[maverickfan138]

I vote for dedicated students. As one of the student leaders on my team, I can say that it's been a difficult year for many reasons, but mostly because there have been students that don't seem to care. They just have no idea on the engineering process. The students that don't do much or don't seem to care don't realize how much work needs to be done. They are the people who think that you can draw up a design, and in a few days or weeks, it will magically appear.

Another very important factor, which is right below dedicated students, is good student leadership. Team 573 has the philosophy of students doing almost all of the work, unless something is dangerous or nobody knows how to do it. For a team like ours to operate, the team needs a few senior members who have the technical know-how and a decent engineering base. That way, they can teach other team members and make the jobs of the mentors a little easier.

Another point that I feel is worth mentioning is more of a competition specific factor, but it still makes or breaks a team. A good drive team is necessary. Over the years, I have seen students trying to drive robots where they either couldn't control it(either it was too complex or it was a design flaw) or they just didn't know the technique. Last year, I saw plenty of teams who either drove back and forth in a straight line, had trouble getting against a wall, or getting penalties because they drove somewhere they shouldn't have. A good coach is just as important. They need to know how to communicate with other teams and watch the field at the same time. The human player also needs to know how to do what they are supposed to. Lastly, they all need to know the rules inside and out.