[ChuckDickerson]

The students vs. adults debate has been going on since the beginning of FIRST. It just won’t die. I care little to get in the middle of it and am mostly of the opinion that each team can run however they want to as long as students are inspired and learn something. I do however find it interesting when my students notice only adults working on robots in other pits at competition with no student in sight. Enough so to bring it to my attention and tell me that they are happy that they get to do all the work on our robot. Seems kind of hard to inspire the students if they are nowhere around. Our students really care little when they loose a match to a team that they know is mostly adult designed and built. They understand the point is not to win every match but the experience as a whole. Sometimes in the heat of competition even I tend to forget this and have had more than one student remind me that FIRST is more about the journey than the destination.

I am curious though how teams decide on adults vs. students on the field. Of course the drivers and robocoach/human player are required to be students but what do most teams use for the coach position? student or adult? We always give the option to the drive team. If they feel more comfortable with a more experienced adult behind them then we use an adult coach. If they feel more comfortable and less pressured with a fellow student behind them then student coach it is.

Also, what about the extra pit crew members allowed during eliminations. Do you usually use adults or students? I have seen both but for some reason feel the students are more inspired and maybe learn a little more being the ones on the field fixing their machines in those precious moments between elimination matches rather than sitting in the stands watching all the adult team members from a distance. Of course, that is just my opinion.