Driver Stress?

[Andy A.]

Driving can be a huge stress, as has been explained above.

Despite the stress, I would give anything to be back behind the driver station with an old flightstick in my hand. It's cool being a coach, but knowing that I'll never drive in FIRST again still bugs me. I wish there was a collage league in FIRST, if only so I could drive again. Maybe an off season dedicated to letting all us washed up drivers back in saddle.

Back on point, I loved the stress. It kept me focused and from slacking off. I consider some of my best work as a student in FIRST being what I accomplished as a driver. I'm a mediocre machinist and electrician, but I think I made a heck of a driver (forgive the lack of modesty). It also helped that the rest of my drive team were absolute pros, and I knew I had the best pit crew in FIRST ready to fix anything I broke (happened frequently). Having a fast, nimble and showy 'bot (the popcorn popper from '02) made it all the more fun.

The stress can weigh on you, but it can also keep you focused and working at your max. The trick is directing that stress in to a productive outlet and not letting it just chew at you. Instead of thinking that everyone is going to see you screw up royally in the next match, you have to convince your self that everyone is going to see you win the match even when both your allies get flipped and half your robot stops working.

-Andy A.

[akshar]

Im a rookie Driver of the arm for team 1568... the whole build season, we were going to use two sticks, both to operate the base and the arm, the day before shipday, the team decided to get another joystick and use it for driving...i decided to be driver for the arm and got 15 minutes of total practice, but i got a good idea on how to cap...tomoorow, will be a practice day for me with the bot, but by friday...all those vetran teams better beware of team 1568

oviously we are a rookie team (1568 has to be a giveaway) for everyone in the team all 7 of us plus the 2 junior high students, this is our first year in FIRST...so it will be a learning experience for the drivers, coach, and h player...so yes there is a lot of stress that drivers a re under.

[DarMagi]

As a driver for this year, am I stressed? I have to so that I am not stressed. I have this thing about thinking about everything as a practice even the real event. By keeping a train of thought of the event being a practice it allows me to remain cool and level headed and to not let the environment get to me. What i'm saying is that despite being a driver it can be stressful, but if you think of the situation as less stressful it will be less stressful, it's just a little mind trick that I have always used in my life even with tests like the SAT, and I am happy to say that I did really well for taking the SAT for the first time. But my advice, is to keep a good line of contact with the arm operator rather than the mentor as you both need to work well together. Just my thought anyways *shrugs* Take care now!

[haroony341]

last year, my third year on the team, my senior year was the first time i got to drive ina FIRST competition, but not the entire year. i took the role on the practice day at nationals. it took some time getting used too. it is stressful, especially the few seconds before taking control of the robot after autonomous. the one thing the drive team cannot do is hesitate. our coach in the booth is the one who makes the decisions and if they are right or wrong we follow them anyways. they are the ones who can see what is happening around the entire field and not just your robot. and the drivers cant let anything get to them. when a match started, i just tuned everything out except for the yelling coach. the round itself isnt stressful but the time before and after the match waiting for the scores are very stressful. but it is a learning process. if you make a mistake, see what went wrong and adjust for the next round.

drive the robot as if you stole it

[Ashley Weed]

To all of you drivers/operators upcoming and present, the most important thing is staying on top of your game in every possible way. Always know every element of the game, the rules down to the point where you talk about them in your sleep, and you can recite any one of them on a dime. Be knowledgeable of everyone else's game of whom you will come across. Don't ever underestimate a high number team because of their "rookie" status, and don't overestimate a low number team, and think you are going to get a "free ride" in a match partnered with them. If you have a strong support staff, treat them very kind. Whether they are your strategy crew, your scouting crew, your programmers, your pit crew, the rest of your floor team, or your "repair men". Always be looking out for someone you can be kinder to. If you do not have the support of others, you must be even more on top of your own game, step up your working potential, and dig for your own information, your own intelligence, and back up the driving skill you have way down in you!

I believe anyone who has the core backbone knowledge of the game, has excellent communication skills, and can one way or another acquire "intelligence" of their competition.... they have as much of a winning chance, as anyone else.

[Yan Wang]

I've done this too long now to really worry about the match itself. What happens will happen and everyone'll try to do their best job. This year, my drive team is awesome and I appreciate how well my arm operator does his job and how my coach informs me promptly and consistently of what I need to be doing.

The worst part? Remember the movie Spartacus when he's sitting in the wooden hut, unable to see what's going on outside, but hears the clanging of swords as he sits in front of his next opponent? Well, that's the worst part of regionals. At RIT, we weren't queued and I sat next to my drive team for 15 minutes in the pits, hearing the roar behind the curtain in front of us, waiting and waiting and waiting...

