Driver Stress?
 

Drivers here is your chance to explain the amount of stress placed on you. This includes regionals and the weeks/days leading up to regionals.

This is my third year in FIRST and also as a driver. Two years for 979 and this year for1038, and for some reason i seem to be more stressed this year than any. As i think about the enourmous amount of responsibility and trust that is assigned to me. As i think more about it i relize that i am the one who is responsible for weither or not my team makes it to Finals, and or Nats. This year being on a team with a reputable past makes me extremly nervous. I know i will do fine, but the anticipation is what is killing me. Am i crazy or is this a universal anxity for Drivers and Operators.
:eek:

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Being a driver is tough and always has been. This is even true more so this year because you will be driving in several more matches than in the past.

There are many responsibilities that go along with driving so just be sure you know them and carry them out!

Drivers stick with it, stay in the pits, talk with other drivers, know when your matches are, and most of all know your GAME!

Missing the good times I had as a FIRST robot driver! Why did I have to meet graduation requirements??? ;)

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Haha I know how you are, we're a rookie team, and we had several members afraid to step up to driving our bot, because of the responsibility. I play the most video games, so I'm most used to controllers and joysticks, I kinda had a natural knack for driving the thing. After our first practice round, we had a friend (now FIRST volunteer) say not to change the driver (me) because of how well we did. I feel pretty confident too, as a first year. We placed 7th out of 62 in our region, took home 2 awards (in my sig) and were beaten in the finals by the team that won the entire regional. My friend (who did the arm) was the one afraid of driving, but we worked really well with each other, especially when the arm stopped responding correctly and he had me playing defense like crazy (ran the Nasa Knights 122 up into a goal, hit creamed 1545 and 401, etc)

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I always get a little stressed as arm operator, especially with Paul Copioli standing behind me screaming at me. This year Im wayyyy more relaxed than last year though. This is my second year arm operating, and its much better this time around. I think its due to the fact that im very confident with the robot this year, whereas last years robot was very difficult to control and a little flawed in design.

I usually try to let off some stress by listening to some very loud music before Elims (usually some Devil Driver, Amon Amarth, Slayer, etc). That'll usually get my juices flowing, then I just try to follow Paul's orders and do what Im supposed to... concentration is key.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Don't worry about it all...
In the past 6 weeks...you've learned how to do some things you probably have never heard of before.
GO
HAVE
FUN
!!!! :D

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Ya it is very stressful in the operator station.:ahh: I am a freshman and being a robot driver, I do get very nervous before the match. I was actually picked driver at a meeting that I didn't attend because I had been really busy with a project. The first match I competed in was at the regional and it was the first match our robot played in. I had been really stressed out because if anything happened to the robot or if we didn't win, chances are they would've blamed it on me. In that match, we were the only scoring team on our alliance. I felt more relieved after the match because I realized it wouldn't have been that stressful after realizing how well I actually did.:D It was a good experience, but then at another event the day after, I was driving the robot...and I wasn't as good as I had been the day before...and well...it just didn't really go so well:o ...but is it normal to have like, an offday?

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I'm not a driver anymore, but I was for three years. I have to say though, the competitions were easy, it's the build season that was hard for me. The competitions, if my team was being stupid, I'd walk off and visit a friend until tempers cooled down, during build, not quite so easy.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

You poor boy.
If you get tired of the abuse, feel free to join 229! ;)

Re: Driver Stress?
 

i don't get stressed. in fact while I'm driving i get board and start zoning out just being part of the machine. even with Dan yelling behind me, the crappy techno music and the screaming fans. they say alot of things that i should watch out for and all "don't do this do that make sure you wait for this Etc..." but it doesn't stress me. I'm not even stressed when I'm a minute from Que with my hands in our alliances robot fixing it. not stressed after drinking 30OZ of Bawls in the morning. Just haven't been stressed about driving in a long time. not since i started three years ago.

Actually, i think i Put all the stress on Dan and Amanda when they cant find me right befora a match.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Maybe I'm strange, but I never took it too seriously.

What? You exclaim!

I'm not being immodest when I say that I didn't feel pressured in the slightest when I drove in 2003. I had a powerful, fast and maneouvrable robot, knew its capabilities well, and, as the most senior student on the team, didn't have any peers to be afraid of, if I screwed up. Since I was also the one who designed the drivetrain, (and had fought with it in development) I knew what could go wrong, and knew how to fix it if it did. So I went in well-informed, well-equipped, and with three members of the drive team upon whom I could count.

