[Waynep]

If you look at 6 teams that made it to the Einstein this year, all 6 of them had an adult coach behind the glass. There are many advantages to having an adult coach.

I think having an adult coach on the field gives the mentors an opportunity to have control over a teams actions on the field, teach them sportsmanship, and how to be humble competitors. We all work hard for our teams reputations, and we don't want them tainted by others because of overzealous actions in the heat of battle. Having maturity and experience giving directions is greatly beneficial. A successful coach analyzes the entire field/game and does not just focus on his/her robot. Communication skills are important to as pointed out earlier in the thread. You don't win unless you can coordinate your alliance to perform as a unit rather than individuals. These are often tasks that are difficult for student coaches to master, but a student driver can learn these skills from having the guidance of a responsible adult coach.

As abrasive as Paul Copioli can be as sometimes (j/k) I learned so much from having him as a coach and would not be where I am in FIRST or my coaching career without him. As a student Paul inspired me, he lit my competitive fire, and he never made me question that he belonged there. I've continued to learn lessons from other adult coaches that are on the top of their game: Brendan 16, Shaun 25, Andy 45, Kenny 67, Dave 103, Raul 111, Mike and Steve 375, Derek 1114 etc.... Some of the lessons learned are about how to give your team that competitive edge, but a lot of it is watching their interactions with students/other teams and the lessons that they try to impart. For all the students on driveteams I urge you to pay attention to the adult coaches that are out there; there are a lot of things to be learned.

It's important to remember that MENTORS want to be a part of the robot action on the field too. A lot of us are competitive big kids. These mentors have donated countless hours working with the students and on the robots. These adult coaches want to play on the field in the position allowed by the rules. So students and teams who advocate "students only" please be open minded and respectful to these adults they've earned their rights to be on the field.

-wayne