[BillP]

Team 624 CRyptonite has always used students for coaches. Some have done very well, others not so well, but we have never considered changing (even though some of the students have asked us to).

There have been a lot of interesting reasons, one way or the other, posted in this thread and, in my opinion, they all have merit. The decision about student or adult coach appears to hinge on two factors: Best candidate and best advantage. For my part, I have always felt that the competitions are for the students; a chance to show off what they have accomplished and enjoy the adrenaline rush of the competition (I'm not sure my heart could take the stress behind the glass!).

A comment was made in an earlier post about letting the mentors have some fun too, and that FIRST is about students working with adults. First, thanks for thinking about us and second, your right about students working with adults. Our thoughts are the same, but we prefer to work with the students "behind the scene" as it were. I get my kicks out of watching the students take the lime light. Sometimes they shine brighter than at other times, but they always shine. The experience of the leadership required to be the coach is a huge step along the path to leadership among adults, and in society, and I would not want to deny that opportunity to the students. I get my chance every day when I go to work and, frankly, I need the break!

So, should students or adults be coaches? It doesn't matter to me. I prefer to let the students take the responsibility but have no problem with teams that feel differently. Each team has its own dynamics and needs to do what's best for them.

Oh, the questions:

Do you have an adult coach or a student coach? Student
Why? The chance for the learning experience
Do you feel it increases your ranking, winning, and success in matches? No
Do you feel it enhances your team as a whole? Yes
Do you feel it enhances the accuracy, precision, and speed in driving and operation? Possibly
What downsides are there? None

And if you have a student coach, please answer the additional question:
Do you feel intimidated or persuaded by adult coaches on your alliance? We have had students complain about overbearing coaches from other teams at competitions, but we just try to teach them how to handle these situations. After all, in real life, you will run into overbearing people, and you need to know how to deal with it.