a course and performed various missions autonomously.
The judges recognized the efforts and diligence that the FJ Patriots Team 22589 put in to embrace and symbolize the FIRST LEGO League, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math initiatives in our schools during the closing ceremonies.
Taylor said he is proud of the competitors.
"The teams are truly rock stars in a new era that incorporates robotics as a competitive event to cultivate young minds and solutions."
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