[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

By the 2014 rules (and specifically the Q&A), pre-compressing your bumper noodles as you assemble them isn't legal. I'll find the actual rule after work, but I remember this being shown / proposed in a CD thread in 2014 and a Q&A ruling came in declaring it illegal. Sorry for the vagueness.

From 2014:

Q302
Q.R21 C states that teams should use a pair of 2.5" pool noodles. Does that requirement refer to the pool noodle's size when on the robot, the pool noodles size when purchased, or both? Is compressing pool noodles legal?
A.1) Both. 2) No.

Please note that while previous answers like this may provide guidance on the general thinking towards a rule area, unless/until it's asked for this season, there is no official ruling that applies for this year. Which means you may or may not be flagged for it by an inspector if it's not crystal clear in the rules/q&a for this year.