Helping judge Junior FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge

Last weekend was fun and rewarding that I wanted to share with you. Through the Seattle Robotics Society, I heard about this competition and the opportunity help as a volunteer, referee, or a judge. It sounded interesting so I signed up to be a judge. This was two days of different competitons.

Saturday was the FIRST LEGO League and I got to help "judge" the juniors, kids aged 6-9 who were getting their first introduction to robotics. It was great talking and asking questions with the teams and my job was to make sure they had a good first experience. I hope I was able to make a difference.

Sunday was my first time to be a judge and the experience is not something I will forget. The other judges and I were deciding who would be recognized with awards and trophies and who would advance to the next level. I want to thank the organizers of the event for giving me this opportunity and the teams who built their own communities as well as excellent robots.

If you ever get the opportunity to help in any way with an event like this, take it from me and sign up. You'll be glad you did.