DIXFIELD — Gigglebot may not have won many ribbons, but the Dirigo Middle School robotics team learned more than they believed possible when they attended their first competition Saturday in Augusta.

“It was interesting to see the growth from the beginning to the end,” team adviser Kim Dailey said.

Seven Dirigo Middle School robotic team members, about 20 parents and siblings, Dailey, and program assistant Ilse Dunbar joined the thousands of students, parents, friends and others at the Augusta Civic Center. About 66 middle school teams competed during the day.

Gigglebot is the name the Western Foothills Kids Association team gave their robot.

Among those attending the event was Wayne Sanford, a sixth-grader at Dirigo Middle School.

“I’m sticking with robotics until the end,” he said. “It was fun and challenging.”

He plans to continue with Dailey when the after-school robotics program starts again following the Christmas break.

Along with Wayne, eighth-grader Aaron Berry and sixth-graders Jared Bernard, Sean Gould, Nolan Downs, Mitchell Dunbar and Tyler Urban traveled to the Civic Center.

Jared, 12, who celebrated his birthday at the Civic Center, said he was overwhelmed to see all the youths and robots.

Besides programming their robot, competitors had to research a natural disaster and devise some solutions. The Dirigo Cougar team chose tsunamis. Aside from the poster they designed, they also had to make a PowerPoint presentation.

“The judges were impressed with their work,” Dunbar said.

Team member Nolan Downs designed the bright yellow T-shirt each boy wore. The shirts portray a robot, Dirigo Middle School Cougars and the team’s number, 14322.

The statewide competition was the first time the fledgling robotics team competed, Dailey said.

“They got the most out of solving problems,” he said.

Parents were impressed with their children, he said. And Dunbar said the boys displayed good sportsmanship.

The middle school robotics program is sponsored by the Western Foothills Kids Association, headed by Barbara Radmore. The robotics after-school program and many others are open to children at the middle school.

She was presented with a bright yellow T-shirt in honor of her organization’s sponsorship of the team.

“It was a fantastic experience and they learned more than they would have in several classes,” Dailey said.

Other robotics members, who weren’t able to travel to Augusta, are seventh-grader Trevor Bellegarde and sixth-graders Cameron Gray and Jacob True.