For the first time ever the Yukon will be represented at a First Lego League competition.

The team of five will travel to Victoria at the beginning of February.

The team started working on their robot and their project in September, and when the Star met with them they were finishing the final touches.

In August, Heather Kelso and a team from First Lego League came to the Yukon to run a robotics camp. Whitehorse was chosen to give a community the same opportunities as kids in Southern Ontario, as an example.

The camp had 30 participants, and from that camp, some were inspired to start their own team.

Each year the competitions, which will be held across the world, are given a theme, that is released in August. This year’s theme is Into Orbit.

At a competition, the teams will be judged in three categories. The first is core values, which are discovery, innovation, impact, inclusion, teamwork, and fun.

The second is robot games. The teams are given 15 missions to complete using the robot of their creation. The missions and the robots are all made from Lego.

“This is also the time the teams get to show off their robots and explain what they have created,” said Kelso.

The third judged category is the project. Each team entered has to do a project related to a real-world problem based on the theme.

Kelso, who was reached over the phone, says it is a most unique competition.

“The competitors follow what is called gracious professionalism,” said Kelso. “Teams compete but they also help each other. The best of the best usually win because they also helped other teams learn, even though they still want to win, it is still a competition.”

For the Yukon team, this is a big opportunity.

“It’s a great opportunity to travel and compete with peers their own age,” said Kelso.

The Yukon team’s robot was built in the form of a tank. Coming off the body of the robot were arms to lift, push and place depending on the mission in the robot games category. Wires poked from the sides into the computer and sensors built into the robot, which the team named Lentil Bean.

Lentil Bean sat on a large table with an outer space mat on it. The table the team is practising on will be the same as at the competition. In the corner, there was a section of white. This is the only place the team is allowed to touch and tinker with Lentil Bean.

For the other areas on the table, the team has to program Lentil Bean to complete the missions in the robot games.

“It’s kind of cool to think, even though there was a camp that we we’re the only ones to start a team,” said Audrey Provan. “I think it’s really cool the missions they choose, but I like the project. We got to do a lot of fascinating research.”

“I think probably the project,” said Evey Moore, when asked about the team’s strongest category. “But I really like the robotics as well.”

The team’s project is centred around loneliness in space. They took a pre-existing cat robot who they named Elmer so the astronauts can have a lifelike companion with them in their spaceship.

Science and research have always been something Sunny Moore has enjoyed.

“I’ve just always liked it,” said Sunny. “I like our project. We took Elmer and made him feel more like a cat. We used muskrat fur and rubber to make his ears more real.”

“I’m a little nervous,” said Callum Provan. “And it feels cool (to be first Yukon team to go). I think the amount of people will be the biggest shock. I’m feeling a little competitive.”

Dash Provan is most excited for the robot games because of his love of Lego.

“Mostly Lego,” said Dash when asked if he was into lego and robotics before joining the team. “I like being able to use my imagination to build stuff. I think we will do pretty good.”

Leanne Watson, the coach taking the team to Victoria, says the competition will be one big learning experience for the team, but that they are all incredible.

Once returning from the competition, the team plans to travel to different communities throughout the Yukon to introduce them to robotics and research. The hope is to give all kids the opportunity to get involved and inspire more teams throughout the territory.

The members of the team range from Grades 4-6. If they do well in Victoria they would have the opportunity to go to Texas.

“We aren’t looking that far yet,” Watson said with a smile.