[Kit Gerhart]

First of all, while it is not a pleasant experience, a team should not feel too badly about not being picked. Fewer than half the teams are going to be picked, meaning that a lot of good teams will be spectators after lunch. We are in the enviable position of being an eleven year veteran team which has done at least reasonable well in the last four years' competitions. Even though it is by no means "fair," this helps us to get picked at the competitions.

That said, there are a number of ways for non-qualifying teams to increase their chances of being picked. The biggest thing is to sell yourself. Know your strengths. Are you reliable? Can you collect and score a lot of balls? Can you push a goal with an opponent's robot attached from one end of the field to the other? Whatever your strengths are, you need to have a person or a few people who are good at selling your strengths to other teams, but without appearing to be bragging too much.

Try to determine what qualifying teams can best use your strengths. In this year's game, qualifying rank doesn't mean much. If you win all of your Q matches and have zero qualifying points, you will seed last, but will be a very good partner for someone. The bottom line is that, especially for a rookie team, ability to sell your strengths is what will increase your odds of playing after lunch on the Saturday of the competition.