[smurfgirl]

I agree with all the stuff you said about psychology- it is true, and I see it in myself and others. With that said, however, I don't think alliance selections are quite the same. For example, I went into the CT regional with a predisposition towards working with team 230, since we had just won the scrimmage with them, and our teams get along well. After coaching and scouting galore, the head scout on our team and I agreed that we would play better with 175, and it was a smart move not to put ourselves on a different alliance than our biggest opponents at the regional. Ultimately, it is robot performance etc. that makes teams decide on alliance partners- what you see at a given competition is what affects your choices.