Mentors on drive team

[Dr Theta]

Originally Posted by big1boom

Out coach, yes. Out compete, maybe not.
Coaching should not be about telling the drivers to do certain things. It is about pointing out things that could possibly be missed, and communicating with the other drive teams during the match.

I know that many teams do not follow this philosophy, and this is fine. This works for us as it inspires the maximum number of students on our team.

Someone should PM Raul that if he wants another championship his coaching experience is useless because he's slow and old. I think he'd get a kick out of it.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by big1boom

Out coach, yes. Out compete, maybe not.
Coaching should not be about telling the drivers to do certain things. It is about pointing out things that could possibly be missed, and communicating with the other drive teams during the match.

Mr. Oliveria is at your regional. You should go up and talk to him sometimes. He's a really smart engaging guy (just not before a match). I think you'd walk away pretty impressed with how much he knows.

[Dr Theta]

Originally Posted by big1boom

Everything that a mentor can see, a student can see better, faster, and communicate it with the drive team efficiently.

I would like to dispute this point. Being able to communicate efficiently is entirely dependent on the individual, as is true in all aspects of life. There is nothing about being a student that makes them inherently better at communicating what they see.

When it comes down to the role of the coach it is a matter of knowing what the driver needs to know at a given time and knowing the best way to convey that information to them. If a mentor and driver have a better manner of communicating with each other it would be unwise to then put in a student who communicates less effectively, and vice-versa.

The most important thing about choosing a coach is the driver-coach relationship and their communication, therefore your choice of coach should be dependent on the driver. The wand chooses the wizard as it were.

[coldfusion1279]

I will echo what has been said already (and what has been discussed many times on CD before). Mentors tend to have a firm grasp of how the game is played year in and year out i.e. the experience factor.

That doesn't mean a veteran high school team member can't have the same knack for game strategy and experience that the mentor has.

While the drive team changes from year to year, we find it's nice to have a constant on the drive team. They can help new drivers catch on quickly during 'strategy meetings' before each competition match, or they can watch the clock or scoring rack to calmly tell the driver which action to perform next.

Overall, I think it's important for the drivers to trust the coach, and we find there is minimal conflict when it is a mentor.

[pfreivald]

We usually use student coaches on 1551, but not always. It depends on the year, and who wants to do what job.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Electric Parrot

The reason my team did it was due to a "mentors hands off" policy following the philosophy of "student design, student built, mentor approved." Meaning that the students did all of the work, and the mentors never touched a thing, but gave constructive criticism and guidance. The founding team members felt that mentors on drive team contradicted this. Thoughts?

Perhaps your team could discuss the limitations that you are establishing for yourselves by following this philosophy. It would be a good topic to explore. Wisdom and experience are valuable to FRC teams; often, mentors are the storehouses of these valuable assets.

Jane

[IndySam]

I don't want to open the huge can of worms on this subject but there are many reasons that we use an adult coach on the drive team. I will share the one that is my favorite.

To even be considered for our drive team you have to have shown dedication and put in your hours to the team during build season. It's a reward for effort given.

I spend many many more hours than any student does every year, being drive coach is my reward for that effort.

[smurfgirl]

The student vs. adult coach question surfaces almost every season. I've given my opinions on it in many of those threads, and I think that this post that I wrote two years ago is still a valid representation of my opinions on the issue. Basically, there isn't any one right answer to your question, you have to do what feels right for your team.