JAY – Snap together blocks of computerized LEGO toys and the natural curiosity and creativity of more than 150 middle school children, and, voila! You get one fun-filled, can’t-hear-yourself-think, adrenaline-packed day.

That was Saturday during “Nano Quest,” the 7th annual Southern Maine for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) LEGO League Tournament held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. inside Jay High School’s gym.

Twenty-three teams of exuberant, colorfully dressed boys and girls, ages 9 to 14, matched wits with small, plastic robotic land rovers, Murphy’s Law and computer technology during 150-second timed rounds.

In addition to building a LEGO robot that could perform programmed tasks, teams had to research aspects of nanotechnology – the science of building incredibly small devices – and present a report that involved developing improvements or new uses to solve a specific problem.

“This is great fun!” Belfast LEGO Lions coach Joel Knight said before competition started.

“It’s designed to be sports for the mind, and it’s good for kids who are not into athletics. It’s so fun to see their creativity, and the problem solving they have to do,” he added.

Knight’s team took first place at last year’s Ocean Odyssey tournament, then placed 4th in the world with a robotic-controlled oil skimmer project.

This year, they led all of the robotics rounds, but finished second. Knight said one of the two boys working the robot inadvertently dropped a marble under their robot and couldn’t find it in time to get the rover to transport it to a trough.

They finished second in the performance category with 285 points. St. George School won first place, scoring 315; Westbrook took third with 285 points, and Farmington was fourth, with 145 points.

Several robots performed the tasks, others went off course or collided with mission equipment.

After the first two rounds, it didn’t look good for Farmington’s team, NeXT to Nothing.

Last year, their robot fell apart, said North Kay, 13.

But, the team steadfastly stuck to its “Practice Makes Perfect” axiom, made adjustments, and, most importantly, remembered to put the right attachments on their robot, something they forgot in the first round due to nerves, Kay said.

Coach Kenny Brechner said Farmington won a programming trophy and judges’ award last year, but never had success on the robotics table, until Saturday’s next-to-last round, their finest 150 seconds yet.

They completed seven of the nine missions, taking second place behind Belfast in the top eight round.

“Talk about the monkey being lifted off your back!” Brechner excitedly told them.

“They really put it together! That was good decision-making. I’m just thrilled they got this far,” he said.

In the robotics performance competition, teams start designing, building and programming their robot rovers in September using a LEGO Mind Storm kit, which, depending on the computerized motor, costs around $200. They also have to buy the tournament map and missions equipment, which costs about $250, then pay $100 to enter the tournament, Crescent Park School Nano Knights coach Marie Keane said.

That’s why sponsors play a big role in furthering the children’s educational learning in the science- and teamwork-based environment. The Crescent-Park-After-School-Program-sponsored Nano Knights, brought their own cheerleaders. Their rhythmic rallying chant, which could frequently be heard over the din, was: Noble Animated Nearly Ostentatious Knights. It also adorned the back of their bright red T-shirts.

Last year, the team won the robot design trophy. This year, they won the programming trophy and finished third, scoring 244 points in the performance category’s top-eight round.

“It’s like the Odyssey of the Mind competition. These kids have to do so much work with computers. They have to understand the rotation of axles, lights and sensors, and the rotation of a motor,” Keane said.

During a trial run, their robot completed all nine tasks, but not within the 2-minute time period.

“Overall, I thought we did really good,” Farmington team member Drew Salisbury, 11, said.

“Our robot didn’t fall apart, although we lost one piece but found it at the end. But, we learned a lot about nanobots and teamwork, and that your teammates make a big difference,” he added.