I am not coaching this year, but I always went with my teams.  My first year coaching, I learned that my team was nervous with the judges.  They also weren't prepared to function as a self-led group.  We hadn't practiced the presentation very much and they didn't quite know how to get started.

Ever since then, I had my teams practice their presentations starting with walking into the room.  One or two of the team members was in charge of each presentation and they practiced how they would walk in, set up, and introduce themselves.  During practices, I acted as a judge rather than as a coach.

By the time we got to the tournament, the team was accustomed to being independent.  I would follow them into the interview rooms and sit or stand out of their line of vision, off to the side or well behind them along with a historian and co-coach if there was one that year.   Also, I usually had large teams of 7 to 10 members.  With a smaller team you might prefer to have just one adult.

If you are really not sure, you could ask your team.  The older and more experienced a team is, the more comfortable they are likely to be going into the judging sessions alone.

Donna Cornwell

 

 

 

All,

It has been recommended to me by a couple of experienced coaches that
it is best if no adults (no coach or historian) be present during the
team�s project presentation. The stated reason is that the team
members sometimes look to the adults present for guidance, especially
if it is their first time, and that this behavior can negatively
affect their score.

Does anyone have a different opinion?

What about the Core Values and other sessions where the judges ask the
team questions? Is it best that no adults be present for these as
well?

This is the first time my team and I have participated in an FLL tournament.

Thanks,
Leigh Light

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