Mentors on the team

I think a 100% student-run team is as good as a school taught by your peers. Mentors are there because they know all of the things you don't.

On the school subject, imagine a team like a school; The team members students, and mentors teachers. If the mentor/teacher solves all the problems, then the students don't learn anything. If the mentor/teacher doesn't help their students at all, then the students don't learn anything. The best results come from equal mentor : student cooperation.

Just my .02 FIRST dollars

[pfreivald]

We believe that cooperation between students and mentors is paramount to success in FIRST -- that means both on the field and in the lives of students. FIRST Team 1551 strives to be cooperative at all levels, and mentor/student is no exception.

Our students knew nothing about PID before this season; now they know more than they did. That's a win. It's also a win because our robot works better than it did. By next year, hopefully they'll know even more about what P, I, and D values work, and why.

The long and short of it is this: don't worry overmuch about what other teams are doing. Do what you think is best, and if you think another team has an advantage because of their philosophy, beat them anyway.