[Dan Richardson]

I was a human player/driver for 4 years, the stress is HUGE. Because It always come down to you. 6 weeks of blood sweat tears and Jolt come on to your shoulders. Then there is of course your team that comes down on you if you make a small little mistake, especially when your team is one of those win or go home scenarios ( win a regional or no nationals type deal )

It can be a huge responsibility being a driver, You are your teams front line of representation. Many times the way a team is judged can come down to your drivers. This might not be fair but its reality, if you don't conduct yourselves in a GP manner then your team can get a bad rep for it. Many times when you talk to people who have problems with other teams it comes down to poor driver conduct on and off the field.

So as a driver its more a state of mind, to be able to take the beating when you need to, and always respond in a positive manner. You are the front line of politics, your the front representation of performance to the Judges. FIRST is the only TEAM sport thats played by a single person. Its hard but its the job, and somebody has to do it. Embrace the challenge succeed in it, and emphasize your efforts. But what I had to learn in my 4 years as a driver, even if you mess up and lose a match, or make a poor decision, and everyones torn apart in a heart breaker, don't let it take from the REAL FIRST experience. There is so much to be gained from these seasons aside from the great competition, only when you lose sight of that is when you could actually become the loser.

To Those who are about to do battle in a robotics game I Salute you


Dan