[KenWittlief]

I have to agree with Ryan to some extent - putting their hook over the other teams netted basket did not appear to block any balls that I could tell, and it ended up getting entangled

I think after spending 6 weeks building these machines hands-on most drivers have a pretty good understanding of what will get entangled, how hard you can ram someone before you break them, how hard you can push a bot before it will tip over

I saw a LOT of matches this year with bots getting rammed, pushed over, knocked over, disabled and seriously damaged, and I never once heard an announcer say the team was disqualified

does anyone have information to the contrary? Clearly many bots have been tipped and damaged this year - if no team was disqualified for these actions at any regional, then you might as well delete those rules from the manual

its not a rule unless its inforced - or maybe they should take the 'weasle words' like 'intentional' out and state that any action that CAUSES damage or tipping will result in disqualification?

seriously, can you drive your car down a city street at 80mph then tell a judge, "I wasnt speeding intentionally...." and be exhonorated? in the real world its results that are judged, not what was going through your head at the time - you bang into someone elses car and damage it, it doenst matter if you did it intentionally or not, you still have to pay the price for your actions.

no matter how well you build your bot, if someone else builds their stronger and keeps ramming you, ramming you, ramming you - sooner or later something is going to break - its only a matter of degree.

some will break or topple the first time they are hit, other will hold out for more abuse - but why is it being allowed at all?!