[SSMike]

I was the coach for my team this year and I believe that I am the first student coach that we've ever had. The two previous years the coach was one of our teachers and mentors and he did an amazing job. So when this year I was asked to be the coach, I was honored. It really meant a lot to me that my team would chose me to be the one instructing (for lack of a better term) the drivers.

Coaching really is a great way to get more interaction between students and mentors, not just on your team, but on other teams as well. I know that just from pre-match strategizing that you get to know members of FIRST teams from around the world. And ultimately, IMHO, this is one of the most important goals of FIRST.

I will say this however, the coach needs to work well with the drive team and know how to keep them calm, yet still energized. On the issue of student vs. adult coaches, I agree with Andy in that it should be the person who is best suited for the role and can help the team the most. In my opinion, it doesn't matter if that person is a student or an adult, you can have success with either of them.