Alliance Captain versus last pick in Alliance Selection

[Anupam Goli]

So at first I voted 1A and 2B. I feel like this question says about not just a person, but an entire team honestly. In my FIRST career, I've been at the very bottom, with a robot that couldn't score all season and ranked last, to most recently winning a regional and earning our spot to the championship. All throughout that career, I've always wanted to be the #1 seed and to win the competition. I was always of the opinion that being as close to that as possible meant we were improving. I'd rather be the dominant team on the field than sit and wait to be chosen, even if it means I don't get the banner. Of course, a trip to championships is a great catalyst for change, but it just feels so much better when you're the one choosing or the one contributing the most.

At championships, I've always had the goal of just making eliminations. So at first I chose option 2B, but now that I think about it, I feel like being just an alliance captain that exits quarters is more satisfying in my mind. It means our bot played well enough (or we got lucky enough I suppose) to seed high among all of the great teams at worlds. A world championship would do wonders for a program even as a 4th robot, but it feels so much sweeter to be a captain and know your program and bots are getting to that level.