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Unread 17-06-2011, 20:11
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J_Miles J_Miles is offline
FiM Referee
AKA: Jared Miles
no team (EngiNERDs)
Team Role: Alumni
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Rookie Year: 2009
Location: Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Re: Driver Selection: A Discussion

There are dozens of factors that go into choosing drivers, I feel. To have the best drivers for your team, I think you have to carefully consider a lot.

First, the team member in question must be a dedicated member of the team. If the member in question has priorities other than FRC that trump competitions, they can't be given the driver's position, because if another obligation comes up, you may become sans-driver for a competition.

Second, ideally, I think, drivers should have a working knowledge of the robot, so that he/she may help to diagnose problems on the fly, as well as work with programmers, designers, and builders to create a robot that works seamlessly with the requirements of the game and the driver's preferences

Another important factor for driver selection is workability and chemistry. If your team uses two drivers for the robot, those two must be able to work well together. If they do not communicate well, you're looking at a disaster waiting to happen. Drivers also should be obedient yet intelligent. Drivers should be able to follow instructions without hesitation, but must also be aware enough to challenge an instruction when needed.

Obviously, with all of these things in mind, the driver must also have skill, or at least potential. If a driver is nervous and inconsistent behind the controls, he/she may not be a good fit. If he or she improves a bit then hits a plateau that doesn't quite take full advantage of the robot's capabilities, he/she may not be a good fit. The ideal driver can correct his/her little errors quickly and independently, is willing to listen to and carefully consider criticism, and can and will improve throughout the season.

So, I don't think that the situation can ever be quite as simple as the original post implies, but to answer the question: I think that dedicated students should be rewarded in some way, but, at the same time, if a student is not a good fit for the driver's position, then a different reward can probably be determined. The goal of competing on the field is, honestly, to win competitions. As such, a driver behind the controls should be a mean to that end, just not a position won as a prize.
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