FBI Robotics Team Takes Second Place in Colorado

In their final tuneup before the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championship in St. Louis April 22-25, the FIRST Bots of Independence (FBI) took second place in the Colorado Regional and also brought home an award for engineering excellence. FBI features students from all three ISD high schools.

“It was an outstanding showing,” said Russell Clothier, Truman High School science teacher and one of the FBI coaches. “But the real icing on the cake came at the awards ceremony when FBI was given the Excellence in Engineering Award. Judges complimented our robust design and our innovative autonomous programming system.”

Clothier credited FBI’s engineering mentors and the knowledge they have imparted on the students for the program’s continued resurgence. “To even be considered for such an award shows just how far we have come,” he said.

During the regional, FBI formed an alliance with a team from Fort Collins, Colo. and Lead, S.D., two teams they heavily scouted during the qualifying rounds. “We carefully watched and evaluated all the other teams, then entered data into a massive spreadsheet program,” Clothier said. “We concluded their (Fort Collins, Lead) robotics skills paired well with ours.” It did. FBI’s alliance finished as the runner-up marking the third time in their last four regionals FBI advanced to the final. Clothier said the showing in Colorado has them excited to show everyone in the Show-Me State what the FBI can do.

“We will proudly wear the ISD logo at the World Championships in St. Louis, believe me” he exclaimed.