OtterBots Rise to State

The Fergus Falls High School robotics team isn’t just about gears and wires. It’s about building life-long skills. 

“As much as we focus on the robot, it isn’t about building a robot. It’s about having students become the science and technology leaders of tomorrow,” Bill Swanson, the OtterBots program advisor, says.  

Meet the Otterbots 

This year, the OtterBots climbed their way to fourth place at the state competition in May. The team is made up of students in grades 9-12 who come together to build a robot. Logan Bredenberg is one of the 2025 OtterBots Team Captains, along with Olivia Swanson. Logan is entering his third year on the team. 

“Olivia is in her fifteenth year,” Bill jokes. Olivia is Bill’s daughter. “She’s been around robotics since OtterBots started in 2010, but it’ll be her fourth official year on the team.” 

Bill has been the OtterBots’ program advisor for 15 years and is an integral part of the team. 

The OtterBots are made up of a dozen students who break into programming, design, development, mechanical, and pneumatics teams to build the important aspects of the robot. Five team mentors help guide and support the students throughout the season.  

Preparing for Competition 

Each season, teams across the state work to create a robot that can complete several tasks called a game. 

The season starts on the first Saturday in January when the robotics teams receive a video that breaks down the object of the game and the requirements the team will need to follow when building the robot. In the video, students learn how the point systems work, the different game pieces, the layout of the field, and more. 

For example, last year, the video explained that a robot can weigh up to 150 pounds and go up to 30 miles per hour at full speed. However, if an opposing team damages another team’s robot, the team will be disqualified.  

Taking on State 

One of the competition challenges this year included having the robot climb up a hanging chain to retrieve a game piece. Figuring out how to create a 120-pound robot that can climb was a challenge and one of the OtterBots’ strengths. 

Other robots could not climb successfully, resulting in falls and damage to rival robots.

“It was our strongest feature, and it really helped us,” Olivia says. 

Robotics teams can use past designs as guidance and as a more experienced team, this gives the OtterBots the advantage. 

 “It helped to look at past designs,” Logan added. “We’re always learning new things and using what we’ve learned from the past to help improve ourselves.” 

Approximately 200 robotics teams compete in Minnesota each season. 

“The difficulty of reaching state is similar to any other sport here at the school,” Bill states.  

While sportsmanship is important in many high school sports, one thing that sets robotics apart is its emphasis on gracious professionalism. 

“It’s really important to everyone involved that we are very professional and nice to every team,” Logan says. That includes teams that are new to robotics. 

The OtterBots are considered an experienced team and often take a leadership role at competitions.  

 “If we see a rookie team struggling, we might offer help if we can,” Olivia says. 

This year, when a rookie team’s robot broke, the OtterBots helped get it up and running—gracious professionalism at its best. 

Community Support 

The Fergus Falls community has always supported the OtterBots and is eager to see the robot they build each year. The team gives presentations and presents the robot to younger students.  

The OtterBots have received a grant from the Inga M. Johnson Endowment Fund for the last two years. Bill explains that being awarded the grant has been fundamental to the team’s success. 

“We wouldn’t have this program without the grant from the Inga M. Johnson Fund. That’s really what allows the team to keep going. We couldn’t continue without that kind of support.”