[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by dhitchco

It is stipulated by FIRST that the "ball counting" mechanism for the high center goal is located inside the chute AFTER the ball(s) pass through the opening, down the sloped ramp, and enter the vertical chute.

Therefore, if the balls get jammed on the ramp, by the chains, etc. it would not make sense for your team to shake the goal/tube since those balls will then score for the opposite alliance.

BUT....if your alliance was out of balls, it might make sense to go ahead and shake-down the opponent's balls (allowing them to score 3 points each) so you can get new "ammunition" to reload your own robots.....

The robot itself can't "grab, grasp, grapple, or attach to any field structure per <G19>, but I don't see anything about human players, drivers, etc touching, shaking, etc the field elements/goals. Rule <G39> says that the humans can't "interfere" with scoring, but this example actually "helps" scoring.....just does so for the other alliance!.....hmmm?

ps: for this center goal, I believe there is a "ball collector" (garbage can) at the foot-end of the chute instead of balls just dumping on the floor. At least, that what the pics from Manchester kickoff showed. But it's not fully defined in section 3.2.3.

Actually, scoring 3 pointers for your opponents so you can get more balls is a poor move. If you score a 3 point ball for your opponent, the BEST you can do is score that same ball as a 3-pointer. If you miss, you've got a net loss. Heh. I've been trying to explain to the students that it's a bad thing if you've got lots of balls in your human player station. And that depending on human player reloading means you're basically playing catch up, since the opposing alliance has already scored points with the ball you're planning on using to score.