A team of Colorado students, aged just 8 to 12, made waves at an elite global robotics competition, proving that determination and duct-taped dreams can go a long way—even when the odds feel stacked.

School’s out, but for one group of local kids, summer didn’t mean slowing down. It meant coding, rebuilding, and flying halfway across the country to face off with the best young roboticists in the world.

The “Chicken Hawks” — a scrappy, tight-knit team from Mesa County — landed in Worcester, Massachusetts last week to compete at the WPI Annual FLL Event (affectionately dubbed “WAFFLE”), an international LEGO robotics showdown that brought together over 100 teams from 40 U.S. states and 28 countries.

They weren’t the oldest. They weren’t the most experienced. But they sure showed up.

Kids, Bots, and Big Goals

The Chicken Hawks are made up of seven students between the ages of 8 and 12 — most still in elementary and middle school. But they weren’t intimidated.

Throughout the event, the team assembled, programmed, and tested LEGO-built robots to complete a series of technical missions. These challenges ranged from navigating obstacle courses to performing precise tasks, all within a set time limit.

They didn’t just aim to compete — they set a goal: score 275 points in the Robot Game event.

They walked away with 350.

“That moment,” said co-coach Liz Fitzgerald, “when they realized they’d crushed their own goal — that was something. The joy and pride in their faces? Unforgettable.”

The Robot Game and a Spot in the Top Half

The WAFFLE event isn’t just a science fair with LEGOs. It’s intense, highly structured, and internationally ranked. Teams are scored on various components — robot design, programming, project innovation, and team collaboration.

The Chicken Hawks placed 43rd out of 103 teams in the Robot Game — not bad for a group with less experience than many of their high school-level competitors.

Coach Marty Fitzgerald said what stood out wasn’t just their score. It was their grit.

“There were moments where things didn’t go the way they planned,” he said. “They got frustrated. But then they’d step back, figure it out, and try again. That’s the kind of mindset we were hoping they’d take home with them.”

Learning From the Best — And Dreaming Bigger

This isn’t the first competition for the Chicken Hawks. They attended a national-level event last year. But this one felt different.

The scale. The international teams. The older, more experienced students. It was like stepping into a whole new league.

But instead of feeling overwhelmed, the kids got inspired.

“They were asking questions, watching other teams’ robots, taking notes,” Marty said. “It wasn’t about feeling outmatched. It was, ‘What can we learn from them?’”

One of the younger team members even swapped contact info with a high school team from Germany to share ideas post-event.

Small moment. Big deal.

A Special Bond That Held It All Together

Every team has drama. But something about this group—this name, this journey—just clicked.

“The team really bonded,” Liz said. “Even with the occasional meltdown or miscommunication, they always seemed to come back together.”

The name “Chicken Hawks” is a mashup of the Mesa View Elementary School mascot (hawks) and the kids’ love for Looney Tunes. It stuck. And it perfectly captures the spirit of the team — part serious engineers, part goofy mischief-makers.

Here’s what made their team chemistry work:

• They cheered each other on, even after rough runs.

• They rotated roles to make sure everyone had a shot at coding and driving.

• They kept a LEGO mini-figure named “Nugget” as their unofficial mascot.

“We had setbacks,” one student said, “but we always found a way to fix it. We believed in each other.”

Coaching Beyond the Code

The Fitzgeralds — both longtime STEM volunteers — didn’t just coach mechanics and algorithms. They focused on growth, self-belief, and showing up, even when things feel hard.

“You want kids to learn robotics,” Liz said, “but you really want them to walk away thinking, ‘I can do this.’ That’s what matters.”

And the kids aren’t done. They’re already brainstorming new builds for next season, watching YouTube videos about autonomous robotics, and sketching designs on the back of napkins.

One sentence here just to let it breathe.

Chicken Hawks by the Numbers

Not Bad for a Summer Vacation

While most of their classmates are cooling off in pools or chasing popsicles, the Chicken Hawks are tackling complex code and troubleshooting motion sensors. And they’re loving it.

Because it’s not just about robotics. It’s about discovery. It’s about seeing how far you can push yourself — and your LEGO-built machine — when you’ve got a team behind you and a goal that feels just out of reach.

And the next time they face older teams or a bigger competition?

They’ll already know they belong.