Quote:
Originally Posted by ttldomination
We see merit in the idea of choosing a young driveteam and letting them grow into their competitive shoes, but it's hard to take a stance that not only goes against so many team members, but also requires that we place our faith in untested hands.
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But isn't every student who has never been on the real field "untested hands"? No matter what year they are, the competition field is a whole new ball game, and is always "untested" until a student's first few matches. So you are
always taking a risk.
Even offseason events, while the closest approximation, are not a guarantee of performance on the real field... the stakes are much lower, the environment slightly different, the pace slightly different, the robot much better known/vetted.
I've seen students who I never in a million years pictured would be good under pressure/on the sticks blow away competition... I've seen students that were "naturally skilled" crack under the pressure of the field. It takes a unique combination of skills and chemistry to build a drive team, which in many ways is why choosing a freshman drive team may be the best way to go.
Some of these are generalizations
- Freshmen/Rookies are more "moldable"... having never been part of the team, they have zero expectations or sense of entitlement to the role.
- Freshmen/Rookies may have "no fear"... ever seen a 5 year old barreling down a mountain on skis? they are unbreakable, they don't know how to be afraid yet. Freshmen, who have never experienced the pressure of a competition, in the pits or on the field, cannot have the same type of fear or understanding of the pressure.
- Freshman don't have senioritis... while many senior drivers want to go out with a bang, they also have other things to focus on. Meanwhile, Freshman may see the potential future ahead, and may be willing to work harder because they have more to lose - their future roles.
- Freshmen know they aren't "the cool kids on the block"... they may be more willing to take direction and do whatever they are told. In the hands of a skilled coach this can be incredibly valuable.
My favorite year with 1511 will always be their rookie year, and that was the year we handed the sticks to a set of freshmen... they were wide eyed and scared... one literally threw up before every single competition, but being so scared, they took direction incredibly well, and didn't laugh at us when we made them put on blindfolds and direct eachother around obstacles. While not the results of 2056, they did make it to 5th place at one regional, won our third regional, and won an offseason.
It can seem hard to justify, but that's where a strong team captain or team leader with a vision comes in. Sometimes you just have to make a decision and everyone has to live with it, and work towards the same goal. Find the right qualities that match what you are looking for, and spend the rest of the time training and building your drivers.