B.C. student robotics club defies expectations, going from underdogs to champions

Saanich, B.C. -

Although they called themselves “The Thunderbots,” the members of B.C.'s Spectrum School Robotics Club were definitely the underdogs.

“It was very daunting at first,” Everett Capean says. “I don’t know what I’m doing and feel like I’m in the wrong club.”

The Grade 12 student wasn’t the only one feeling that way. Nine of the 11 members of the The Thunderbots were rookies this year.

They were tasked to design and build a robot that could compete in a complex game.

“Simply put, the robot plays basketball,” Everett says, before drawing a diagram to show how the robot must grab a ball from the floor and throw it into a series of elevated “hubs” to score points. “And then at the end (of the match) it clamps monkey bars.”

The Thunderbots had just six weeks to complete the robot before attending the FIRST Robotics Competition in Victoria, where they would compete against more-experienced and better-funded teams.

“There’s a lot of money out there in this game,” Spectrum science teacher Sarah Crisp says, adding that some of the teams have been sponsored by NASA.

“And we’re stopping by the automotive shop across the road, looking through the bin of discarded bolts to try and get what we need.”

On the first day of competition, the Thunderbots arrived at the arena with a robot named Herbie and a challenge that seemed insurmountable.

“Our robot wasn’t running,” Isacc Preyser says. “That was terrifying!”

The Grade 11 student says The Thunderbots frantically tried to fix Herbie on the sidelines, while missing every practise match and being penalized for not participating in the qualification rounds.

“I was ready to walk out the door and go home,” Everett admits.

But instead of quitting, The Thunderbots fought back tears and made the tough decision to rip apart Herbie – their original ball-throwing, bar-clamping design that they had spent weeks creating – and rebuild a robot that simply played defence.

“They renamed it Flatty Patty,” Sarah says. “Because there was nothing on it, just the base.”

Flatty Patty proved so indomitable at playing defence, and the team’s determination so inspiring to their competitors, that although The Thunderbots finished near the bottom of the playoffs, they were invited by the two top teams to join an alliance and compete in the finals.

“It felt great,” Everett says. “We had a shot!”

The underdogs were suddenly contenders. And after Flatty Patty defended decisively, the Thunderbots’ alliance was crowned Canadian Pacific champions.

The Thunderbots celebrated their victory by working every day through Spring Break, rebuilding a yet-to-be-named new robot and fundraising for travel expenses to Texas, so they can compete in the World Championships later this month.

“That kind of grit and resilience is what you need to be successful in life,” Sarah says proudly. “And that’s what these students have.”