We did rather well, if I might say so myself--a finalist at the Canadian Regional and a win at West Michigan, which qualified us for the Nationals in Houston, that year.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I'm an arm driver and Co-President of my team. I'm used to stress but driving is just crazy. As a driver, so many kids have the hopes and dreams of a robot they spent 6 weeks of their blood, sweat and tears resting in your hands. Every time we're out there I want to drive the bot to the limit of its ability to live up to my team mates hopes. Of course things never always work out right(popping two yellow balls in our last match last year ;)) and you have to go on.

The pressure though of driving the arm is nothing compared to driving the robot, the arm(well forklift this year) is much simpler to drive. It only goes up and down and has a couple other small functions. I knew driving the bot would be a bit much for me. So this year, I've got a new driver with me and he's an old friend, but he's also new and fresh. Its going to take a couple of matches i'm sure to get into our tetra tower frenzy/groove/thing.

Of course as a big engineer on my team, I also don't want to see the robot get destroyed. We've built a tough bot(slamming it into walls at 12 feet per second wheee! and a spring-loaded-knock-away tetra grabber) but some bots really hit hard. And if anything actually goes wrong on the field -- i'll be praying that our treads don't fall off every moment -- I'm sure i'll go insane.

Besides all that though, I love to compete. I love to finally have the opportunity to test my metal(pun intended) against other teams. To be down there with the bot I spent so many sleepless nights designing and building is an honor.

Just remember, always congratulate your drivers, they have a hell of a time. And remember if the robot stops moving in the middle of the field, or starts twitching, or slams into walls randomly, its probably not because your driver finally went insane(although it is a possibility) it could be the robot. ;)

Re: Driver Stress?
 

As a rookie operator Ive learned a few things to do and not do in the next competition

1. Stay completely focused on what your doing... even when you have a robot stacking / ramming right in front of your station

2. Take your time switching battery's... its not worth dropping it on your Robot Controller again.....................

3. Make sure you've set the right autonomous..because duh...
hope this comes in handy to anyone else

Re: Driver Stress?
 

For me last year, the most stress was the few mins before a match starts.

You have nothing to do and everything to think about.

Once I start the only person that I hear halfway is the base driver(i drove the arm) sometimes I hear the coach but last year me and the other drive got the hang of things to where all he had to do was say "lets cap", "lets hang", "I'm going to herd" or "get a ball" and we knew exactly what each of us needed to do.

This time around the game dosent look like it can be played like that, not sure yet as I haven't been to a comp yet (got one this weekend though :yikes: ) and I have a new driver to train.

GL all, driving is not the easiest thing in the world.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I was the primary driver for MOE 365 in 2003 and I can say there's definitely a ton of stress at competitions. It's not necessarily generated by the team, but rather by the expectations you put on yourself. After making it through 2 ridiculous comebacks at Annapolis (1 by winning 68-67) I was so nervous that I felt sick. I have done some pretty nerve racking things in my life, but this seems to take the cake.

This year, I have been lucky enough to get the opportunity to be field coach for team 1493. Having been a driver, I feel that I have a better opportunity to make it easier for the drivers. My plan is to oversee the match, and tell the drivers in a calm, but quick voice what they should do next. At that time, I will sit back and wait until I need to give them another instruction. I'm hoping this takes a little of the nerves out of the picture so the drivers can perform to the best of their abilities.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I was a human player/driver for 4 years, the stress is HUGE. Because It always come down to you. 6 weeks of blood sweat tears and Jolt come on to your shoulders. Then there is of course your team that comes down on you if you make a small little mistake, especially when your team is one of those win or go home scenarios ( win a regional or no nationals type deal )

It can be a huge responsibility being a driver, You are your teams front line of representation. Many times the way a team is judged can come down to your drivers. This might not be fair but its reality, if you don't conduct yourselves in a GP manner then your team can get a bad rep for it. Many times when you talk to people who have problems with other teams it comes down to poor driver conduct on and off the field.

So as a driver its more a state of mind, to be able to take the beating when you need to, and always respond in a positive manner. You are the front line of politics, your the front representation of performance to the Judges. FIRST is the only TEAM sport thats played by a single person. Its hard but its the job, and somebody has to do it. Embrace the challenge succeed in it, and emphasize your efforts. But what I had to learn in my 4 years as a driver, even if you mess up and lose a match, or make a poor decision, and everyones torn apart in a heart breaker, don't let it take from the REAL FIRST experience. There is so much to be gained from these seasons aside from the great competition, only when you lose sight of that is when you could actually become the loser.

