Newton’s FIRST robotics team, the Ligerbots, is competing in the premier New England high-school robotics competition — the FIRST New England Championships — going on now, April 10-12, at Boston University’s Agganis Arena.  See the Ligerbots’ competions live at the arena (free and open to the public) or via livestream video.  On Saturday, the Ligerbots will have qualification meets at 9:51AM and 11:29AM, and in the afternoon the teams that qualify will compete in elimination rounds.  (If things go well, look for Ligerbots’ team number 2877 in the elimination schedule.)  The winning teams will go on to the FIRST National Championships in St. Louis, April 23-26.  From Village14.com:

The game itself is a combination of soccer and basketball played with an “alliance” of three robots. During the round robins the teams are random, almost like a pickup basketball game. At the elimination stage an alliance remains consistent for the remainder of the competition.