[tim-tim]

I noticed this as well as a few other things throughout the day's competitions. As I think many people have said up to this point, this is a very REF critical game to play. It is no longer refs just making sure you play within the rules.

Now refs are supposed to keep the field of play legal and safe. Refs are also the ones responsible for SCORING all balls in Auton, hot, and teleop. Refs are also responsible for documenting when a robot has possession of the ball and what zone.

As a ref, this year is going to be extremely challenging. FIRST has attempted to make things easier by the touch panel interface, but it's still a lot of info. I believe that the system is setup (if it's not then it should be redesigned) such that when a ball is scored by the ref the pedestal should light up. During Auton there are "buttons" for all three balls for the alliance you are watching. You mark scored, hot, or untouched for still on the field. Once teleop starts all the balls from Auton must be cleared from the field (ie marked as scored) before the panel switches to the next screen.

I am saying this as a ref for this year's game. I have been a ref previously in FRC, FTC, and VEX (along with soccer and basketball); and this seems to be the most labor intensive game yet. I'm not saying this is the refs fault for these given instances, but I think it's either that or a software issue. Disclaimer, I'm not ref'ing until week 6; so I haven't been field side, but I did pass the test.

Another side note, not all refs come from FRC teams. Not all refs really study and understand the game like teams do. There is always varying levels of refs on the field. This year, it may be a bit more obvious as to which don't have the best understanding if the game, or an in depth knowledge of strategies teams will [attempt to] employ.

I will leave with one final note. This is week one for more than just the teams and robots.