To Those who are about to do battle in a robotics game I Salute you


Dan

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Driving can be a huge stress, as has been explained above.

Despite the stress, I would give anything to be back behind the driver station with an old flightstick in my hand. It's cool being a coach, but knowing that I'll never drive in FIRST again still bugs me. I wish there was a collage league in FIRST, if only so I could drive again. Maybe an off season dedicated to letting all us washed up drivers back in saddle.

Back on point, I loved the stress. It kept me focused and from slacking off. I consider some of my best work as a student in FIRST being what I accomplished as a driver. I'm a mediocre machinist and electrician, but I think I made a heck of a driver (forgive the lack of modesty). It also helped that the rest of my drive team were absolute pros, and I knew I had the best pit crew in FIRST ready to fix anything I broke (happened frequently). Having a fast, nimble and showy 'bot (the popcorn popper from '02) made it all the more fun.

The stress can weigh on you, but it can also keep you focused and working at your max. The trick is directing that stress in to a productive outlet and not letting it just chew at you. Instead of thinking that everyone is going to see you screw up royally in the next match, you have to convince your self that everyone is going to see you win the match even when both your allies get flipped and half your robot stops working.

-Andy A.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Im a rookie Driver of the arm for team 1568... the whole build season, we were going to use two sticks, both to operate the base and the arm, the day before shipday, the team decided to get another joystick and use it for driving...i decided to be driver for the arm and got 15 minutes of total practice, but i got a good idea on how to cap...tomoorow, will be a practice day for me with the bot, but by friday...all those vetran teams better beware of team 1568

oviously we are a rookie team (1568 has to be a giveaway) for everyone in the team all 7 of us plus the 2 junior high students, this is our first year in FIRST...so it will be a learning experience for the drivers, coach, and h player...so yes there is a lot of stress that drivers a re under.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

As a driver for this year, am I stressed? I have to so that I am not stressed. I have this thing about thinking about everything as a practice even the real event. By keeping a train of thought of the event being a practice it allows me to remain cool and level headed and to not let the environment get to me. What i'm saying is that despite being a driver it can be stressful, but if you think of the situation as less stressful it will be less stressful, it's just a little mind trick that I have always used in my life even with tests like the SAT, and I am happy to say that I did really well for taking the SAT for the first time. But my advice, is to keep a good line of contact with the arm operator rather than the mentor as you both need to work well together. Just my thought anyways *shrugs* Take care now!

Re: Driver Stress?
 

last year, my third year on the team, my senior year was the first time i got to drive ina FIRST competition, but not the entire year. i took the role on the practice day at nationals. it took some time getting used too. it is stressful, especially the few seconds before taking control of the robot after autonomous. the one thing the drive team cannot do is hesitate. our coach in the booth is the one who makes the decisions and if they are right or wrong we follow them anyways. they are the ones who can see what is happening around the entire field and not just your robot. and the drivers cant let anything get to them. when a match started, i just tuned everything out except for the yelling coach. the round itself isnt stressful but the time before and after the match waiting for the scores are very stressful. but it is a learning process. if you make a mistake, see what went wrong and adjust for the next round.

drive the robot as if you stole it

Re: Driver Stress?
 

To all of you drivers/operators upcoming and present, the most important thing is staying on top of your game in every possible way. Always know every element of the game, the rules down to the point where you talk about them in your sleep, and you can recite any one of them on a dime. Be knowledgeable of everyone else's game of whom you will come across. Don't ever underestimate a high number team because of their "rookie" status, and don't overestimate a low number team, and think you are going to get a "free ride" in a match partnered with them. If you have a strong support staff, treat them very kind. Whether they are your strategy crew, your scouting crew, your programmers, your pit crew, the rest of your floor team, or your "repair men". Always be looking out for someone you can be kinder to. If you do not have the support of others, you must be even more on top of your own game, step up your working potential, and dig for your own information, your own intelligence, and back up the driving skill you have way down in you!

