We have always favored younger drivers so that we have returning drivers with on-field experience for future years.

Adam

Perhaps you don't realize but there are some teams out there that are Middle School teams. Of course they should allow middle schoolers to drive. I know teams don't look down upon these teams for having middle school drivers and in some respects most of the time they act better than high schoolers.

I think that it's important for them to be in the program and get comfortable with it before that take on that kind of pressure. It's important to actually see a competition before they drive in one. I know that there have been some exceptional rookie drivers, although age is another factor to keep in mind. At that age they are more suceptible to pressure, and take a harder hit from criticism.

FIRST is a big load as is, not to mention driving your team added to your load. Don't take on too much.

For me, the answer is simple. If your team permits middle school students to join, then they should have all the oppurtunities available to them as would a senior. For driving, a test should be administered based on SKILL and a written test on rules knowledge is also nice. If the middle school student happens to be the best driver, then I would say, let them do it.

I agree. If a middle school is better than older drivers, understands the rules, and has been a contributive member of their team, there is no reason why they should not be able to be a driver.

I can, however, see why seniors should get priority since it is their last year to have the opportunity to drive, while middle schoolers will have many more years.

Here's an interesting flip. I am a middle school student on my team, and although I wanted to be a driver, I decided not to for two main reasons - 1. it would seem awkward having a middle schooler driving a high school robotics team's robot and 2. I am going to have 4 more years on the team AS A HIGHSCHOOLER and in that time I have a good chance of being a driver.

I personally think that if a middle school student wants to be the driver then they are pushing their privilege too far. They are lucky to be on the team they are on, and most likely their team membership would be cut much faster than a highschoolers if they did something wrong. With all this said, my vote would have to go for Middle school students are allowed to be on the team, but not to be the driver.

Middleschool drivers
 

I can appreciate your wanting to keep a low profile and wait until you feel the time is right. I hope you have all the opportunities to drive that you want in the next few years.

I think the choice of driver depends on skill and maturity, not age per se. The ability to work as a team under stress and compensate for the unexpected is needed. Last year, my older son was a senior and was one of our two drivers. He did well, partly because he knew the drivetrain and partly because he is a veteran gamer, so he's very good with the controls. Maturity certainly helped, and that was his second year.

My younger son is an eighth grader, and is one of several people nominated by the team tonight for one of the two driving positions this year. He also is a second year veteran and has helped on several aspects of the design and construction. In fact, our robot layout closely follows the Lego model that he designed. However, I'm not sure just how ready he is to perform during those two minute periods of total pandemonium on the field. If his teammates vote him in, I'm all behind him and them. However, I think he would have a better chance at success (or gracefully handling failure) if he waited a bit longer.

As for those who are afraid to be seen with a middleschooler on the field, think again. I've worked briefly with some of the kids on the Lego League teams and there are some amazingly competent young people out there. Give them a chance and don't worry about appearances.

Last year i was in the 8th grade, but i was a major contributer to the robot. I wasnt really outgoing because i was just their to help out, so i would always stay on task. I thought it was over on the ship date, but the teacher invited me to the compititions that we were attending. I was the second operator, and a senior was the main driver, because of his seniority on the team and in age. When we were invited to the nationals, the whole team was very happy. On the flight there, i realized that our main driver wasnt with us, and it turned out his mom didnt want him traveling anymore. So i was deemed driver, and the teacher told me the strategy on the way their. This year i am the driver, although i havent been on the team longest

this year the challenge for driver was in a written test, about the game, how to controll it, and what do do when problems occour.
Then there was going to be a drive-off between me and 2 others, but one had to go to colorado, so he lost his chance. we never really had a drive-off because we were trying to get an autonomous program. The other driver decided she would be better off being a stratagist in the driving station.

Kevcan

I completely agree!

I totaly agree. If you are part of a high school team, then you are lucky and have another 8-5 years that you can work with. You shouldn't drive! It's the seniors and juniors who only have 1 more year or it's their last year should drive. It's a privalage and your time to represent your team.

I think that with all that has been said, it has been narrowed down to two main reasons. one for why mid school student can, and one why they can't drive.

1.The best driver of the middle school students should be chosen because then, if they are exceedingly good at driving, they can be driver the next 4 or more years too. (I personally do not like this one because once you find your driver, he is then the driver for the next 4 years too and therefore, although your team would have a great advantage with the very experienced driver, no one else gets a chance to be driver untill he/she leaves for college)
and
2.The best driver of the oldest students should be driver because it is their last year on the team and everyone will get their shot at driver when they are a senior. (Although this one is giving more people a chance at ebing driver, the team has a driver who is brand new at it every year and this gives them a possible disadvantage. one way to solve the disadvantage if a team ran this way would be to train the students interested in being driver during their junior year and then, in their senior year they would be more experienced)
using the above two things, I have come up with, what I think would be the best way for a team to chose drivers, it keeps an experienced driver in the hot seat, but also gives many team members a chance to drive.

3. When a student shows interest in being driver, he/she is trained driving a robot (possibly on the EDUbot or bots from the teams previous years when this years bot is not available) and then when driver picking time comes around: a sophomore is chosen for the secondary or helper driver, and a junior or senior is chosen for main driver. This would keep the main drivers trained while also keeping sure that everyone gets a fair chance at being driver.

this sure is turning out to be an interesting topic.