[Ianworld]

The debate about the rules and gracious professionalism over field contact has gone on year after year. While we could argue endlessly about what the rules mean exactly I wish to approach the problem slightly differently. The rules have not radically changed over the years, in fact the one major addition this year is that of bumpers.

What we do have is empirical data(thats cold hard facts that can't be argued with) about how the refs have policed the games in the past. From my experience driving and just being around FIRST for many years is that the refs are not quick to punish people for rough play. Ramming, pushing and the rest of the ilk are both extremely common and often go unpunished even in situations where it would seem obvious to the driver of the robot that got tipped or damaged that something went against the rules. In general refs have been quicker to punish teams who roughhouse teams that are much weaker then them. I have never seen a team DQ'd for simple flat surface to flat surface pushing. I have also, I believe, never seen a robot punished for high speed ramming as long as the opposing robot didn't fall over. They have on occasion been warned but never actually punished.

As for the cases of tipping robots. I would say that only 1 out 10 times a robot is tipped does the opposing team get punished. The last major tipping game(2003 with the ramp) robots were very, very rarely punished for tipping other robots. I know my team won a quarter final that I was sure we'd lose, in the relatively shady manner of pushing in rather aggressive ways and tipping the awesome MOE that year. I wasn't driving and I'll be honest I was excited at the time, but looking back I don't think it should have been allowed. We probably should have been DQ'd for tipping them in the way we did. But the moral of the story is that we weren't, and most other teams won't be either. Robots going up the ramp will need to be very careful not to be caught in a tip-able position. Robots that are top heavy need to be on the look out, there aren't arms this year to hit high with but you should still be careful. Lastly it will get rougher in the finals, much rougher and the refs will be much more relaxed about contact. In the finals teams will almost never be DQ'd for rough contact. Most of the bots are built very well and can take a punishment so it doesn't seem like an issue. That means your robot should be built well and be able to take a punishment to compete in the finals.

My last addition to this is that the bumper rule is an addition that will make high speed rams and pushing even more okay. They'll reduce the effect of contact which will probably cause an increase in rough contact(but probably not in the total damage/effect of the contact.) Think of it in the way that bicycle riders wearing helmets only have marginally fewer injuries. Its because they think they're safer and thus ride in a more dangerous manner. Bumper users will probably ram more often and get away with it more often. Its just the way past experience has shown it to be.

So in conclusion. Ramming and pushing will be up this year, robots will be tipped and people won't always be DQ'd for it. Its the way it has been and its likely the way it will be. Rules or not history has a bad habit of repeating itself.