[EricH]

Originally Posted by Zultraranger

This might sound stupid, but the trackballs aren't identical to each other? I didn't know some could be rounder or flatter.

Also, why would FIRST give each team a ball if it was not identical to every ball on the playing feild? Some teams might make a device that fits perfectly around the shape of the ball. Therefore, if some ball's shape is altered, it could mess up their robot's stategy completely.

People thought the same thing in 2004. Those playground balls became elliptical within a day.

The deformation of the trackballs is part of the game challenge. The ones given to teams are as close as possible to the ones for the field. Identical, even, until the end of Thursday, maybe. But then they will deform. The challenge is to handle them while they are deformed.