[Al Skierkiewicz]

Travis,
This is what I tell rookie teams at each regional on Saturday morning...
"Be sure to have a list of your top 5 #1 picks and top 5 #2 picks ready for alliance selection. Make sure you give the list to your team captain before alliance selection. If you find yourself in a position to be picking you want to be prepared and if you are picked you want to help your alliance partner pick another robot that will fill out your capabilities. If you choose someone in the top eight and they decline, do not feel bad, just move on to your next choice. They either think they have a better chance with another robot; they think they would like to play you; or they think your robot would be a better fit with another robot you have not thought about. Remember that this might be their and your last chance to bring home some hardware this season. Everyone wants to play on Saturday afternoon. Finally, remind your student to keep an eye on the available team list on the big screen. You don't want to pick someone that is already in an alliance, you don't want to look like a rookie out there."

I know there have been other threads about picking teams you know will decline so they cannot ask another team in the top eight. My $0.02 on this subject is Shame On You!