SBPLI Announces Qualifying Tournaments for FLL Championship Tournament

Feb. 1, 2011 - PRLog -- Due to the overwhelming growth of FIRST (For Inspiration in and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League on Long Island, School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) will hold two qualifying tournaments for the FLL Championship Tournament. Qualifiers will take place February 5-6 at Berner Middle School, 50 Carman Mill Road, Massapequa. Teams check in at 8 a.m., and competition begins at 9 a.m. both days.

This year, 104 FLL teams from Long Island have registered. Each registered team will compete during one of those two days. If the team is successful, they will advance to the FLL Championship Tournament, which will be held on March 6 at Longwood High School.

In the event of inclement weather, the qualifying tournaments will be held February 12-13. All teams scheduled to compete on February 5 will compete on February 12. All teams scheduled to compete on February 6 will compete on February 13.

“We are thrilled to have this response to the FIRST LEGO League,” said Janet Anderson, Acting President, SBPLI and the FLL Planning Committee. “I would personally like to thank the administration at Massapequa Public Schools for hosting the qualifying tournaments. This exciting event will definitely showcase these young, talented students who display a strong interest in science, technology and engineering.”

For more information, visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

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About School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.
The Long Island FIRST Regional Competition is run by the School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI). SBPLI was founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses that would provide students with practical experience and curriculum development, while helping the business community develop its future workforce. Over 100 partnerships have been formed. In 1999, Long Island FIRST was formed for the purpose of developing a Long Island Regional FIRST Competition. In 2000, 14 high school teams participated. The Long Island Regional has since grown with 48 teams participating in 2010. On January 8, 2011, registered teams will be provided with supplies and the competition's game rules. The 2011 Competition will be held at Hofstra University on March 24-26, 2011.