[EricH]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

I really did not want to post in this thread until I saw this. I do not understand how you evaluate the skill of a coach based on their age. I honestly don't. If a student has been coaching on their team for 3 years, and an adult has been coaching on another team for 3 years, do they not have the same exact experience and a "level" field?

This.

Leadership/coaching ability/maturity do not depend on age. It's quite possible for a 17-year-old to have those qualities while a 27-year-old does not. And in that sort of case, I'll go with the 17-year-old every time, but if the opposite is true, then I'll go the opposite way.

What would I look for in a coach? Experience, maturity, leadership, calmness under pressure, and some strategic knowledge. Anyone who has those should be able to coach, no matter whether they're a retired engineer, a high school student, an actively working mentor, or a 10-year-old kid (who, incidentally, under FRC rules, could drive or coach).