[Boltman]

Originally Posted by Nuttyman54

There are always 5 other robots (since 2005) that the refs have to pay attention to. My point was mainly that regardless of what a robot is doing, the OUTER WORKS is a protected zone. If my robot is near my opponents' OUTER WORKS, I expect the referees to be paying attention to it. Whether I'm shooting or traversing or just wandering aimlessly, being near the OUTER WORKS should invite the referees attention, just like any other FIRST game with protected zones. We haven't really had any in the last 2 years, but they used to be pretty common. 2011-2013 each had at least two different "protected" areas per alliance (loading zones and scoring zones).

Refs are human, for sure, but the OUTER WORKS protection is such a key part of the game mechanic this year that a robot anywhere near there should invite some attention from at least one ref, period. Perhaps FIRST needs to consider putting some kind of stripe on the edges of the plastic dividers so the refs can more easily see where the OUTER WORKS starts.

Visibility is much less than in previous years take last 2 or most games ...basically open courts much easier to see protected zones with static features.

This year is so complex "bump hang" is probably really low on any priority list of ref calls. They are not in the middle of the game on every defense. They like both drive teams will have limited visibility and lots of action to take into account.

I agree they "should" call it but also see the difficulty in doing so. No instant replay.