I believe anyone who has the core backbone knowledge of the game, has excellent communication skills, and can one way or another acquire "intelligence" of their competition.... they have as much of a winning chance, as anyone else.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I've done this too long now to really worry about the match itself. What happens will happen and everyone'll try to do their best job. This year, my drive team is awesome and I appreciate how well my arm operator does his job and how my coach informs me promptly and consistently of what I need to be doing.

The worst part? Remember the movie Spartacus when he's sitting in the wooden hut, unable to see what's going on outside, but hears the clanging of swords as he sits in front of his next opponent? Well, that's the worst part of regionals. At RIT, we weren't queued and I sat next to my drive team for 15 minutes in the pits, hearing the roar behind the curtain in front of us, waiting and waiting and waiting...

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I totaly agree all of the stress that you experience is from your own expectations of yourselve. Non is from the team, in fact rookies you will soon find that your team will be very supportive of you at compt.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Is this offer extended to drivers from ... oh... say northeast ohio??? lol :D

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I think this year there is more stress simply because most of the robots are based off of the same design. So the competition will be high scoring and the matches will come down to driver skill.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Well... we can't take just anyone...
Stop by our pit in Cleveland, and we'll talk. Bring a resume.


(Just kidding, actually we're so shameless we DO take anyone... even Karthik.)

Re: Driver Stress?
 

This is my first year driving but I have been part of First for 3 years, and I actually was very relaxed when it came down to competition time. I knew that my team and I had built an extraordinary robot and I was just out there showing off what our team had done as a whole. We didn't get much practice driving time before the competition, but our programmers made it as easy as they could with all the switches and buttons they used. (ex. joystick trigger makes the robot go full speed instead of half) I thought the real stress came inbetween finals rounds when you have to replace a chain, a battery, and rebend your arm back into place in 2 minutes because you already used your timeout. I also thought it was pretty stressful when we lost an idler wheel and my mentor yells at me to drive backwards the rest of the match so we don't tear up the carpet and get disabled... I got many complements about that round of driving afterward, but it was tough. My job is easy tho... My teammate / button masher has the tough job. She has to operate our sophisticated arm... She did an excellent job and helped us come out with the W at VCU

Re: Driver Stress?
 

ahhh !! iwont be in cleveland for reasons beyond my control... (freaking french club scheduled the class trip right over two very important regionals!!!)

SoOoOo well haveto talk at Nats... this appears to be quite the lucrative position... :D :rolleyes:

Re: Driver Stress?
 

For me the most stessful part wasn't necessarily driving the robot but watching it in autonomous...It was so scary because we put everything behind our autonomous. It worked abou 95% of the time, but it was still scary to watch. Drivng was really stressful--the whole team is behind you and I didn't want to let them down. That was the worst part. My fingers went numb while i was driving, too...anybody else get that? Nevertheless it was a great challenge...And quite an honor to be the first driver the first year of our team.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Wow, i saw this thread this morning and figured there would only be about 10 posts when i got home...i was wrong.

I was going to say, we have been discussing this over time in ECDU threads and the once popular chat rooms. Stress is something that will never go away, no matter how calm or cool you say you are, you are always afraid of messing something up. The best thing to do is remind yourself it is only a game, and you wont be shot if you lose(although you might be pelted with things by teamates, but it is all in good fun). Stress is something that you need to relieve in order to succeed. Although i said it will always be there, you have to be able to tone it down to do better.

I really cant think straight, writing an AP paper, but this is something to bring into the ECDU forums, where Im sure alot of people will talk about it/have talked about it.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Don't worry too much about it. Last year I remember at my first regional as driver I was very nervous. After the first couple of matches I was so into driving that I didn't even notice all the people watching me. You will lose matches, it happens to everyone, but just chill your cauz your team will forgive you . You can look up at the crowd and feel proud that you had the guts to actually step up and become driver. I remember that after my first match at NJ I was approached by some people from the opposing alliance and they congratulated me. I felt so great and I knew that from then on I would try out to be driver every year. Good luck to everyone, I will see you at NJ, Buckeye and Nationals!!!


GO 1403!!!

Re: Driver Stress?
 

The best thing a driver can do is to ignore everything, and only think of yourself as the robot. Visualize yourself as the robot, and imagine that the arm can power itself.

