Dutchbricks present at FIRST® LEGO® League Limburg regional final

1 day ago
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This blog was written by Patrick de Klerk, chairman of Dutchbricks.

On 31 January 2026, the regional final of the FIRST® LEGO® League Limburg took place in Roermond. It was a day on which more than 400 children from 39 schools demonstrated their creativity, technical skills and teamwork. Dutchbricks was present with a small exhibition and two judges for the Core Values assessment (Bram and Barend). I myself was one of the referees at the robot competitions, a role that puts you right in the middle of the action and, for many participants, is the face of the competition.

What exactly does a FIRST® LEGO® League referee do?

Each match runs on a tight schedule of 7 minutes per team. A surprising amount happens in that time:

Preparation: The team is given a few minutes to set up the robot. I supervise this process and make sure everything goes according to the rules.
Competition/playing time: 2.5 minutes: This is when the team has to give it their all. In just 2.5 minutes, they try to complete as many missions as possible on the competition track. There are several missions on the table, but teams do not have to do them all. Strategy is therefore essential: which missions will earn the most points in the limited time available?
Score discussion: Afterwards, I go through the entire score with the team. We look at which missions were successful, where points were scored and whether there are any penalty points (for example, if the robot was touched outside the rules). This is a great learning moment for the children: honest reflection, communication and checking together.

Points, missions and penalty points

Each mission has its own point value. Some are simple, others technically challenging. In addition, there are situations in which penalty points are awarded, for example for irregular actions or moving objects on the table. As a referee, you must keep a close eye on this, but always with a friendly, coaching attitude; after all, it remains an educational programme.