Picking Drivers?

[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.