From a Newton Volunteer

[Steven Smith]

Why can mentors be drive coaches?"

I'm from a program of mentors who have historically supported the mentor drive coach train of thinking.

If you have a mentor that is so emotionally invested in winning a championship that they disrespect or discourage the students (their team or others), that is a personal problem, not a problem that stems from allowing mentors to be drive coaches. That same personality will do the same thing (albeit less noticeably) in the design meetings, pit area, etc.

In general, the average mentor should have more emotional maturity than the average student, and be able to be a positive voice in the drive team. A good mentor drive coach watches for aggressive behavior from other drive teams or mentors and works to diffuse them. In my short time in FIRST, and as a mentor drive coach this season, I'd say we're at a 90%+ "good mentor coach" level.

Even if it was only high school students, if I have a team of freshman driving, in an alliance with a strong willed student drive coach, who is coached by the same mentor you're trying to weed out... that senior is likely to act like an equal jerk to the mentor coaching them.

So kudos to bringing it up. The scenario needs to be taken with a grain of salt, as in every competition tensions rise and people behave less than perfectly. However, this behavior affects everyone differently, and we need to be sensitive to the fact that as important as that qualification match may seem, the way to get the rookie team to give you their auton ball isn't to be a bully. Whatever the outcome of the match, acting like a jerk to get a win will never pay off in the long run.