1038 has competed for six seasons. The first two years we fielded a student coach. In our second year, we earned the position of alliance captain and won (with the help of excellent partners) our division in Atlanta.
At the end of our second year I was invited by the Team Leader to become the Coach. He made that decision for many of the reasons outlined by others. At the end of last season, one of our students (a senior this season) expressed a desire to coach. We put together a plan for him to gain some experience and he coached this season.
We made the decision to put Steve in as coach because he had demonstrated the capacity to fill the role.
Last year, I coached along side a student coach from 1126 (I'm pretty sure he was pre-college; at my age, it gets harder to tell
). He did an excellent job as coach and alliance captain.
There was a thread a few years ago about coaching that included contributions from Andy Baker, among others. They described the attributes of a good coach. They also outlined the expectations. If your team is fortunate to have somebody with those qualities available, then why not put them to use. We should strive to make the best use of all of our resources.
I think that coaching is an important role that benefits from continuity and experience; therefore, I am a proponent of mentor coaches.