John Baccala
Special to Northeast News
May 2, 2015

INDEPENDENCE, Missouri — The FIRST [For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology] Bots of Independence [FBI] Robotics Team excelled during the FIRST Robotics World Championship in St. Louis, finishing in the top 100 out of nearly 3,000 robotics teams worldwide. FBI, featuring students from all three district high schools, was ranked as high as eighth in their division before finishing 19th out of 76 overall.

“It’s a nerd’s dream come true,” Russell Clothier, district science teacher and one of the FBI coaches, said.

It has been a long climb for the FBI. Clothier, part of the district’s robotics program for the last 10 years, said the first few years were a little lean, which makes the team’s success that much sweeter.

“(Back then) we were mediocre at best,” Clothier said candidly. “But over the last two years, we’ve evolved into an elite team. We’ve won two consecutive Kansas City regionals, took second in Colorado and made two trips to the World Championship.”

Clothier knew rising to the level of excellence where the FBI is now was not going to happen overnight. But even during those early struggles, he could see progress. Want proof? Just ask Truman High School’s Jacqueline. A senior co-captain on the FBI team, she has chosen to pursue a career in engineering thanks to her involvement in robotics.

“My FIRST (robotics) experience has been amazing to say the least,” Stock said. “I have no idea how my life would be now without being on the robotics team. It has truly changed my life.”

William Chrisman’s Michaela Ebert feels the same way. Even though she’s never turned a wrench, she is an important part of the team. There is a place for everyone on the FBI.

“I make posters, update the team website and any other tasks that fall under public relations instead of engineering a robot,” Ebert said. Being part of the FBI means fitting in to a group, even if you might be a nerd or a geek, it’s about doing something you enjoy.”

In the World Championship, FBI formed an alliance with schools from Minnesota and California and advanced to the division semifinals before being eliminated by the eventual world runners-up. Clothier said he knew from the moment the competition began, their robot was something special.

“Our students built a versatile, reliable, high scoring robot, built around a game plan that was fairly unique,” Clothier said. “Ours wasn’t like other robots.”

Clothier said the FBI robot was designed to be what he called “the ultimate teammate.” The strategy was simple. They wanted their robot to work well with other robots, so other teams would want to pick them for their alliance in the playoffs. The strategy worked perfectly.

“Considering only 96 teams made it that far, including only three teams from Missouri, we feel justifiably proud of what we accomplished this year,” Clothier said. “It was a genuine thrill to be on the field at the Edward R. Jones Dome, with thousands of people in the stands and the best teams in the world around you and hear the announcer say, ‘From Independence, Missouri, it’s the FBI, the FIRST Bots of Independence’.”

Next for the team, the inaugural Missouri Robotics State Championship in Sedalia, Saturday, May 9. The FBI enters the state championship ranked fifth in Missouri. It is even hard for Clothier to believe how far the team has come.

“It’s been hard for me to get used to the idea that, hey, we aren’t mediocre any more, we’re actually one of the top teams in the state,” Clothier said. “Our main goal is still to give students that life-changing experience, to show them what they can do with science and technology. But man, winning is a lot more fun than losing.”

That winning attitude has trickled into more than the robotics arena. It has permeated into everything FBI team members do, instilling confidence and shaping futures.

“I am thankful, humble and appreciative to be on the FBI,” Stock said. “I will tell anyone who listens about all the doors robotics has opened for me.”