[Nathan Kroll]

I was a driver on a FIRST team for four years. I had my share of both what you would call good and bad coaches and good and bad matches. We tried several forms of coaching on our team including student coaches. There were several times when I felt that the coaches I had on the field with me were a nuisance and I would be better off without them. However, that feeling was usually generated out of the heat of the competition and my own stubborn attitude. Looking back I have realized just how important it is for adults to be out on the field as it is for students. This competition isn't about students trying to prove that they are just as good of strategists as adults or that they are smart enough to do it on their own. A major point of FiIRST is teamwork, not only between peers, but also between students and adults. Not many students I hung out with in high school were able to say that they have been treated as an equal by educated professionals twice their age (most of my friends at ccollege cant say that either). One of the most gratifying things I took out of the driving experience was feeling that the engineers and advisors I worked with (not only on my team but on most others as well) treated me as an equal, just as long as I didn't portray myself as a cocky do everything myself student.
I kinda got off subject, but the basic point is that FIRST is all about teamwork, and one of the most intense environments to show teamwork under is on the field. I feel FIRST is taking away from that experience a little by sending out a maximum of 1 adult. Just my opinion though....