[m3ch4num470r]

After the DC Regional, team 449 found an issue with not having access to an official ball.

We use a vacuum attachment for grabbing balls. It was working incredibly well with our Size 5 ball back in our school, so we figured it would work well at competition. We adjusted it at competition using our ball, then went out to compete. The vacuum didn't pick up a single ball. Finally, on day two, we went out to the practice field and put a ball against our vacuum opening. Lo and behold, the official soccer ball is larger than ours!

If your robot needs something in precise contact with the ball, please learn from our mistake and remember that the official balls could be a different size than yours, even if you were using a size 5 ball. Take the time to go out to the practice field and adjust your mechanism properly for the official ball on the official field. If your mechanism isn't adjustable, take some time to think about how you might make it adjustable quickly at competition. We were lucky enough to have an 80/20 mount, but I know that a lot of teams are more refined and use welded aluminum.

We also noticed that the ball was bouncier than ours, so we were kicking a little further (no complaints there). Obviously, your mileage will vary based on which ball you used.