Improving Officiating at FIRST Events

[Matt H.]

Originally Posted by EricH

Matt, I'm going to refer you to a thread from after the 2005 season. I just want you to read the first five pages or so--after that, the thread got really ugly. It's got a pretty good discussion of the topic of instant replay and why it should and shouldn't be used in FIRST.

Having review that nasty little argument I'm going to let the issue drop with my final statement being that times are changing and as games become more penalty intensive something will be needed.

To return to the original topic I believe that due to the complexity of the rules no amount of training or officiating will ensure a correct call. My parents are lawyers--the wording of the rules now bears a remarkable similarity to the wording of the Arizona revised statues especially when dealing with intent. I think this problem will be best resolved by the game design committee and a shorter rule book.