[thefro526]

I was a member of the drive team in my 4 years as a Student and was also team Captain for two of them.

That being said, on our team, the Captain is almost always a member of the drive team, but that's not a requirement. Usually the most involved and respected members are also the people who try out and have the skills to drive.

When forming a Drive Team we usually hold open try outs and let students get a feel for the robot. From there we try to set up a test to showcase their strengths and weaknesses and decide from there. Personalities also play a large part in our decisions because we've often found that some of the best drivers are also the most cocky and have difficulty working with other Teammates and Teams. The only year when we didn't hold to this was 2009 because of how the build season went. (Finished a week and half early, so myself and another student logged as many hours practicing as we could before ship.)

As far as the role of team captain goes, the captain is essentially the "Face" of our team. They're always in or around the pit area to talk to other teams, judges, alliances partners, etc... They're also the representative we send out during alliance selections.

The Captain on our team isn't decided through voting or anything of that sort because we've never needed to. Usually, every year there is someone who demonstrates extraordinary leadership qualities, Devotion to the team, and is well liked and respected by their peers, and that is who becomes Captain.