Classic / Ultimate Drive Teams

[Ben Piecuch]

The 2001 Bobcat Team (177) of Eric O'Brien and Tom Schindler. They drove that robot as though it was a perfect extension of their own arms. Handling the Big ball, dragging goals around and balancing them on the bridge, as well as limbo'ing, were all made to look so easy... They turned an average, "do all" robot (one that didn't specialize in any one task, like most winning robots in 2001) into a Championship caliper Robot.

I guess that goes to show how much of a difference stick time on the robot means.

BEN

P.S. Andy, your alliance toasted our 175/126/230 alliance with your auto-balance. So, I can't give all the credit to your drivers that year...

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by Ben Piecuch

The 2001 Bobcat Team (177) of Eric O'Brien and Tom Schindler.

Yeah, they were very good. They toasted our alliance in the finals of our division in Epcot. Didn't these two goofballs wear "Sugar Daddy" (the candy) shirts or something like that? Crazy.

Andy B.

[65_Xero_Huskie]

The "best" driver combo from our team would have to be the 2003 drivers. They were -from what Ken said- in sync with each other. And not to mention our driveteam is on the FIRST brochure I love pointing that out to kid in our school.

[Chris Marra]

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

Yeah, they were very good. They toasted our alliance in the finals of our division in Epcot. Didn't these two goofballs wear "Sugar Daddy" (the candy) shirts or something like that? Crazy.

Andy B.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/12562

I think we found one of those shirts lying around the shop earlier this year near one of the 1997 Ring Wrangler cowboy hats

[Lil' Lavery]

The Beachbots (330) 2005-2007 drivers strike me as frighteningly talented. They took two great bots and took them up a notch into elite competitors.
Pretty much anyone behind the sticks for Buzz (175) is spectacular (unless their drivers end up sidelined...like Chesapeake 2007). Every year their drivers elevate their machines to compete with bots that should totally outclass them (not that 175's bots are bad).
222's 2004-2006 (2003 too?) driver was amazing as well. Even when the Tigertrons weren't particularly overwhelming in 2005 and 2006, he managed to get them into positions where they could win every match, and they often did. Pity 222 still hasn't been able to capture a regional title.
1038's 2006 driver managed to captivate me a few times with some ridiculous driving on Galileo. The Thunderhawks pulled off some moves that robots shouldn't be able to do (especially without an omni-drive), it was downright amazing.
And, of course, a shout out to 116's 2006-2007 drivers, Baxter and Justin. There's no way our machines should be putting up the scores they were when they were driving (including the 2006 & 2007 VCU high scores, and the 2007 Galileo high score). In 2006, we were one of the best offensive and defensive bots at both of our regionals, not because of our bot itself, but because of how well they could handle the machine. In 2007 the bot was good enough that we became the primary offensive option in every one of our matches, and they got a new job, beating the opposing defense, which they had mastered by the end of VCU (8 matches against the best defender we faced all year, 122, helped), and put on display at Championship, where we were routinely scoring through defense, even often double-teams.

[Nica F.]

254's drive team always are such smooth drivers/operators.
330 i have to say has had an amazing drive team since `05.
When it comes to my own team, I have to give props to our driver Rafi Ahmed because even if we get stuck with a boxbot or a drive base he is still able to play some amazing defense.