Two Boulder Auto

[SoccerTaco]

Originally Posted by AlexanderTheOK

While I would hope Q&A would change this rule to lower the potential risk of going after a second boulder, the rules as they are give a margin of error that is nearly an order of magnitude lower than that of previous years.

Hail Fellow. I greet thee!

While I definitely do not expect to see many teams do a 2 boulder auto - it will be extremely hard in 15 seconds - I also don't think it is quite as impossible as you make it out to be to get a boulder off the midline without obtaining a foul. Consider this scenario which I do believe is all perfectly legal.

Robot is placed on the field at the back edge of the auto zone, ~12 inches from the midline, preloaded with 1 boulder.

Auto starts.

Robot sets their boulder down in the auto zone, so they no longer control any boulders.

Robot lowers a roller arm intake mechanism toward midline. The team strategically placed their robot on the field so that the intake will contact the midline boulder without crossing the midline.

In this scenario, the robot has not driven one inch, and they have a boulder off the midline. The rest is obvious - cross defense, shoot, return to auto, collect the boulder that was set down, cross defense a second time, shoot.

I'm not saying this is easy!! But that is mostly because of the time limit, not because of the midline foul risk.

Godspeed on your quest.

- Steve