drivers\coach selection

[anushad]

For 2876, the rules test is simply a benchmark, as rules can be taught: if they get a 70 or above, they're eligible. It's just a checkmark, and unless someone really gets 100%, I don't consider it farther than that.

We currently don't have the resources to have a running practice bot, so tryouts have to be really quick. We usually just do a communication test (if you look up "Destination Imagination Instant Challenges" those are usually where I get my ideas from) and a practical test, and both scores are weighed equally.

Another huge consideration many teams don't consider is personality conflicts. Drive teams are going to spend a lot of time together, and fighting is often inevitable. But, if members dislike each other from the start, that's bad.
We have more information about our processes here,

[JesseK]

Ah yes - I forgot about the rules. I don't quiz the kids on the rules. The kids take it upon themselves to quiz each other, but nothing is formal. Until week 6 the potential drivers are usually busy building and testing the robot within the rules, so they've forgotten the fine details of high-level strategy/rules by then.

They're reminded of rules by competition time in one form or another - usually through practice, drills, and by watching Week 0 events. As the drive coach and team strategy nut, I make sure they know them by the time they hit the field.

[New Lightning]

What I think has been lacking in this thread so far is team chemistry and the importance of the building the team in the right order.

For example who is really in charge when it comes to a match. Is it the Drive Coach, the Head Driver? If you don't know you need to figure it out. A persons ability to respond to commands really doesn't mean much unless when your testing them its coming from the person who will be giving them those instructions during the match. I.E. Unless its the actual drive coach giving them the instructions during the test then it has little applicable value to building your team.

Building the team chemistry is key, because even if you have the best people for the individual task in a certain role, that doesn't mean that they will click well as a team. And then you face the decision of who to replace. Which is why knowing who the the key of the drive team is really going to be important.

And once you get that team then individual team building should really be taking place. The driver and co-driver should be so in-tune and know what the other person is thinking that they shouldn't really have to talk to each other during a match. They should have spent enough time together learning how the other person thinks that the execution of tasks across the robot is fluid. And in that same manner the coach should have to know how both the driver and co-driver think in order to be the most effective when communicating. All these things come from team building.

On a cautionary note the drive team could become almost cliquish in this manner because they could be so in-tune with each other that any outside presence could be distracting and harmful to the function of the drive team. Whether you're okay with this or not is up to the individual team. The best way to prevent this, I believe, is to incorporate your scouting and strategy teams in practice sessions and some of the team building activities, not all. this will help alleviate some of the cliquish nature while still retaining a great since of drive team cohesion.