Anemone: S.P.A.M. Robotics’ Villainous Star of the 2025 Season

SPAM Robotics
Apr 9
4 min read

Updated: Apr 27

S.P.A.M. Robotics (FRC Team 180) has always been known for Speed, Power, and Maneuverability, but in the 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition season, we’ve unleashed our inner villains! Meet Anemone, S.P.A.M. Robotics’ Villainous Star and robot for the REEFSCAPE game, whose name and theme have transformed our season into a thrilling “blackout” takeover. From a clever name inspired by the sea to a full-on villainous identity, here’s how Anemone and our team’s dark creativity have powered us to two regional wins, the FIRST Impact Award, the Autonomous Award, Zach Dean’s Dean’s List Award, and a #1 world ranking as we head to the FIRST Championship in Houston, TX, from April 16–19.

Anemone: The Villain of REEFSCAPE

This year’s FIRST Robotics Competition game, REEFSCAPE, plunged teams into an ocean-themed challenge, and S.P.A.M. chose a fitting name for our robot: Anemone, inspired by the sea anemone, a creature known for its beauty and hidden danger. The name sparked a mischievous idea among our students: “Anemone” sounds a lot like “enemy”! That connection led us to the song “Enemy” by Imagine Dragons, for the reveal video, with its bold, defiant energy perfectly capturing the villainous vibe we wanted for the season. From there, we decided to embrace our dark side, becoming the villains of REEFSCAPE, fierce, cunning, and ready to dominate the field while still championing STEM and community outreach in true S.P.A.M. style.

From Fun Shirts to a Blackout Takeover

What started as a fun shirt idea quickly evolved into a defining villain theme for S.P.A.M.’s 2025 season. Our students leaned into the dark aesthetic by designing black fun shirts with a stealthy black-on-black S.P.A.M. logo on the front, giving off a shadowy, villainous aura. But the mischief didn’t stop there! One of our parents, Jill Kemp, a crafty teacher at Jensen Beach High School, amplified the theme by ordering black capes for the team and adding a gray S.P.A.M. logo on the back of each one. When we wear these capes on playoff competition days, we transform into a legion of villains, ready to conquer the field with Anemone as our sinister leader.

The villain theme became a “complete blackout” tradition for competition playoff days. The entire team of students, mentors, and even some of our fans wear black to channel our inner villains and intimidate the competition. Our blackout look set the tone for victory at the Orlando and South Florida Regionals, where we clinched back-to-back wins. Our Drive Team, Matthew Marini (Martin County High School), Isabella Bodea (Jensen Beach High School), Zach Dean (South Fork High School), and Nathan Jones (homeschool, IRSC), looked especially menacing in their capes as they piloted Anemone to triumph. At the South Florida Regional, our alliance partners, FRC 179 (Children of the Swamp) and FRC 5410 (Eaglebotics), were carefully selected by S.P.A.M.’s scouting team using our S.P.A.Malytics system to complement our talents. SPAMalytics analyzed data to identify teams whose strengths in strategy and gameplay paired perfectly with Anemone’s speed and precision, ensuring a dominant performance on the REEFSCAPE field.

Anemone’s Villainous Power on the Field

Anemone isn’t just a name, it reflects our robot’s design and dominance in REEFSCAPE. Built for precision and power, Anemone excels at scoring game pieces and executing autonomous routines, as proven by our Autonomous Award win at the South Florida Regional. The robot’s sleek black design, accented with gray details to match our villain theme, makes it a formidable presence on the field. But don’t let the “enemy” vibe scare you, Anemone is a villain with a purpose, helping S.P.A.M. inspire STEM leaders while ruling the competition.

Want to see Anemone in action and hear more about our villain theme? Check out our Drive Team’s Behind the Bumpers interview with FUN (First Updates Now) Robotics Network! Matthew, Isabella, Zach, Nathan, and Nick share the story behind Anemone's design, our blackout tradition, and what makes S.P.A.M. the ultimate villains of REEFSCAPE. Watch the video below:

A Season of Villainous Victories

The villain theme has fueled S.P.A.M.’s incredible 2025 season. We kicked off with a win at the Orlando Regional and also earned the FIRST Impact Award for our community outreach, including mentoring FIRST teams and hosting Florida’s largest LEGO Robotics camps. At the South Florida Regional, we secured our second regional victory, the Autonomous Award, and a Dean’s List semi-finalist honor for Zach Dean, who’ll represent us at the FIRST Championship. With two Regional #1 Rankings, we’re ready to bring our villainous energy to Houston, where we’ll compete from April 16–19 and vie for the global FIRST Impact Award.

But the blackout takeover isn’t over yet! After Houston, we’ll take Anemone to the Indiana Robotics Invitational (IRI) in July 2025, a prestigious off-season event in Indianapolis, IN, where we’ll face top FRC teams worldwide. Our black capes and villainous spirit will be on full display again as we aim to make Martin County proud.

Join the Villainous S.P.A.M. Squad

The villain theme has brought S.P.A.M. Robotics closer together, blending creativity, competition, and community in a way that’s uniquely us. We’re proud to be the villains of REEFSCAPE—ruthless on the field, but always fighting for STEM education and inclusion in Martin County and beyond. Want to join the S.P.A.M. squad and embrace the dark side? Follow our journey to Houston and IRI on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, or email us at frcteam180@gmail.com to get involved as a mentor, sponsor, or supporter. Let’s go, S.P.A.M.!