Bumper Zone Limitations

[Oblarg]

Originally Posted by BBray_T1296

Also, many bumpers wear over time. You see teams, probably including your own, when the bumpers are fresh and brand new they sit perfectly and look great, but after a regional or two, you look at them and they sag, if you put your hand on them, they seem kind of loose and are not what they once were. Some teams make bumpers really really well and this does not happen, but a large quantity of teams do not [see teams that have to rebuild their bumpers at regional]. with the bumpers 2" off the ground, this sag has clearance before the bumpers are being dragged around. If they were lower, teams with reversible bumper flaps or drape cloths for changing colors may effectively "trip on their own shoe laces" as it were. Yeah, if the bumpers sag they are technically against the rules at that point, but recall that they check your bumpers during initial inspection, but (so long as you don't modify them) you never get the bumpers reinspected, even if one side falls off in one match.
In 2011 we had our bumpers at the lowest point, 2" and we had one of those red skirts that wraps around the blue cloth, to change bumpers, and we had to be super careful to keep that thing velcroed down so we didnt run ourselves over.

No matter how well you make your bumpers, unless you have a source for ridiculously sturdy pool noodles (if you do, please share it) they will take significant damage if you drive aggressively. That foam can only take so many collisions before the compression becomes permanent.