Human Player Rituals
 

So here's my spiel: I am the HP for my team this year, and I've gotten some weird looks because of my pre-match ritual. It basically runs like this: While waiting in the queueing area, I pass around the lucky bearing with the rest of my team. This bearing stays with me during the match. As one of the people in charge of actually carrying the robot onto the field, I insist on the three count before lifting it be in German (eins, zwei, drei). When I get to my pad, I have to take off my hat, run my fingers through my hair, then put my hat on backwards, slightly off center to my left. I then look over at my drivers who give me four fingers on each hand (a sign to tell me that I want to be back in 8 seconds or less). I give them the same, and then tighten the velcro on the biker gloves I wear (they don't really do anything besides psych me up). I then scuff my feet on the carpet next to the pad, and then on the pad itself. From there I check my shoelaces, and get ready. I assume a stance with my right foot towards the stack, knee slightly bent, left leg back, knee locked. I then sway that way untill the signal to go. Please tell me that I'm not that odd, and that other HP (or drivers) have some odd rituals too.

Re: Human Player Rituals
 

I am a proud toucher of that bearing... ;)

As HP I stand and try to keep loose and stretched before a match and then I get the robot onto the field, grabbing the rear spoiler side always...then once that is placed I go over to the touchpad and get ready. I shake my head back and forth quickly and then I get in my ready stance (back to the good ol' days of when I wrestled) with my hands extended I make a run for the top two bins.. Not as wild as Nick's, but it works for me

Edit:
Ah one last thing. If anyone has seen me play HP in Pittsburgh, you know I move pretty quick on the field. I think to myself in my head that there is a giant bear behind me...and I havent taken longer then 10 sec yet ;)

You're not odd... just obsessive-compulsive. :)

I haven't actually seen action yet, and thus don't know what I'm going to be like when I am human player...

ehh... people on my team actually think I am psychotic...... they have had a contiunous 6 hour discussing about not being able to prove that I am really human.... I have been driving since May of 2001, and I become very stressed during competitions.... the team has gotten me every known tyoe of stress reliever, yet... I continue to destroy them all! Last year at J&J... there was a walkway around queing... I think there are permanent marks in the floor from where I was pacing.....

... if you ever run into me in competition.. be sure to ask to see what I carry in my pocket!!!! :D

Ehh...when was this 6 hour discussion? :) I should remember this (since I most likely started it...hehe)

Word to the wise: if you _do_ run into her, turn around and run the other way :P She already knows where I live...running won't save me. :D

(And you people think I'm joking!)

D.J....getting to see u run as the human player in Pitt made the competition 10 times better than it was...lol

and u will be dancing all day sat in grand rapids...ashleigh will make u...:D

...

sure.

uh... ritual?

stand on the pad, trumpet plays, go stack whatever was prearranged, get back to the pad within the 10 seconds, wait until the second signal, and go to the area behind the driver?

:D

otherwise... yeah. you're WEEEEEEEIRD ;)

ha!


Im fearing for the worst ;) :p

What you don't know is that there really is a giant bear behind you.

No rituals here besides getting figity and nervous. Although I once intentionally didn't make the ten seconds, as our autonomous mode wasn't working right, but was still programmed in.

Last yr as HP my driver and I would put on "lucky" chapstick. I know it sounds girly but it was our thing. After we put it on we then would kiss our two fingers and then press them against the robot. Then we would do our handshake and were ready to rock! Once we lost our "lucky" chapstick and did poorly. Thank God we found it bc without it we would have been screwed. After we found it we starting kicking butt again :)

thats interesting.... we sometimes change human players... but this year im not sure..probably not....

Our human players just give the drivers and the rest of the team in the stands the Megaforce Thumbs Up...

I just try to make sure I'm stretched out and ready. I kinda crouch down a little and reach out so I can quickly grab the stack. I'm also pretty fast, too. I made every round in under 7 seconds or so, some even faster. I only got flagged once, for stepping in the gray carpet as I ran back from giving two bins to 111.

Rituals? Hrm.. the only ritual I have is I "jump/leap" toward the stack.. and when Im making a stack of four I do it two and two so I dont drop them.. but other than that no rituals.. lol