Last year I was a co-driver(meaning I was the arm handler) and I noticed that when me and the robot driver zoned out, and ignored everything but the robot and the match we did a lot better. Especially when you have an annoying mentor who inserted himself into the match. This year I am the main driver, since I spent the most time on the robot. We finished the robot a few days early, so we would show up the last few days and we had a training session. We had two of our old robots up and working, a side note: Our robot from last year was one of the few that could pick up the huge yellow balls, so this year we were picking up tetras with the arm that shot out and we could cap the smaller goals, for a picture of that robot go to http://sjharobotics.org/?page=robots . So we had out lab room that we work in set up with a lower goal, and two robots running around and playing against this year's robot. The self declared knower of rules, otherwise known as the self-inserted mentor, was standing behind me, and annoyed me so much I was about to turn around and leave. But, after a while another of our mentors took me aside and told me to ignore everything and just pretend I was the robot. Soon after I was driving the robot faster, with greater accuracy, and we we capping tetras faster, and higher.

My freshman year we were doing really well, and during the last few preliminary matches we screwed up royal. So when the driver came back from leaving our robot at our pit we chewed him out so bad that he left for a while and came back. I felt bad for the guy because I had him in a few classes and he had helped me out with a few problems, so I took it upon myself the last three years to try and eliminate a lot of criticism.

Even if they critic me, I will just turn around and walk off. The Silicon Valley Regional is located in a nice school, and you can always walk outside of the event center and go and sit under a tree and watch squirrels :D

So just ignore any comments, unless they are good, and you will do a much better job, with a lot less pressure.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Stress? hahah.. Last year I was the operator and the driver and I both slept while waiting for our next match (not really slept but you get the idea). We would walk around, go sit in the stands and then with about 20-30mins before the match we would go scout our opposition and talk to our alliance. There really is no stress, and I believe this was because we had a robot that rarely broke and when it did break it could be fixed with in 5 minutes. We knew our robot would perform and all we have to do is what we were good at. Even in the elimination rounds of The Championship Event and Battle Cry @ WPI and the finals of UCF, the Beantown Blitz, and Mayhem on the Merrimack there was really no stress, we were 100% confident.

The only time there was even a little stress (if you can call it that) is the first practice round of the year. Then after that its 100% stress free!

This might be because we were always too tired to be stressed out, but not to tired to win 3 of the 5 events we attended? :D

Re: Driver Stress?
 

To all nervous or stressed out drivers: Do what Henry222 said. Its best to go on that floor do your match and have fun knowing that you did your best whether you win or you loose. Being nervous or scared is something that should be avoided. I had this feeling operating in the off season last year and it got the best of me. My one tip to all drivers, "Just do what you do!" No worries HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!! ;)

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I was arm guy, and it was extremely stressful when paied with weak alliances and in the finals. Trying to get the robot ready for a match in four minutes was crazy, thankfully a lot of people loaned us batteries, etc. What was the worst was waiting for about an hour or so to go. They made a mistake with the staging, led us on the field, then when we were about to go told us to get off and wait a while. We then did the same thing again about 20 minutes later. It took so long before we actually got to play, and we were soooo stressed out. Luckily, we still did pretty well.

*I might add we were trying to get to Nationals, and our going or not going was dependent on our performance in the finals. Unfortunately, we are not going. :-(

Re: Driver Stress?
 

It was alot of stress upon the time. First reason because it was my first time ever driving and everyone was really depending on me. Also we didn't really know what to expect being out first year. But after going a few time I think I just didn't think about being stressed.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Another tip of reallllly bad advice: I found that the actual driving and setup is a lot less stressful if you screw something up and have like 50 people yelling at you as you try to figure something out or fix it or whatever.

Example: At FLR I was nervous for the first few matches on practice day. Later it was gone. Come friday it was back stronger cause I knew it was qualifying rounds and I didnt wanna mess up.

I didnt realize that we had one of the first matches of the day (if not THE first match of the day) and I ran down to the pits to get the OI and head out to the field. When I went in, I had forgotten my operator badge. As soon as I walked out to the queue I got yelled at by the queuing lady. Paul was in the backround yelling "choke!" at me (he was probably thinking I was too nervous and became forgetful and thus "choked").

Luckily JVN grabbed the OI from me and handed it to my team while I ran back to the pits to get my badge. I was real stressed for a match or two after that, but as soon as it passed, the stress of the matches became nothing.

