[tribotec_ca88]

Originally Posted by Karthik

The most important quality for a FIRST driver is maturity. Unlike driver skill, which can developed through practice and training, maturity is something that develops over a longer period of time. FIRST competitions are stressful events. You need to have someone who isn't going to buckle under the pressure. Your driver has to be able to handle being center stage in front of thousands of screaming fans. Whether perceived or real, the driver will be feeling the weight of the expectations of his/her entire team. It takes a very strong character to handle this type of pressure and responsibility. Being able to stay calm, cool and collected through all this requires a huge amount of maturity.

Great point. I'm not a driver, but speaking from my experiences as a coach last year, training around in your team's classroom is one thing. Driving it in front of thousands with your team counting on you is another. I remember that before every single match the adrenaline rush would get me...I handled it fine, but I thought to myself "If being coach is already a stressful task, imagine being a driver...!!!"

Our team has annual tryouts...all we basically do is have our candidates drive through an obstacle course. I would suggest defining your driver(s) early during build season or even before the kickoff (if you have another bot to practice with), so that way these people can train throughout those weeks til regionals.

Oh, and another thing. ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP DRIVER!!!! Or two. You never know what may go wrong....

Best of luck!!!