Driver Skill v. The Robot v. Strategy

[pbarrett03]

I think reliability is a big part of how the game plays out this year. Mentors have told us to try and build a robot that can be easily repaired, instead of on that is indestructible, in the 6 weeks we have to build. I think that a rugged robot is what will be a key part to victory this year. I found no greater thrill than being able to unlatch our crate, take out our robot and not have to rapidly fix or finish components to get it running. A simple, yet useful design it what will win it. In Arizona, we found that many teams were breaking down and not able to compete in prelim matches. When we were left without an alliance partner, we would score 30-40. When we had an alliance partner there, we were scoring 130+ each round(after multipliers.) Simply getting out there with a rugged robot is key.

While I think the robot plays a huge part, the ultimate fate of the match falls in the hands of the driver. If the driver knows how to use the robot well, it helps. If a driver understands strategy, there is nothing that can stop that team.