*Added*
Don't forget to dance... there is always a good minute or two before matches start where you just stand there and wait for scoring to finish and the volunteers to setup. If you arent busy discussing strategy or anything, utilize it to relax yourself and have a bit of fun.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I ended up being thrown in as the arm operator by default. We had a local TV station come by and a few teams demonstrated their robots. We had finished rebuilding the arm on thursday. I reprogrammed it to use the new stuff, so I was the only one who knew how it worked. They had me operate it "just for the news" and then decided I knew it well enough to operate us the rest of the time.

I'll say that I'm not that good of a driver. I don't have any special talent. The way I make sure I succeed is to never stop thinking. For those 2 minutes, I never let my brain phase out. I'm always thinking about my next move and what button I will have to push. It's exhausting, but it means I only screwed up and pressed the wrong button twice in twenty-two matches.

-Tony K

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I don't think you require any special talent to drive other than common sense and a little practice and a little dedication. Based on my experience last year, I can tell you that the job is definitely stressful, but you have to learn to get around that. Joke around, enjoy the music, dance, just do anything fun. Don't wait in the queing line with a sour face filled with nervousness. It does no good. Remember, you are at the competition just to have fun, get inspired and learn more than just go there for the sole purpose of winning. I am not saying that teams don't do that. They do, and they succeed. But when you think about it, it all comes down to what is FIRST about. Always keep that in mind when you are at competitions. As far as actual driver stress goes, it is definitely a lot. Sometimes it involves sitting up late nights studying the data gathered by scouts, or simply going on soap108s to look at the videos. I think if you can prepare your mind for all this you will be fine. The key to winning the competition is to know how to play the game, know the robot, and know your opponents.

Good luck,
-Bharat

Re: Driver Stress?
 

True, there is a lot of stress. I don't want to let my team down. This is the first year we've done well and pulled our own weight.

I really don't notice the stress, though, until finals. Before that, you have time to cool off. During finals, its way too rapid. I drive it, pull it off, recharge the tanks, tighten screws, reprogram it, check everything again, drive again, repeat. Thats when I start demanding caffeine from my team.

-Tony K

Re: Driver Stress?
 

The first practice match was horrible, I was a nervous/stressed wreck...It was my first time at a competition..meaing my fiorst time as a robot driver. I just didn't want to do anything and mess up horribly. I got better through out the day and me and my driving partner could consistantly cap 3, maybe 4 goals easily.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

i have to agree with rabbit here just chill out and have some fun with the matches. your not going to lose your life if you mess up a match. I know starting out with your first year driving can be stressful but once you get use to your coach yelling and everyone else yelling then you are set. another thing is as a driver i have notice that i blank out during matches and just drive. i think i just become a tool of the coach and drive the robot how he says i should. that is the best thing. last thing i can say about driving or just a comment to get over the stress listen to some music get a catchy song in your head, and Don't think i say this is cause your mind play games with you saying lets do this or no lets do that. and that is when you lose control and you can't control your robot cause your mind is not made up. so just don't think about what you are going to do just drive let the coach think about what you are doing that is why we have coaches.

all drivers on the East Coast PM about our Drivers Union. or see me at NJ if you are going. stop by team 303 pit to get some info about the East Coast Drivers Union.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Second Year Manipulator. It wasn't so tough last year because Eric Palmatier was a senior and the head driver. He took me under his wing and showed me how to communicate and stuff. The driving part is easy. It's the communication and extra stuff that is tough to get accostomed to. Hehehe. JohnnyB I took a tetra from you when you were about to cap. I'm sure you'll get me back at nationals though :) . I agree that your coach is very dedicated and intense and you must have very good focus.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I would say that the most stressful time as a driver was last year at Great Lakes when we hadn't gotten to run any of the practice runs on thursday and to have to go out on friday morning to drive a robot, which I had never done before. Luckily I had some experience with driving a skid-steer loader at work, which uses joysticks like the robot did, so it was at least familiar. As for actually driving, I was really nervous up until the MC announced who the teams were, then I forgot to be nervous. I don't know if anybody else noticed this, but when I was driving, I couldn't even hear the crowd screaming at me (cheering or otherwise). It was fun, but I would still rather work on the robot than drive the robot.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I was stressed at first because I thought that if something went wrong it would be blamed on me, but our first practice match I got 3 penalties and flipped over. And nobody yelled at me too much, so it took away alot of the stress.

I did get a little nervous right before (there's nothing like looking through that lexan with your steering wheel and throttle in hand), but during comp we decided to abandon our arm entirely because it wasn't working correctly so I was told to drive "defensively", which I took to mean ram the crap out of the other bots. After that first hit I didn't feel nervous at all untill about 5 mins before the next round.

