[JesseK]

The updated ruling, only further affirms my interpreted definition of possessing a rolling goal, so the FTC GDC needs to update the manual with relevant info form the FTC forum postings. The rolling goal is moved forward with the robot and restricted from moving side to side at all. In Finals Match #5, 3539 even got the rolling goal off of a wall (the camera was turned away) well before the endgame.

The counter to the auto mode still stands though. I didn't mean to turn this into a legal issue about possession so much as the practical issue of containing the goal in auto mode. The 3539 driver maintained control without so-called possession because the driver stopped and started every time the robot turned. While an auto-mode could do the same on its own, it's next to impossible to predict what to do in a cluttered environment. Even worse is that the robot is then stuck next to an opponent robot whose driver will surely exploit the cluttered environment immediately (if the drive train is able...).