Short Coaches
 

Team 1155's mentee team, team 2265 will be faced this year with the issue of having a coach unable to see over the students due to her height and i was wondering whether or not this problem has been experienced before and by what means has it been overcome. Team 2265 is unfortunately a small team (number of people wise) limiting their options concerning who they can spare to fill the role of coach during matches at the NYC regional with the best choice unfortunately being around 5' 4". We are concerned that despite this person’s other characteristics which make her perfect for the role, she will be at a disadvantage concerning her view of the playing field and ability to see over the drivers.
Have other teams experienced this issue before or does anyone have a any possible solutions?

Thanks
-Simon

Re: Short Coaches
 

our coach is 5 5 or 5 6 i think
its not a problem

Re: Short Coaches
 

Have the two drivers stand farther apart so the coach can stand between them?

That's the only way, I can think of, to solve this problem.

Re: Short Coaches
 

Simon, don't worry about it. The coach will be able to see most of the playing field just fine. If she does need a bit of a lift, we can loan 2265 a stepstool.

Re: Short Coaches
 

I am maybe 5'5, I just finished coaching my fifth event, and I can't recall ever having a problem with seeing around my drivers. Regardless of your coach's height, you should try to maximize the distance of the two operators so you can see between them. Height is definitely an issue for human players this year, but really not so much for coaches.

Re: Short Coaches
 

Are operators allowed to stand on chairs?

Haha, I'm 4'10" (driver, not coach), and I had some trouble seeing at Calgames 2006 because so many of the bots were shaped like boxes and all the action was right in front of the station wall. This year it isn't a problem because everything is happening in the middle of the field, and our coach doesn't have any problems seeing around us (the other driver is significantly taller :p)

Re: Short Coaches
 

I cannot find a rule to back this up, but based on my observations of other teams this season, it is at least de facto okay to stand on something if you would otherwise have difficulty seeing. I don't know whether or not this requires special permission, or if it's only allowed in exceptional situations.

Re: Short Coaches
 

This year our drivers are 6'3" and 6'4" (thats me) and our coach is about 5'4 or some where in there he has had no problem. i however have had a problem. I have had to hunch over to get a clean view of the field. those light boxes that show your team number are about eye level with me. anyone else have that problem?

Re: Short Coaches
 

I guess if you have a smaller then averae person on your drive team or coach, just try to accomadate them, and they canalways move around in the alliance box. My senior year on my high school team, one of the drivers was,.... how do i say, small, around 4' he carried out a stool, while me and the other driver carried out the bot, it worked out great and he was a good driver. I guess size is one thing that people have to work with and i have seen many places where people have come up with some great ideas.

Re: Short Coaches
 

I almost thought this thread was a joke when I read it:)

But seriously:
I know that it is illegal for human players to use any sort of mechanical device that would give them an advantage; this would include a stepstool of any sort. But as far as I know, the rules say nothing about coaches using stepstools. If you really are worried about this, go ahead and put it in the FIRST QnA.

I think this is a non-issue, though--we have a short coach (sorry Mark;) ) and he'll just move to a side or stand between the drivers during the match.

JBot

Re: Short Coaches
 

Ok, I'm coach for team 1359 and I've never even immagined that the coach could have a problem seeing the feild. I just stand to the left of the drivers, there's tons of room there and when you need to get in thier face and tell them what to do, you just point.

I really dont understand how the coach could get through to the drivers if he/she was always standing behind them. Just stand to thier left or right and there's no need for a stool.

Re: Short Coaches
 

I'm one of two coaches for our drive teams, and I have a similar problem. I'm only 5'1" with drivers ranging from 5'7" to 6', I can't see over their shoulders. When our team practices, I usually stand on a chair behind them, which works well, but now I'm realizing I maybe shouldn't have done that considering I won't have that height advantage at the regionals. At the scrimmage, it wasn't too much of a problem because as the coach, I could easily move around to see the rest of the field, but I'm still anxious about what will happen at the regionals... at least our other coach is 6'1". (-:

Re: Short Coaches
 

I was the coach on my team form 2004-2006 I am 5'4" I recall doing to a lot of jump up and down and moving from one side to the other (but most coaches do that anyways). The drives were a few more inches taller than me. I was just excited about the matches.

Re: Short Coaches
 

AHH! *frustration*

Just stand to thier left! That's what I did! Who says you need to stand behind them?!

Re: Short Coaches
 

Yeah I'm 6'5 and its really annoying to have to hunch over.

Re: Short Coaches
 

Our coach is 5' 0" and our drivers are both over 6'. She doesn't seem to have any problems because she's always moving to get the best view/angle. She dashes back and forth from the left to the right. The problem with using a stool or chair to step on is you are stuck in one spot and will probably crash during some intense moment. In previous years our coach was FIRST legal because she also weighs 120 on the button!

Re: Short Coaches
 

I'm a coach & I'm shorter than my drivers -- I stand beside them & yell really loud. They yell at each other too & if I'm behind them I can't hear what they're saying.

Re: Short Coaches
 

Exactly. I just go up to thier left. That way, I can get up in front of them and tell them where to go. You can't do that too easily from behind.

Re: Short Coaches
 

Come on guys, give me some credit... 5'6". This will be my 5th year coaching and before that I drove for 3 years. I never have had an issue with either due to height. Although in 2003 the team did create a pair of shoes that were an extra 12 inches tall for me; after rolling my ankle a time or two the shoes came up missing.

Re: Short Coaches
 

i'm 5'2 -5'3.. and i had a problem coaching lol.. i usually stood next to the driver.. or stood on my tip toes the whole time... but it wasn't a major problem except when the robot was in the home zone

Re: Short Coaches
 

I'm 6' tall, and I sometimes have trouble seeing over my drivers... then again, that's because they're almost as tall as I am. One of them was the driver when he was a freshman, 2 years ago, and I was the coach. I used to be able to see over him pretty easily when I was standing right behind him. When we went out for our first match at St. Louis, I kept thinking "something doesn't feel right... why can't I see that well..." until I realized it was because Jon (our driver) had gotten taller!

Re: Short Coaches
 

Will someone please acknowledge my input?

I'm the coach for team 1359. I have never had any problem whatsoever with not being able to see the feild or the robots. I stand to the left of the drivers almost up to the glass. And i'm finding it REALLY strange that so many people have the problem of not being able to see OVER thier drivers. WHY DO YOU STAND BEHIND THEM!? ahh *frustration*

Re: Short Coaches
 

As a coach I have never had a problem. The coach can move anywhere behind the field. If you can't see through your drivers move so you can see. Its really nothing to be concerned about.

Re: Short Coaches
 

I never really had a problem. My drive team in 2005 was an average of a 1' taller than me. You just gotta keep moving (it helps to do that just so you can communicate to the other coaches, as well).

Re: Short Coaches
 

even if you can see over your drivers, they are probably yelling at each other, & you will only be able to make informed decisions if you can hear what they're saying. What's the point of yelling "go forward" over & over to your poor driver if something's messed up on the robot & it won't go?