How do you select drivers?

[pyroslev]

Age old question, for which there is no one size fits all answer.
My wish list overall is four big things.

1. You want someone who knows how the robot was built/programmed. As in they helped build and repair it. If they know what the robot is truly made of, they can hopefully treat it with respect it deserves instead of abusing it like some drivers do. It'll also help in situations where damage happens. They can diagnose the issue, possibly, and ideally drive the robot smartly without more damage while being effective in a close match. And if they helped program the robot, then that will help in it's own way.
   
2. You want someone with a good handle on their emotions. You don't want a hot head who will accost people or an apathetic person who won't challenge an easy penalty. You do want some one who is passionate about what they're doing. Social skills with others fits into this category as well.
   
3. Rule knowledge is a must. Photographic memory isn't required but a working knowledge of the rules, how to play the game in it's current evolution and a little capacity to predict the next move move will make the entire team happy.
   
4. If they're already driving a vehicle, make sure they've got a good driving history there. (Silly sounding but actually can tell you volumes)

Beyond that, there are many more things you need to take into consideration. That's where your own judgement comes into play as it relates to your team. Even before the season starts, be on the look out for good students. Watch their progress so that when the season starts you can keep an eye on all the good candidates. Clear leaders for the drive team will become apparent as early as the day after kick off. By the time Week 3 is ending, your pool of candidates should be fairly narrowed down just by who's committed the most time. From there, you've got to make the decision that will work best for the team as a whole.

So bottom line: Don't be picking your drive team/drivers 2 minutes before the Driver's Meeting.