YMTC: Is it goaltending?

[AmyPrib]

Originally Posted by Pit Bull 1126

we asked the judges at buckeye about this rule and they stated:

if the human player was to throw a ball at the opposing team while trying to decap we will try not to penalize it because the robot is trying to uncap not goaltend....if the robot sat there acting like it was goaltending then we would throw the flag other then that that is a no....

...

As others have already stated, I do believe that it is considered goaltending. Although I cannot find a specific line in the rulebook stating uncapping, it says a robot, including a 2x held by a robot, cannot impede the downward flight of a ball towards a goal. This would imply it doesn't matter whether you're capping or uncapping, it's still goaltending.
If the opponent throws a ball toward the goal, and it hits a ball that you're holding on top of the goal, then it's a high possibility that the ball had the POTENTIAL to go in.

While the intent may not be to goaltend, you are still actively interfering with the opponents shot. How is the judge supposed to fairly call your "intent"? Read your mind? Yes, you may obviously be in the process of uncapping, but if it takes you 40seconds to uncap a goal, how does the judge know that it really takes you that long, or you're just doing it slow to be in their way? (not nice, but could happen). Or maybe a robot is having trouble uncapping and takes forever, while the opponent keeps trying to throw balls into that goal and you're in the way..
However, the argument would be that if you weren't trying to UNcap the goal, then the 2x ball would be on there in the first place, so the opponent couldn't get balls in the goal anyways.

I don't know. I do know that in the Q/A system, they answered this question by saying, it is goaltending in the event of capping AND uncapping. Either way, if you have hold of the 2x ball, it's part of your robot, and you're interfering with the downward flight. Though the Q/A is not the "law", there are many sides to the argument and it should be cleared up. This debate has been discussed before.

But, I am personally going to make some contacts and see if we can get it cleared up once and for all before nationals by the head refs. Then, all the divisions will be making the call the same way if it does happen.
thanks,