[Ekcrbe]

Our emphasis is on not only who can do one thing, but who can do multiple things on the drive team. For example, our manipulator operator was the second -best chassis driver,* and the inbounder was a combination of third-best driver and best inbounder* (it was convenient that our inbounder was both of those, so we could chose without compromise*). Our backup drivers are backup for any position on the team, not just one specifically. If either the driver or operator is out, the backup driver takes on manipulator duties and (when applicable) the manipulator operator takes the chassis. The backup human player is the same as the backup driver to provide as much consistency as possible within the unit. Our coach is always a mentor. We get tryouts in during build season with an old chassis so we can start practicing as soon as a manipulator is ready and on the practice bot.

One last thing to note is that you need to practice not only with your best drive unit, but also mix in the backups one at a time to practice any possible configuration that could come up in a competition. You wouldn't want head out for a match with someone driving in an unfamiliar position or with an untested driver-manipulator partnership.

*Based on driving time-trials and inbounding accuracy tryouts.