The regional even is affiliated with First Lego League International, a program for 9 to14-year-olds that combines hands-on, interactive robotics with a sports-like atmosphere. The goal is to promote team building, problem solving, creativity and analytical thinking.

  The organization issues a challenge each September. This year's theme is "Mission Mars." Teams of up to 10 players had a maximum of eight weeks to strategize, design, build, program, test and refine a fully autonomous robot capable of completing various missions using Lego Mindstorms (R) technology.

  Some missions include knocking a rover off its perch, retrieving a habitation module, and wiping  dust off a solar panel.

  Each mission is assigned a number of points. Teams compete in the robotics challenge and try to complete as many missions as possible in three minutes.

  Teams also are judged on robot building and programming skills, teamwork and a research project they present based on an assignment relating to a problem or opportunity facing the world today.

  The Dollar Bay team is coached by Matt Zimmer.