Quote:
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Originally Posted by Paul Copioli
Let me ask you these questions:
1. Was it that hard to see a robot base over the triangle at the scrimmage?
2. Would putting a tie wrap under the robot base make it easier for you?
3. Would a rule like, "Your robot base should cover at least some part of the loading zone triangle to be considered in the zone", make it easier or harder for a ref?
I am curious to hear your feedback.
-Paul
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[Keep in mind, none of my answers are official or represent FIRST's opinion on these rulings. This is only from my personal experience at the UTC Scrimmage.]
1. It was extremely difficult to tell if a wheel was on the triangle (clear lexan or not) especially since many teams had low clearances. I was moving up and down, crouching on my knees, and doing everything I could think of to see. Basically, I was one referee required to watch both HP Loading Zones on one side (red side specifically). There was too much going on during that split second when a tetra was actually being loaded (looking for a load bearing surface, two feet in HP zone, watch for other robots hitting the robot being loaded, make sure HP loads corresponding team's robot only, make sure robot is off (lights don't blink), etc...). Multiply That By TWO! Then, if the wheel is not on the triangle, we have to be quick enough to tell the HP to forget it or throw a penalty; but, everybody still gets confused and thinks the referees screwed up. Maybe it's just me, but there's a lot to pay attention to as a referee this year. However, I believe that if these rules aren't clarified or altered many quazi-inexperienced referees could easily make bad calls.
2. I doubt we'd be able to see a tie wrap (once again, too much to look for in a brief few seconds). Depends on the robot's clearance.
3.It was not difficult to tell if the 28x38 robot base was generally over the triangle (breaking the plane); I think that would make things easier and more consistent for a referee to judge.
Another thing, many of the robots were designed to load by driving straight into the triangle. However, if they drive straight into it, there was typically no load bearing surface touching the triangle unless they pulled all the way in (which didn't happen often because the HP jumped off the pad too soon). Therefore, many robots were coming in at weird angles and could have posed a safety risk to the HP.