[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Dylan Gramlich

I agree whole-heartedly with what Ken and Andy have just said. I have always felt that students should get the experience coaching and that it would help many students, but I have never been against mentors coaching also. I have coached alongside mentors that let their students do the talking while they sat back and listened to the gameplan unfold. I have had the honor to work with (imo and many others) some of the rockstars of FIRST like Ken Patton and Paul Copioli (might have spelled that wrong). I gained alot from listening and watching them coach, but I also learned from the students they coach, seeing the way they listen and are so attentive to these mentors makes me wonder what my team mates think of me as their coach. I may never get the chance to coach as a mentor, since my team has always used student coaches, but I know that I can still pass down the knowledge I have gained to those that come after me.

There is a lot of wisdom in this post. A whole lot. Sometimes it is good to rein in the passion and look at this through introspective eyes as Dylan has done. It made me think that the mix is good. If we had all teams with adults coaches or all teams with student coaches - the competition would become more limited, not allowing the levels of experience to work together and explore opportunities.

I would love to spotlight this whole post. It is a winner.