Church’s LEGO tournament a bastion for creativity
ADAMS TWP — The numerous colorful little blocks scattered on the floor of Old Union Presbyterian Church would quickly become one piece, as children in second through sixth grade got their hands on them in a race to complete the model first.
Saturday, Jan. 17, was the 15th year that the church hosted its annual LEGO tournament, which has become a tradition participated in by children around the area, not just ones who are members of the church.
Peter de Vriez, pastor of Old Union Presbyterian Church, said the tournament is mainly about promoting creativity and sharing with children, differentiating it from some of the competitions that take place that combine LEGO with robotics. Eighteen children participated in the event Saturday, each bringing their own creative energy to the fray. He said the church spreads the word about the competition to other churches, as well as Mars Area, Seneca Valley and Knoch school districts to invite children to compete.
“The goal is to merge creativity and imagination with a social aspect,” de Vriez said Saturday. “This is a way to make it more social.”
The competition involved five components, from a pre-build art show, in which judges rated LEGO creations that the children made prior to coming to the event, to a speed build, where children had to assemble LEGOs to match a model as quickly as possible.
Silas Mahan, 9, of Valencia, said the speed build was his favorite component of the competition, having competed in it three times prior to Saturday. He ended up winning that competition in his age bracket, and assembled a giraffe set before anyone else could complete it.
However, Silas also enjoyed getting the chance to show off a set he created on his own.
“I built a go-kart,” Silas said. “You get to use the whole year to build whatever you want.”
According to de Vriez, the pre-build is a difficult competition for the judges to choose a winner in, because the creations the competitors come up with are so intricate and specific that the reasoning behind them needs to be explained.
“Sometimes the judges have a hard time, it is amazing to see what the kids build,” de Vriez said. “They show you what the made, and you ask them to describe it to you, and there is so much detail; there are entire story lines to what they build.”
Mason Arnold, 9, also competed in the speed build alongside Silas, and said his favorite part of the LEGO tournament was getting to put together kits. He also said he regularly builds LEGO sets at home, but the annual competition at the church, which he has competed in several times before, adds an extra layer of excitement to the building process.
“I mostly make from kits,” Mason said. “It’s just fun.”
Even once children age beyond sixth grade, they can still participate in the LEGO tournament by becoming a judge. According to de Vriez, several alumni of the competition return each year to judge, and a few helped out on Saturday as well.
“Kids come back every year to help judge,” he said.
Silas’ dad, Jamie Mahan, said his other children were judges for a while, after also competing in the LEGO tournament when they were younger. He said LEGO building is a good activity for children.
“The effort they put in is really significant,” Mahan said. “Everyone is able to be involved, and even once (Silas) is older he can still be involved.”
