[Martinez]

Might I make a suggestion that may sound a bit controversal?

I suggest adding a line for Pick/No Pick and Why (Offence/Defence/Endgame etc). My experience (over 8 years) is that the hardest thing about Scouting is determing who will work best in your alliance and why. By asking my students what are the particular pros and cons to any potential partner, it gets them thinking in that engineering mind objectively who is the "best" out there but also who might be a "hidden gem." For me in particular it is very difficult to determine a quality second round pick and where I rely the most input from the entire team. By placing such a catagory it really helps shifting through the data at 11:00 PM Sat night.

Also, communicate to your students that Scouting is not just about forming a Pick List. You effectively are the eyes and ears of your team. There is tons of data available but very limited time to gather it in so it is essential to prioritize. Drivers typically only have time to learn about only those teams they have worked/competed with and prepare for the next match, just like a fighter pilot. If your information is quick, compact and well organized then it can provide a solid tactical advantage. My most successful year (Philly 07) with Chuck was primary due to our ablity to feed information from the morning matches directly to the Drivers for the afternoon and beyond.

Its a difficult job that can be highly underated, but if you can explain every team in one to two sentences (weaknesses, strengths and capablities) then that is huge. It will also prove to be a very in demand skill in industry when with the Chief Engineer or major Program Manager and you only has five minutes of his time to get the bottem line.