[Rob]

Hello,

Imagine this scenario:

Team X is at the competition has a strong dead reckoning based auto mode. they can score a keeper in auto if the Rack ends up randomly placed in any of half of its possible positions. In the other half of the Rack's possible starting positions, Team X always misses placing the keeper.

A veteran field resetter has been working the competition for 3 days, and it is now match 3 of the finals for that event. The field setter is excited that his team is still in the mix, and needs to win only one more match to win the event. He looks across at the opposition, and sees Team X lined up to dead reckon in auto mode. Remembering the 3 days of matches he has seen, he recalls that they always hit or miss auto based on the "random" rack position. The last ringers are put in their starting positions and he goes to give the rack it's random move before the match, wondering how he can truly randomly position the rack.

The question is: Should anyone who uses dead reckoning to score keepers in auto mode be worried that field resetters who have been paying attention to robot opening moves could influence the outcome of auto mode? Obviously the most tempting answer will be "Gracious Professionalism dictates that the Rack placement should be completely random". I am not sure that someone who knows what rack positions will lead to what auto outcomes can make a truly random placement of it.

Put yourself in this person's shoes. You go to place the Rack before auto knowing that half the positions will lead to a blue keeper score, the other half will lead to a red keeper score.

Your thoughts?

RAZ