This year's rookies

[EricH]

I've seen the whole range. LA: two rookies, almost behind each other in the pits. 1515 was in the finals and one of the best rookie teams (as was 1622). On the other hand, 1697 needed help quite often. Yes, they drove. They even scored twice--under the goal. But they kept having technical problems-anything from a wheel being lower than its counterpart to having a drive wheel fall off during a match. They will return. My point? ALL rookies have the same problems, just some have more than others. ALL gain experience. Some will become champions rapidly (980 comes to mind-4th year team and winning regionals since last year, maybe before). Others will just grind along for years. But its not about arriving, its about the journey.