One thing that I did to help relieve stress is carry my drumsticks around with me, and just spin them and hit em on anything I could. VERY relaxing.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I'm not a driver, but I wanted to thank all of the people courageous enough to go out there and drive these lovely robots. Somebody has to do it, and our drivers have done a wonderful job. We've not been without our mistakes, but.....Oh- one tip:make sure that all of the PWM cables are firmly connected to your victors before the matches. We ended driving in circles because of a faulty connection, and it was not fun. COngratulations to all you drivers out there! :]

Re: Driver Stress?
 

In my opinion the driver stress is amplified when you are the captain as well. I as a driver have so much stress put on me this year especially because our team has put so much effort into the competition this year and I wouldn't want to let a bunch of 9th graders hopes down because of some small penalties are simple mistakes.

As a Captain I am responsible not only for the robots for for things like permission slips, t shirts and everything in between. And for these last few days it's been so hectic because the regionals are coming closer and closer. But all in all At the end it's all worth the energy and time we put into the robot to see the looks on my team mates faces when we win a round or two.

I'd like to give a round of applause to all the drivers out there who keep their cool even through stressful times. And another round to our coaches who put up with us and are basically behind the scenes (I had to learn this the hard way since I lost a bet with my coach and ended up in his shoes for two weeks).

I wish everyone good luck at the competition and I hope to see a lot of you at the finals.

Nector

Re: Driver Stress?
 

this is my first year driving and i knew the stress that was going to come with it, the first few matches i was very nervous because of the criticism that i would get whenever we would loose a match
the most stress ever was when we were in the semifinals and i was extremely nervous, i was sweating and i was very nervous, even though we lost it was a good experience and i learned a lot

Re: Driver Stress?
 

"Lord, please don't let me screw up."

At NASA, the "Astronaut's Prayer" was originally created by the astronauts selected for the Mercury project, when the U.S. space program was in its infancy. It summarizes the thoughts, fears, concerns and wishes that run through the mind of every astronaut as the final countdown approaches and they prepare for lift-off. They are sitting on top of multiple billions of dollars worth of equipment, being asked to do a very dangerous job, with the eyes of the world watching them, and the knowledge that if they mess up something it would (at the very least) be a waste of years of effort and preparation (recognize any parallels to a FIRST competition here? :) ). The Astronaut's Prayer is real, and is an indicator that even with the best training, best practice, and best preparation possible, putting people in highly stressful situations will result in, well, stress. The best thing that you can do is recognize that it is there, that you are under stress, and try to use it to your advantage. In that respect, the Astronaut's Prayer is perfectly appropriate as the "FIRST Driver's Prayer" as well.

-dave

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I love driving. This is my 8th year in FIRST (I started young) and my 4th year with a role in the drive team. This year I am controlling the arm. For me, the most stressful part of the entire competition is waiting. Once you've been qued, and you're waiting on stage. The 8-12 minutes that you stand around seems like a lifetime. You can't go anywhere; you can't do anything... except think. The climax for all the pressure is when your team is announced and then the opposing alliance is announced. It's that moment of looking in the opposing drivers eyes and knowing one of you are about to win and you just hope it’s you.

This season so far, the most stressful moment that I had to deal with was at FLRC. I was standing in Red 1 with the rest of my drive team and across the field in Blue 3 was our sister team, 237. It was the quarterfinals, match 1, and all I could think about is playing fair. We had traveled to FLRC with Watertown (237) and I, personally, had become pretty close with several members of the team. Both alliances had been announced and the countdown to Autonomous Mode had begun. I looked at Scott (237), we saluted each other, and the game began. In the end, Alliance #1 moved on into the semis. Team 38 was able to stand along side 237 and cheer them on.

The stress that drivers feel when they know that they can perform well only adds to the game. The relief and joy that is felt after working hard is absolutely amazing. Even when you perform at the top of your game, sometimes it just isn't enough. In the case when you are eliminated from the game, the long walk back to your pit is often ended with a large reception from your team. This is what it's about. Your team knows that you did well and they are proud of you. When the stress builds up, and a sudden elimination takes you from the game... sometimes you want to cry. But when you get back to your pit, and your mentor comes up to you with tears in his eyes, saying, "Congratulations! Well done! I couldn't be more proud of you!.... YEAH TOAST!" it just makes you smile.

