Communication Devices During Alliance Selections?

[XaulZan11]

At the Wisconsin regional, our team representative asked if he could use his cell phone to text during alliance selection to communicate with us scouts and was told yes. As the 5th seed, our backup plan was to write the team number of the teams to pick on a whiteboard. We were picked by the 2nd alliance. When it was our alliance's time to pick our third partner, he took out his phone to text who our partner wanted to pick to get our approval. He was told by the MC that he needed to put his phone away. I was unware there was such rule and still cannot find it. Perhaps I just didn't look in the right place. Is this a legit rule?

In the end it worked out well as we got a strong 3rd partner, but it looked bad having him trying to communicate with hand signals when we had a system in place.

[BrendanB]

I have seen captains being told to put phones away before which is why most teams use the white board idea.

[Alex2614]

It seems easier to just anticipate every possible scenario. We pick our top teams we want to select, and we decide which teams we want to accept or decline, assuming that we are in the top 8. It's much easier to just have everything worked out beforehand...

[XaulZan11]

Originally Posted by Alex2614

It's much easier to just have everything worked out beforehand...

Trust me, we were prepared. We had seperate lists of teams if we were picked by each team and lists if we picked each team (as if we got picked, pick off this list or if we pick a team without a minibot, pick of this list). The issue came up when our alliance partner suggested we pick a team that was not on the top of our list and our representative wanted to verify that was a good pick with our group of scouts. (Also, you could say we were prepared because we were told we could use the phone)

I'm just asking for a rule clarification. I saw a similar situation watching the New Jersey webcast where a student was told he cannot communicate with people in the stands. Is this in the rule book? It seems that people just assume you cannot do it.

I hope I'm not comming off across complaining, because we could have an hour to talk to our partner and still wouldn't have had a great chance of knocking off 111 and 2826. Just interested for future events.

[The Lucas]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

Is this a legit rule?

This is a common misinterpretation of T26 Special Equipment rule. T26 bans use of these devices in the Alliances Station (i.e. comp team during a match) not on the Field (i.e. during alliance selection). I like how Blair was excited to see the first scouting iPad on the Field during one of the Alliance selections (I think it was Lake Superior).

It might be good for someone to ask on the Q&A so we have a clear interpretations. The closest is this one that allows laptops and vaguely allows team collaboration.

In the past my scouting team has tracked the selection as a group and sent a text message with short list for the second pick a couple picks before we select. Usually, it just confirms our current list, but it may include reordering based on first round results/match ups. The first round pick is always done from the main paper list, no need for changes.

[Chris is me]

This is definitely allowed. I have been texting our Alliance Captain for years.

[lightsandmusik]

Starting last year, we've decided to send the scouting captain down to be our team representative. It makes it much easier. Previous years, the team captain, Ryan would be driver and in the pits all of the time so it didn't make much sense to put him down there.