[Nuttyman54]

I asked this on the Q&A last night.

IMHO, they will have to leave the trailers on the field. The definition of a "no-show" team in the rule book is one that has NO members of the team (including Payload Specialists) at the field. Therefore, a team that sends their PS out but no robot still gets the qualifying points, ranking points and win/loss from the match. If the trailers are removed, then the best robot is the one that doesn't show up for the match.

An example: Alliance A has the 3 best robots at the regional and are expecting an easy win. Alliance B had the three worst robots at the regional. Alliance B sends only their Payload Specialists out to the field. Therefore they all will get the points for the match, but because they don't send robots out, there are no trailers present for alliance A to score in. It is now impossible for alliance B to win. Alliance B can send balls flying with their human players, and out of 60 shots, only one has to go in to guarantee a win, because alliance A cannot score any points.

I also agree with IKE that they should have a jig to keep the trailer upright and from gouging the floor.