[Billfred]

We had the same driver (and often the same operator) our first three years; both had to go and graduate after last year, so it was basically open call this year.

There were no official tryouts with this year's robot (we bagged a robot with a dead cRIO), so we plunked a Vex controller into last year's and drove it around. We knew it was not a true simulation (long base versus wide, different sprocket reduction and wheels, Cortex controller versus the driver station), but it helped us see who had the right mindset.

We took into account other things (reliability, personality, dedication, general "it" factor), and the mentors huddled and made our decisions. Human player was tag-teamed a bit, but our driver, operator, and field coach (our graduated driver now at USC) stayed constant over our season.

After coaching Peachtree and part of Championship last year, I was a little reluctant to give up the button, so I did pull our drivers aside at times to make sure our new coach was making the transition well. With good reports there, I left him to it.

My personal stance is that the field coach runs the drive team (and has a measure of control over the pit). Whether it's talking strategy, switching out a job, or making a change to the robot, it goes through him.

$0.03 (darn inflation)