Adult coach?

[Taylor]

Does your team normally have an adult coach in the drivers' station during competitions, or are all positions usually taken by students?
If you care to do so, please enlighten us as to the thought process behind your choice.

edit: This is by no means meant as a thread to discourage one method or another; just a forum in which different styles and the reasoning behind them may be discussed. Thank you for keeping this in mind.

[Qbranch]

What's the difference between Adults at least 50% of the time and Students at least 50% of the time? Aren't those two ways of expressing the same thing?</probable curiosity>

We have had both student and adult coaches in the past, but as a note, our adult coaches never have been over the age of 20-something, not by design, just by how it happened.

For instance, our amazing coach this year (Marc in this picture) was an adult, but just to years previous he was our driver.

It seems like people who have been drivers and operators previously are the best coaches... but a college student that can make it to all the events are REALLY hard to find.

-q

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by Qbranch

What's the difference between Adults at least 50% of the time and Students at least 50% of the time? Aren't those two ways of expressing the same thing?</probable curiosity>

If you use adults exactly 50% of the time and students the other 50%, then the two choices are equal. But if it's 51/49 or any other ratio, then only one choice applies.

[wendymom]

1902 has always had a college coach. Our coaches both have had experience out on the competition field.

[Richard Wallace]

In previous years we went with a pre-college student coach. This year we started using an adult mentor coach.

We will probably stay with the mentor coach next year, but we've had good student coaches in the past, so it could go either way.

[EricH]

330 uses an adult coach. They've done that for so long it's hard not to...

1135 uses a student coach. It's a student-run team, pretty much.

[JesseK]

We have several guidelines for our coach, in order of importance:

1. Above all else, can effectively communicate with the drivers and other alliance members. The drivers have to trust the coach.
2. Is mature enough to handle praise and critisism
3. Knows all of the rules
4. Knows limitations and potential of the robot
5. Has a strategy of how to play the game to win

If we don't have a student who's interested in coaching that at least meets #1 and #2, then we put an adult in to coach. Our rookie year we had a student coach, and in the last 2 years we've had an adult coach. Driving is usually secondary to speaking and interacting with teams for us, so in our 3 years of existence it has been build team members/mentors who are drivers & coaches.

[Joe J.]

It really varies for us in the past we have had all the above; from 2000 to 2003 we had adult coaches, 2004 to 2006 I don't remember a nonpre-college coach being on the field, in 2007 we had a pre-college coach at our regional and an adult at the Championships. In 2008 I (a college student) stepped into the coach role.

If we send a pre-college student if there is one that displays a very good knowledge base of the game and strategy, but it also depends on our drivers (for instance this year we ran a very "green" group of drivers so we decided to have a mentor with on field experience serve as coach.

[SL8]

We have always had student coaches, however, I think that it really depends on the kids experience and what the ( the mentors and students) decide. Our mentors' reasoning for them not being a drive coach is that the students will develop quick thinking and strategy skills.

[Taylor]

We try to use students as much as we can, but if none are interested in the position for a given match, we don't mind rewarding our engineers, who volunteer their time and experience, with some on-field excitement.

[IndySam]

We have always used adult coaches, I have been the field coach for the last four years.

[Tom Bottiglieri]

Originally Posted by boiler

we don't mind rewarding our engineers.

I wouldn't say being a part of the competition team is a "reward" for a particular person. You should have people in those spots that give the highest chance of rewarding the entire team with success in the competition. Remember, there are many sub teams and disciplines that students concentrate on while participating on a team. The competition is more than likely the only thing they share as a unit.

While our team used a student coach this year, my stance on the issue is the field coach should be a very mature, well spoken, and intelligent individual who can handle immense amounts of stress. 99% of the time this will be a mentor, but there are always students who can fit the bill. Pushing a student or adult who does not show these qualities into the field coach position (or any other competition team position for that matter) is like putting a square peg in a round hole and will most likely bring up issues as the season goes along.

[Paul Copioli]

On our team, we have 2 rules:

1. Paul is the drive coach.
2. If you think it should be someone else, see rule #1.

Seriously, though I have been the on field coach since 2000 and don't really see that changing in the near future.

[Travis Hoffman]

As a shout out in favor of adult coaches - how many regional and championship Woodie Flowers Award winners are/have been drive team coaches?

Let me start the list...feel free to add to it

Ken Patton
Dave Verbrugge - ?? Someone help me out here - I swear that was Dave coaching 67 in that 1999 Philly video I watched on 121's website. That was before my time.
Andy Baker
Paul Copioli

*******

Karthik Kanag...asa...ba....zzzz.....
Derek Bessette
JVN
Chris Fultz

These are but a few.

Apparently effective communicators make good coaches too. Who knew?

Also, the opposite it true - I think coaching can help develop communication and other skills that help adults improve as mentors.

[Matt C]

All 4 teams I've been involved with have used Adult mentors (3 used teachers) as the coach.