Scouting Scouts

Gideon, Kai, and Coach Steven at NYC Qualifier 4

Scouting is a critical part of our team process both in and outside of qualifiers. We scout to learn more about all teams and who we might pair up with. The scouting team is led by Gideon, a new member this year!

We sat down with Gideon and asked him to explain his scouting process in an exclusive interview. Gideon is being interviewed by Amelia.

Amelia: Gideon, thanks for taking the time to discuss your scouting process. Our success at the last qualifier couldn’t have happened without you.

Gideon: True.

Steven: How do you choose your team picks, specifically at the last qualifier?

GB: While consistency is important in a team, we mainly focus on how their robots would complement ours. That’s what we looked for at the last qualifier and it worked out really well. We could go for high junctions quickly, so we wanted a team skilled in low and ground junctions.

AK: What is your pre-scouting routine?

GB: Either I or I force Alex to do the spreadsheet - we write down how consistent teams are and their average points per match. We also are looking, for SUPERS, how they qualified to get there. If it isn’t SUPERS, we look at their qualifications.

AK: How do you choose which teams to work with during the qualifier? In other words, what do you look for in a team during the qualifier?

GB: Some teams gave key chains out, so they went up on my list. Just kidding. But yeah, we mainly consider if they would work well with us. We also want them to be able to constructively take criticism.

AK: Many people don’t want to scout during the games, but how do you feel about it?

GB: I wouldn’t trade the scouting process for anything.

Steven: It is the most unappreciated but crucial role.

GB: Preach the scouting department. “I need to get paid for this.”

Thanks for the interview, Gideon! We hope you learned something about our scouting process.