Picking Drivers?

[rocknthehawk]

you bolded my answer. I was the best person for the job that wanted to drive. I know this because they picked me for the position and told me that.

i still disagree with you, i think anyone who wants to drive is eligible for the job, not someone who doesnt want to do it.

[phrontist]

Originally Posted by rocknthehawk

you bolded my answer. I was the best person for the job that wanted to drive. I know this because they picked me for the position and told me that.

I bolded your answer for a reason. You were the best person that tried out, and my personal thinking on the matter is that often the good people are the ones who don't try out.

[rocknthehawk]

my personal thinking on the matter is that often the good people are the ones who don't try out.

so how exactly does your team pick drivers then?

[phrontist]

Originally Posted by rocknthehawk

so how exactly does your team pick drivers then?

Last year only one person didn't refuse, he drove. If we ever needed a system, I'd make tryouts mandatory for all robotics team students and do them in front of the whole school at an assembly (to simulate the pressure of competition). Have an obstacle course that each student runs and whoever has the best time is the driver. If that driver is deemed uncommitted to the team, they are removed from the team and the next best person becomes driver. The only problem would be convincing the administration to have the assembly...

If we could pull it off though it would have the pleaseant side effect of raising schoolwide enthusiasm for FIRST.

[Denman]

for the last year one person on our team has done all the driving at sponsors and stuff, and they have the best handling of the robot, as when he lets someone else drive they tend to go a bit erm,, erratic lol... they are also the "senior" builder, and knows the robot pretty well. Unfortunetly, being in
england, we have only got students from 2years, so he will be leaving next year . . . . .
i think the best thing to do is to get people who want to do it to all have a go with the robot, and let them get used to the controls. then the best people can drive, and the others can do their other jobs.. .. .. .. ..

Yah we have tryouts. Basically based on who is the best driver and human player. lol
-Court-

[Joel Glidden]

Someone that will drive the robot all out.

Quoted and bolded. Clearly there are other factors that go into the assignment of the driver role, but this one is a big one for me. As an on-field coach, I want a driver with that good old killer instinct. In the past I've told my drivers the following, "It was the design team's job to design a robust robot. It's the pit crew's job to fix the robot if the design team didn't hit the mark. It's our job to put forth our very best competitive effort. Don't worry about breaking the robot!"

-Joel

[AmyPrib]

Originally Posted by phrontist

I'd make tryouts mandatory for all robotics team students and do them in front of the whole school at an assembly (to simulate the pressure of competition). Have an obstacle course that each student runs and whoever has the best time is the driver. If that driver is deemed uncommitted to the team, they are removed from the team and the next best person becomes driver.

First, I don't understand why you'd make every single student on the team be required to try out for driveteam roles. As some have said, not everyone WANTS to be on the driveteam. Some are much better and comfortable as part of the design, build, debug, fix, etc parts of the team. Why would anyone want to force them to do something they don't want to? As it is, FIRST is mainly a voluntary organization.
Just because someone doesn't want to be on the driveteam, doesn't mean they're not committed. So you're saying that if a forced student doesn't do well on an obstacle course, they should be assumed uncommitted, and kicked off the team? Do you mean, team in general, or just drive team?

I think there's a certain point to which you can "strongly encourage" some students to try out for driveteam roles, even if they're seemingly uninterested. But, if a student blantantly is not interested in driving, then why waste yours and their time? If you see even a little bit of interest, you can strongly encourage them to go for it... I would think most teams encourage all their students to try out to begin with, but they don't force them. Just doesn't make sense to me to make that type of thing mandatory. But that's my opinion.

Our team asks the team who's interested in these roles, and many of them want to try out.. So we have different types of tests using the game's features, and based on many things, we narrow it down to a couple people per position. We normally have each person try out during our first regional as well, and then try to narrow it down to 1 per position for second regional and Nationals. Works out pretty good.

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by AmyPrib

First, I don't understand why you'd make every single student on the team be required to try out for driveteam roles. As some have said, not everyone WANTS to be on the driveteam.

On a successful team, some people are going to have to do some things that they don't want to. If your best driver happens to be someone who is reluctant to undertake the role and therefore does not try out, you would never know who your best driver is.

As a result of putting your third, fourth, fifth best person into the driver role, all of the hours of work and sacrifice that the rest of the team has made may come to nothing.

