Although this was her first year on the team, Lydia’s service as an assistant to her older siblings’ teams for the past three years made her seem like a pro.

Peter, showing off the team poster. During breaks, our team would occasionally run through the competition hall shouting their team spirit and hoisting their poster. Their team spirit sparked other teams to show more of their enthusiasm.

Sylvia is here modeling some of the many buttons that teams exchange with each other.

Daniel is showing off the hand symbol the team used for their group cheer.

Katy holds up the model of the hologram which was part of the Senior Solution created and recommended by The Flaming Phoenix team.

Nicholas takes a break at the practice table, carefully holding a robot in his lap.

Annie models her hair dyed red to show her Flaming Phoenix spirit.

Ruth has coached FIRST Lego League teams since they first came to Southwest Virginia. She graciously hosts the team practices in her home.

Isaac has been on three teams, including the 2011 team which won the regional event and competed at the state level. This year he helped coach and teach.

Harry Baya has coached Lego Robotics for years and holds firmly to the philosophy that the kids have to do it themselves. They have to learn from their mistakes and failures. Harry is the Instructional Technologist at Emory and Henry College.