[dddriveman]

Originally Posted by Dan-o

I was the primary driver for MOE 365 in 2003 and I can say there's definitely a ton of stress at competitions. It's not necessarily generated by the team, but rather by the expectations you put on yourself. After making it through 2 ridiculous comebacks at Annapolis (1 by winning 68-67) I was so nervous that I felt sick. I have done some pretty nerve racking things in my life, but this seems to take the cake.

This year, I have been lucky enough to get the opportunity to be field coach for team 1493. Having been a driver, I feel that I have a better opportunity to make it easier for the drivers. My plan is to oversee the match, and tell the drivers in a calm, but quick voice what they should do next. At that time, I will sit back and wait until I need to give them another instruction. I'm hoping this takes a little of the nerves out of the picture so the drivers can perform to the best of their abilities.

I totaly agree all of the stress that you experience is from your own expectations of yourselve. Non is from the team, in fact rookies you will soon find that your team will be very supportive of you at compt.

[The Paco]

Originally Posted by JVN

feel free to join 229!

Is this offer extended to drivers from ... oh... say northeast ohio??? lol

[AcePilot]

I think this year there is more stress simply because most of the robots are based off of the same design. So the competition will be high scoring and the matches will come down to driver skill.

[JVN]

Originally Posted by The Paco

Is this offer extended to drivers from ... oh... say northeast ohio??? lol

Well... we can't take just anyone...
Stop by our pit in Cleveland, and we'll talk. Bring a resume.


(Just kidding, actually we're so shameless we DO take anyone... even Karthik.)

[Squeaky]

This is my first year driving but I have been part of First for 3 years, and I actually was very relaxed when it came down to competition time. I knew that my team and I had built an extraordinary robot and I was just out there showing off what our team had done as a whole. We didn't get much practice driving time before the competition, but our programmers made it as easy as they could with all the switches and buttons they used. (ex. joystick trigger makes the robot go full speed instead of half) I thought the real stress came inbetween finals rounds when you have to replace a chain, a battery, and rebend your arm back into place in 2 minutes because you already used your timeout. I also thought it was pretty stressful when we lost an idler wheel and my mentor yells at me to drive backwards the rest of the match so we don't tear up the carpet and get disabled... I got many complements about that round of driving afterward, but it was tough. My job is easy tho... My teammate / button masher has the tough job. She has to operate our sophisticated arm... She did an excellent job and helped us come out with the W at VCU

[The Paco]

Originally Posted by JVN

Well... we can't take just anyone...
Stop by our pit in Cleveland, and we'll talk. Bring a resume.


(Just kidding, actually we're so shameless we DO take anyone... even Karthik.)

ahhh !! iwont be in cleveland for reasons beyond my control... (freaking french club scheduled the class trip right over two very important regionals!!!)

SoOoOo well haveto talk at Nats... this appears to be quite the lucrative position...

[bradleym1559]

For me the most stessful part wasn't necessarily driving the robot but watching it in autonomous...It was so scary because we put everything behind our autonomous. It worked abou 95% of the time, but it was still scary to watch. Drivng was really stressful--the whole team is behind you and I didn't want to let them down. That was the worst part. My fingers went numb while i was driving, too...anybody else get that? Nevertheless it was a great challenge...And quite an honor to be the first driver the first year of our team.

[Corey Balint]

Wow, i saw this thread this morning and figured there would only be about 10 posts when i got home...i was wrong.

I was going to say, we have been discussing this over time in ECDU threads and the once popular chat rooms. Stress is something that will never go away, no matter how calm or cool you say you are, you are always afraid of messing something up. The best thing to do is remind yourself it is only a game, and you wont be shot if you lose(although you might be pelted with things by teamates, but it is all in good fun). Stress is something that you need to relieve in order to succeed. Although i said it will always be there, you have to be able to tone it down to do better.

I really cant think straight, writing an AP paper, but this is something to bring into the ECDU forums, where Im sure alot of people will talk about it/have talked about it.

[slickguy2007]

Don't worry too much about it. Last year I remember at my first regional as driver I was very nervous. After the first couple of matches I was so into driving that I didn't even notice all the people watching me. You will lose matches, it happens to everyone, but just chill your cauz your team will forgive you . You can look up at the crowd and feel proud that you had the guts to actually step up and become driver. I remember that after my first match at NJ I was approached by some people from the opposing alliance and they congratulated me. I felt so great and I knew that from then on I would try out to be driver every year. Good luck to everyone, I will see you at NJ, Buckeye and Nationals!!!


GO 1403!!!