Pit Crew
Maintenance
The primary job of the pit crew is keeping the robot working. Things break often during matches, and the pit crew's job is to fix (or stabilize) things.
The pit is a very tight space, so the pit crew is limited to 2-4 students. To make sure any issue can be fixed, there's a mix of mechanical, electrical, and programming expertise selected. If particular systems break, an expert may be pulled down to the pit to help with it's repairs.
Judging
Students in the pit are also responsible for talking to judges. Most awards are selected by a team of judges who visit the pits and interview students. There's no set schedule, so whoever's in the pit at the time will be responsible for providing the best possible pitch of what we've done.
Depending on the makeup of our pit team, we may have a dedicated student who's practiced answering judge questions, or may rely on our existing team to know it.
The pit is not a hangout space! It is really really tight with 4 people and a robot. Everyone is welcome to visit the pits, and many roles will have you around the pits, but unless you're on pit crew you need permission to visit to avoid crowding.