Alliance Captain versus last pick in Alliance Selection

[EricH]

Originally Posted by JamesTerm

Forgive me... I want to translate this double negative...

I'd argue that at every FRC event, being a captain is always big deal to the average team.

I think I got that logic right... if not let me know.


I don't disagree with you


But I gotta ask... why is it such a big deal? I don't get it. Is it bragging rights? Is it the hunger for power? Why is being in control such a big deal?

It's that you're in a more exclusive club.

8/40 vs 24/40 is kind of a big deal, even bigger at bigger events (or at smaller events--if everybody plays in the elims, then the folks who determine who plays whom are kind of a big deal, no?).


It's also--to some extent--building a better robot. For teams that don't make eliminations routinely, being an AC is a HUGE highlight. Particularly if they are usually being picked rather than picking. It's validation of their hard work--possibly over the last X years.

For a powerhouse team, sure, AC isn't that big a deal necessarily (NOT being an AC would be a bit disappointing)--but, remember, a powerhouse tends to be in the picking position.


Just to look at a couple of scenarios:
Powerhouses are used to being ACs or (early) 1st-round picks. While being picked up in the 2nd round can be disappointing, winning sure looks good. But it's really nice to control your own destiny to a point.

An average team is used to being late 1st-round or 2nd round, maybe backup--if they aren't packing up after selections. (Depends on event size--out here, your average team is likely thinking about packing up by QFs. In districts or smaller regionals, not so much, as they're likely in the 2nd round or before.)

And then there's the outliers on the other side. You pick 'em, it makes their year that they're even playing on Saturday, because they're used to packing up right after their last match of quals. If they're an AC, somebody hand them a picklist, they'll probably need it. OTOH, maybe they're just starting their rise...