[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by David Brinza

Would it at least be acceptable to allow coaches to front off these volunteers that just want the issues to "go away" so the show can go on? If directed to leave the challenge box by an adult volunteer, many students will do so because it's GP to respect authority. Let the students get access (for however brief) to the referee to present their case.

Which volunteers do you mean?

Only the Head Referee can make a team's post-match clarification request "go away". Head Referees I have worked with prefer to interact with pre-college team members who are standing in an area that has been designated (e.g., with tape on the floor) for that purpose.

Originally Posted by 2008 FRC Manual, Section 9.6.2

9.6.2 Referee Interaction Rules

<T03> The Head Referee has the ultimate authority on the field during the competition. THE HEAD REFEREE RULINGS ARE FINAL! The referee will not review recorded replays under any circumstances.

<T04> If a team needs clarification on a ruling or score, a pre-college student from that team should address the Head Referee after a field reset has been signaled. Depending on timing, the Head Referee may postpone any requested discussion until the end of the subsequent match. Head Referees will only discuss calls, scores, penalties or match outcomes with pre-college team members.