FLL Spain chronic: ¡We are going to Arkansas, USA!

After much suffering if we received enough money to go to Tenerife, we got there at 22 am on Sunday, the day of the competition. It was a day full of emotions, ups and downs and especially laughter and fun.

We moved to the hotel and we were still a couple of hours preparing everything for the competition. It was 4 am or 5, because now I do not know the hour less in the Canary Islands made us crazy and we were still finishing the stop-motion video. This considering that we happened to pick Guagua at 7: 40h to lead us to the International Center for Fairs and Congresses of Tenerife, where he celebrated the Grand Final FLL Spain. The girls get up because we were knocking on the door, ringing alarms and mobile phone in the room too. We watch the clock and were 07: 50h. We dress up the speed of light and we quickly lose half disoriented at reception, where we waited Barranco, professor of the Institute of Technology. We took a taxi and we arrived just in time to enter. Since we started the day well.

Once inside the building because we were given accreditations and sandwiches that had already struck two minutes for the rush, neither we nor the boys (who later told us that they also rose just) we had breakfast. We attended the presentation of the event and one hour after it competed in the 1st round of the robot. Say you did not go too well. We forget the flash drive containing the software on site, and the Internet did not work well as download Google Drive, where we had stored. The boys were a taxi to the hotel to pick up the pen, but it gave us time to tweak the programs under the board of competition for the 2nd round. We did even less than the 1st.

A little discouraged with the performance of the robot, we went to the room to exhibit our project presentation. We had a very nice judges and we embroider presentation. And the test group values. Although the project room, the judges congratulated us again and again for the maturity with which we faced the problem. If we had gone discouraged, we went in elated and hopes to do well in the competition. But there was still the 3rd round of the robot.

We took three rounds panel training. We thought that this would be enough to make at least 300 points in the final 3rd round (although we came to school 400). It was enough, and after several attempts, each time we tried we came to training 325 points. 816 points away from the Mechatronics Ants, but enough to position the first 10 and get a pass for an international final. But it was not.

We went to the scene super elated to see how the Sparrow, our robot, we gave the ticket to the final international. We were very nervous, but it was worth the opportunity. When we see a very important turn which was the basis of the mission that gave the most points came not, we sink. The robot did not have enough battery to accomplish that shift that required a lot of power. We went from joy to sadness within two and a half minutes. "Did we have enough knowledge engineering", "Arrbar here is a prize," "We did what we could," she consolàvem self.

While other teams celebrate scores his last round, there was The Stones Lego with his head down and face resignation. "Mi Gozo in pozo" which some would say. We collect the PIT and we sat in the audience to watch the closing ceremony. After hours of listening thanked the organization started calling teams to deliver the medal of participation and on the certificate and ratings. We were the sixteenth team on stage. "Enjoy this moment because it is the first and last time we go in this scenario," I told him to Jana. Up to two times we go back up.

To sit down and open again turned on the euphoria. A day of ups and downs, as I said in the beginning of the chronicle. We were flipats for assessments of judges. It was almost unbeatable. We started screaming and jumping for joy. It was impossible that we come out of there with empty hands.

After seeing nearly 40 teams collect medals and listen to all thanked the organization began last awards. I granted 13 awards, eight access international final. We saw that last awards abroad were being depleted, and again we came back thinking that it competiríem abroad. But this time the sadness did not last long, because the presenter said: "And the award for Professional Courtesy access to the International Final to be held in Arkansas, United States is ... LEGO THE STONES !!!" We got up and almost unconsciously we cried and hugged us. The dream had become reality. Background sounded Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen. We returned to the stage, they gave us the cup made of Lego and the rest of the ceremony because I do not remember, because we were taking photos and calling us to our parents. We went for the last time on stage for a group photo with all the teams.

Then we went to Guagua brought us to the hotel and to end a perfect day, we went to dinner together and see Barça - Madrid, by the way, won the local team :).

In short, Spain FLL Grand Final is a great experience and not just see it; must live it.

We also thank all those who helped us get here. In our trainer and Technology professor Gabriel, to endure and guide us in difficult times, the Barranco to withstand the early hours of the girls in the school and all the companies who have contributed so we could get a little help Tenerife to: City of Terrace, Lamp, Rotary Terrace, J. Crack SA Egara Photo Morgan Travel, Aszende and a long list of people.

And here's the photo. It was less than a minute we had dropped the stage. I think faces say it all. We are leaving to UNITED STATES !!!

Lola-