Ideally, you will put people where they are best suited, by self-interest, skill, and temperament. However, there will be cases where people have to suck it in and do what's best for the team.

[The Paco]

Originally Posted by Rob Colatutto

On 229 we have a driver training handbook written by John and revised last year by Chris. I didn't feel the need to really revise any of it this year so it has remained unchanged so far.
http://www.team229.org/resources/single/110
Such as with all the documentation on our website, feel free to use this handbook or modify it to fit your needs as long as due credit is given to the makers.

thank you to JVN and all his cohorts on team 229 for putting out such a valuable document. i think team 48 may adapt and use this handbook for the 2005 season and hopefully many more to come. Thanks again JVN for all your great advice

[AmyPrib]

Originally Posted by Andrew

If your best driver happens to be someone who is reluctant to undertake the role and therefore does not try out, you would never know who your best driver is.

As a result of putting your third, fourth, fifth best person into the driver role, all of the hours of work and sacrifice that the rest of the team has made may come to nothing.
However, there will be cases where people have to suck it in and do what's best for the team.

I guess I don't agree, but we all have our own opinions. I think if someone is going to be so extremely good at something that they're the "best", they'd have some interest in doing it. As a coach, I'd think I'd rather have an enthusiastic driveteam that may be third or fourth best, who can learn and become better, rather than a driveteam that is forced into it. I think the "best" driver has the technical characteristics, PLUS the "want" to do it. I guess the definition of "best" varies, and I don't agree that all those long hours of work and sacrifice may come to "nothing" as a result of ANY driver you choose.

I think you are right in that for a successful team, there are jobs that some people might have to do, even though they don't like it. However, I don't think that driveteam roles are included in that. For them to "suck it in" and do what's best for the team, implies that winning is most important and the "best" driver is the only one that can lead to victory.

So anyway, I think having voluntary try-outs for any and all students is a pretty good setup. There are many factors that ultimately come into the final decisions, but I think it can be open to everyone who wants to try and they should be encouraged to do so. Each team has different ways of doing it, and it may take a few years to figure out what works best.

Originally Posted by Andrew

On a successful team, some people are going to have to do some things that they don't want to. If your best driver happens to be someone who is reluctant to undertake the role and therefore does not try out, you would never know who your best driver is.

If that kid who might have the best skill (who didn't want to drive) ends up as your driver, still with the frame of mind that they don't want to do it, that will lead to the team's downfall...

I sure as heck wouldn't want someone on my drive team who didn't want to be there...it will cost you in the long run, especially down the stretch in elimination matches where concentration is key.

[tiffany34990]

our drivers are picked because of ablility-- they know how to drive the robot well during the heat of competition and can make good judgement calls

we group up our drivers and operators at competitions and see how they perform-- in the end those that drive know who's better and will step down and will help our team win--and if that perchance doesn't happen the team comes together to decide and the mentor give their input what they see on the side-- we like to pair the driver and operator that work well together too that is important

it's really a hard choice to do-- we don't get that many people that want to drive about a 3 or so drivers and operators each-- but it's all good

funny though some ppl just make great drivers and other well aren't like me--but that's alright because we all do our part to make the team great

[Ryan M.]

As Amy said, FIRST is voluntary. The students on your team aren't there because they are forced to; (well, I hope they weren't forced) they're there because they enjoy it. If you make them do something they don't want to do, do you think they're really going to have fun with FIRST? Some may just quit right then, others (I'd be one of them) wouldn't come back to your team next year, maybe I'd never be in FIRST again.

Yeah, sure, someone who doesn't want to be a driver may be the best, but does it matter? The point of FIRST isn't winning the regional champion or national champion trophy. The point of FIRST, at least in my humble opinion, is to expose students to engineering. I learned a lot from my first year with FIRST and I hope that I'll learn even more this year.

What I'm saying is that you don't need to have the "best driver" on the team be your driver to make the season great. It's what you try, not what you accomplish.

[Tytus Gerrish]

I think the most important thing Fster a good robot and good stragity. is a Good driver i mean the driver's and operator's are the most important of the robot. be it programing or humans like myself. But i also agree that a Driver can be the best in the worls but can be a horible teammate. I mean durring a competitoon He or she has to be ddicated to that competition. they cant be showing up late to matches (Too Often :Cough Cough: ) a driver had to know the game like he was the one who designed it. and must have most importantly is Practice.