From Team 38, I wish all of you the best of luck. Take in the memories that are created at the competitions. Feel the stress, feel the pressure, act upon it and succeed. Your time will come to show the world what you are made of. Take this opportunity and don’t hold back. You will quickly move from a student to a mentor and be that mentor that will never be forgotten.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

When I think about Stress, I think of myself under intense pressure for a long period of time. FIRST competitions are not the only place where I got through a lot of pressure & stress. As of now, I almost feel that the competitions are not really stressful, but rather enjoyable. All you have to do is really think of it differently. It's just a robotics competition. No big deal. If you keep that in mind, possibly you wont feel the stress. Mr. Lavery's post got me thinking about those sorts of intense situations. FIRST is not that intense. I can recall only a few situations where I was actually nervous - The final round of Ramp Riot. The game tied about 4 times -- it was incredible. We won by just 5 points. We were lucky that we herded that one ball with 35 seconds remaining in the match and then went for the hang where two robots were waiting. We hung -- and at the end of the match[after a long delay] we realize we're the only robot hanging because others had some part of theirs touching the ground. I guess the game does get involving, but it was fun. You know what paid off those 4 rounds. It was just that Corey and I kept our calm. We did not panic, or do anything crazy. You get used to it once you have played enough. So on overall, my advice is: Stay calm, and take it easy. It pays off. Trembling and thinking about yourself as being under great stress and pressure does no good[atleast most of the time].

Re: Driver Stress?
 

I can attest to that stress. On the first day of competition out drive program was messed up, making the bot VERY hard to control. As a result we got penalties and didnt do very well. A few members of the team were quoted as saying "your ruining it for all of us".

On the second day we fixed the program and kicked major a$$. it was too late for a comeback. I'm still feeling the stress of the competition.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

On our team, i am the team captain as well one of the drivers. Thats almost double the stress; however, my team and mentors are very supportive, and they know that everyone gives a 110%. I always tell my team members no one is allowed to criticise any member of the team except me :yikes:.

I have a a simple theology that helps me and my team mates reduce the stress: " Its not the result that matters; however, the effort we put in counts". So basically, i beleive that we cannot control the output, so there is no pressure. This helps me relax.

For every driver out there, its always sad to be eliminated or even lose, but i know each one of you gives all you have to drive your best, and there has to be a loser. But in FIRST everyone who builds a robot, shows GP and cheers no matter what happens is a winner, so basically everyone in FIRST is a winner.
And for all team members and mentors, always support you drivers, because untill you beleive in them they cannot beleive in themselves.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

No stress... no stress whatsoever! Ha! Im just kidding and everyone should know. Between our two drive teams at least one person has grey hairs... and that is ME! Only 17 here and four years of driving takes its toll but I'm not complaining.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Well guys look like i started some duiscusson here. Huh? I am leaving for Purdue tomarrow, all of the stress is gone but now the anticipation is killing me. Wish me and Team 1038 Luck! As to all of the F.I.R.S.T teams

Re: Driver Stress?
 

Stress has always been there. I have noticed that the more you operate, the stress level goes down. After operating for a while, I tend to get in a zone. I guess the most imporatnt thing i've learned about stress is that you can't let it make you a spectator instead of an operator. I think the stress just before a match makes a win that much better.

Re: Driver Stress?
 

[quote=Validius]I can attest to that stress. On the first day of competition out drive program was messed up, making the bot VERY hard to control. As a result we got penalties and didnt do very well. A few members of the team were quoted as saying "your ruining it for all of us".

On the second day we fixed the program and kicked major a$$. it was too late for a comeback. I'm still feeling the stress of the competition.[/QEUOT]


We broke our drive chain during a match in Sacramento. It was very different running with 3 wheels on one side and 1 on the other. I ended up getting stuck into the wall, while at the same time, pinning one of our teamates. Ya, it wasn't a good match. That's the only time that I got yelled at for driving bad; but when I explained that it wasn't my fault they let off.

I find my most stressful moment is on deck, (I usually surpress that by talking strat with the alliance teams). After that it's all anticipation, especiall in the instant after autonomous, but before driver control, when I have my hands on those controls.


My advice is to keep yourself busy. Distract yourself. And whatever you do, DON'T LOOK INTO THE STANDS, (unless it's to catch a glimpse of your gf :D )