Re: Problems with autoloader
 

In eliminiations I had to sit out some of the matches they were in (I had a backup right there with me) because I didn't want to be watching something on the other side of the field and forget to put a tetra on (I did do all the qual. matches and didnt have any problems). The swampthing, pink, and bionic tiger alliance gave some of my co-volunteers on the red side much more work than what we ever had on the blue! (oh and I don't think we ever ran out of tetras on either the auto load or the hp zones)

on a side note: I saw at least 20 tetras break during the course of the regional. This included many VT's. If any of you were watching the practice matches you might have seen some with only one real Vision tetra and one regular one.

Re: Problems with autoloader
 

Consider this: Supposed something happened, whether real or imagined, that caused your team to win a Q-match, or caused their most feared upcoming opponent in the eliminations to loose. How would you or the field reps. convince them that you were impartial when they had reason to suspect otherwise. You most likely can't convince them. The best way to get out of that situation is to not get yourself into it.

Re: Problems with autoloader
 

In one of the qualifying matches at VCU (I was driving, red side) I picked up a tetra from the loader, backed away and placed it on a goal. The volunteer was so busy watching our robot that he didn't replace the tetra. When I turned the robot around and head back to the loading station, he realized he had forgotten and replaced it quickly but I still had to drive a bit slower to keep from getting to the loader before the tetra was placed. I didn't make a big deal out of it because it did not cost us the match.

Re: Problems with autoloader
 

This happened once at FL during one of the qual matches. They actually pulled the refs and a representative from each team down on the field to discuss it, and the team it happened to was offered a rematch. I'm surprised the same wasn't offered to your team at your regional. How did your team do other than that match, though?

Re: Problems with autoloader
 

At FLR, the autoloader volunteer was watching the game and not the autoloader. We went to load and had to wait for him, while we tried yelling at him and getting his attention. He finally put it on and we kept playing like normal. We won so it wasnt a big deal.

This past weekend at Detroit the volunteers were very good about everything, and we had no real problems. The one autoloader was a little slow though and we had to wait about 2 seconds while she was putting it on straight.

Re: Problems with autoloader
 

My team, 492, attended the PAC NW regional and I am pretty sure that this never happened during the quali+final matches for us.

This happened a few times during the practice matches, but some thing happened between the practice matches and the quali matches, maybe they got a talking too.

Another thing that happened a few times (more than them forgetting about the auto-loader) in the practice matches was that they forgot to remove the hanging tetra until long after autonomous was over. I have a feeling that this was never taken issue with due to the fact that it did not really impede anyone strategies as not being able to get a tetra from the auto-loader would have.

Re: Problems with autoloader
 

I saw autoloaders that weren't even manned in the practice rounds :ahh: The team that mentored us our rookie year sat with no tetras to stack for half the match becuase they had no one manning the autloaders. That practice is really important at your first regional.

Re: Problems with autoloader
 

I mean...there is very little that an autoloader who is being as fair as possible can do to influence the outcome of the match. After a while you get into a rythm with the speed and distance that you feel comfortable with at putting tetras on the station. Alo consider the fact that many of the volunteers are alumni of teams or parents of kids on teams so it it happens sometimes that your old team or current team could be on the field. One of my old team's mentors was actually worried about me being up there and my lil' brother driving at the same time, but after a couple of matches it was very clear that there was no problem.