[Wayne TenBrink]

The GDC and head referees have the authority to set the criteria and provide guidelines for making these judgement calls. It would be appreciated if they could share some of this with teams prior to the start of the competition season.

Some actions are taken for tactical/opportunistic reasons, and some are primarily done as part of some larger strategy. In this game, it will be hard for a referee or spectator to know the difference. Perhaps it comes down to deciding who gets the benefit of the doubt.

I would not like to see [G45] get the benefit of doubt over [G44]. That could have the same effect as a rule stating "A ROBOT IN CONTACT WITH ITS OWN KEY, ALLEY, OR RAMP MAY NOT CONTACT AN OPPONENT. PENALTY: TECHNICAL FOUL." Last year, you got a penalty for entering your opponent's lane and a red-card for contacting an opponent. This year, depending on how things are called, there is either (1) no penalty for entering your opponent's lane/key, and only a 3point foul if contact is made with an opponent, or (2) a 6 point hit (9-point technical - 3 point foul) for intentionally making contact with an opponent while you are touching your own key/lane. I don't think that was the intent of the rules.

Pushing another robot half way across the field and into your lane/key/ramp in order to collect a penalty unsportsmanlike and is not in the spirit of the game. Camping out in the lane or key for the sole purpose of trying to touch your opponent and collect the foul is quite lame and I woud be quite happy to see that penalized. Making sure your opponent keeps its distance from you while you are in your "protected area", even if that means intentionally touching them while in your own key is fair game in my opinion. If a defense bot chooses to follow the robot that is chasing after a ball in its own lane vs. the one that is chasing after a ball in the far corner is also fair game, in my opinion. [G28] was specifically excluded from [G44} for a reason, and I hope that referees give the benefit of doubt to the "contactor" and not the "contactee".

My opinion, however great it may be (haha), is not what matters here. I just hope that guidelines are made clear to teams in advance of the competitions, and applied as uniformly as possible.