[Andy Baker]

All,

We all are passionate about FIRST and we all like the competition. Some like more contact than others. Some want more defined rules. Some want to keep things streamlined and let the referees make the call when it happens.

FIRST, on the field, is a sport. A match is not an engineering specification, a statement of work, or a blueprint. It is an action that is subject to judged opinions. Things are not black and white like they are on a sheet of paper or a computer screen.

Did Michael Jordan push off to clear himself during the 1999 NBA playoff against the Utah Jazz? maybe. Was it called by the ref? no. Does is really matter? no. That was a act during a game... a sport where people try to make the right call and sometimes they miss a call. People are human, refs are human. The refs did the best they could do at the time.

Most of us are engineers or technical people. We want things black and white. We want things explained and justified. Sometimes, we just don't understand the "gray areas".

In FIRST competitions, entanglement, tipping, and intent to damage are all gray areas. The referees have no way to understand the intent of robot drivers, so they look for patterns.

Just some thoughts...

Andy B.