It's the Wednesday before the FIRST LEGO Robotics League Tournament, and a team of 10 students at Mills Elementary are frantically working on their robot.

"Scootch it back."

"Hey, that arm's about to fall off."

The table shakes as students yank off black and gray LEGO pieces and snap new ones into place. A plastic tray of nachos sits abandoned nearby, the cheese going cold. Everyone talks at once.

Students aged 9 to 14 from across Wyoming learn to program and build a robot for the annual tournament. This year's challenge is the "Power Puzzle," and focuses on learning about energy and teamwork. Teachers from the schools volunteer to guide their students through programming and building.

Building a robot takes time, even though all schools are given the same prototype. The Mills students started theirs the second week of school.

"We're just here to oversee," said Christy Toups, one of the team's coaches and a teacher at Mills. "They're all on their own."

Last year, Mills won second place in the competition, and first place for team spirit.

These motorized robots, each about the size of a paperback Webster's dictionary are challenged to complete 13 missions, from collecting tiny oil barrels to positioning a Lego dam over the puzzle board's fake rivers. Successful missions earn teams points, and the team with the most points wins.

Students also earn points for performing a skit detailing what they've learned about energy.

The Mills students' skit presents the findings of an energy audit they did on their school. The school lacks insulated walls and double-paned windows, and the campus' lights and computers are often left on overnight.

On Wednesday, the concern is getting the robot ready and practicing the skit later.

The robot, nothing more than a shiny white box sitting atop two black wheels, zooms across the board. Its LEGO arm hits a lever. Three miniature oil barrels fall, but only one lands in the robot's basket.

"Is that good? Does that still count?" fourth-grader Raijon Vu anxiously asked.

"No, because we polluted the ocean," said teacher and coach Matt McPherson.

Knocking even a single oil barrel into the ocean is a 40 point deduction.

Practice session

"Electrobots, are you ready?" coach Vicki Corson asked.

It's Thursday, two days before competition. The students are oddly quiet. It's time to perform their skit, "Are You Smarter Than an Electrobot?" for the crowd gathering inside the school gymnasium.

A catchy tune starts up and they file in, wearing crazy wigs and beards, and sunglasses flashing red and blue lights. Fifth-grader Nathan Piotter shimmies to music with classmate Betty Burgess. Both are better known as the beautiful Turbine sisters for this skit.

"Look, there's Nathan," one boy in the audience said. "He's dressed like a girl!"

When the skit is over, it's back to work on the robot. Accomplishing all 13 missions in just two and a half minutes is a lofty goal. During timed practice Thursday morning, fourth-graders Slade Taylor and Zach Dort successfully completed five.

Fifth-grader J.D. Jacobsen said building the robot and its programs has been the hardest part thus far.

"Robot stuff is fun, and it takes a lot of hard work and practice," J.D. said.

Three solid months of learning to use Lego Mindstorms software, of running their robot through trials, of building and rebuilding attachments, has everyone a little tired and a little frustrated with the project. Teacher and coach Kayla Payne observed aloud that the stress of performing the skit and perfecting the robot has gotten to the students.

Mrs. Toups stands near the back of the puzzle board, watching the robot run a mission. She groans when it catches only one of three targets, echoing the students at the board.

"We always just fret the last week that it's never going to come together," she said.

Getting ready

Electrobot sits silent on the practice puzzle board at Mills Elementary. For a short time, the robot's wheels are silent and no one is yanking at a loose Lego piece or dragging it across the board. Friday was the final day for students to perfect Electrobot. At last year's competition, the pressure was too much for Zach. He's not nervous for this year, he said, because he's experienced now.

For a 10-year-old, ensuring a robot makes it across the board unscathed is akin to a track star completing a sub-four minute mile. Only one team in the nation last year had a perfect run, where their robot completed all missions.

"You were under pressure because there was a lot of people looking at you," Zach said.

Zach and Slade have now run Electrobot through six missions, the team's best number.

Hopefully, six missions will be enough to best the 40-odd teams in competition today. During a practice run, fourth-grader Jeannene Reams begins counting down the seconds left on Betty's timer. Raijon protests.

"Shh!" he said. "You're pressuring 'em."

Zach doesn't look up from the board.

"But that's how it is in competition," he said.

Slade and Zach work frantically. Slade controls the three buttons on Electrobot's body, two arrows to scroll through programs loaded onto the robot and the orange square that brings Electrobot to life. Zach puts on the appropriate arms or basket for each mission. They hit their magic number: six missions complete, for a total of 105 points.

"Hey Mr. McPherson," Zach said. "We got six missions!"

McPherson smiled.

"I really think we have a good chance," he said.

Reach education reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com.