Rookie Team impressions from Kettering

[John Hooper]

Originally Posted by Craig Roys

True except for the fact that with a 2pt penalty a team may have been more willing to take a penalty to go back to get a ball or stop a team from setting a ball on the overpass at the end. I saw a few instances where a team wanted to get a ball that rolled into the previous zone and they thought better of going to get it due to the penalty.

Well, if they intentionally broke the rule to get a ball or stop a team from scoring, that would be the proper 10-point penalty. Like in football, where accidentally grabbing the facemask and immediately letting go is a 5-yard penalty, but intentionally grabbing the face mask and hanging on is a personal foul, 15-yard penalty.

Anyway, many veterans of these competitions have let me know privately that FIRST does not alter rules just because they work against the entire purpose of FIRST. The important thing, apparently, is not to try to improve the rules to make the game more exciting and playable, but to grimly discipline young people into cautiously driving around a track like grannies, fearing above all making a mistake.

My bad, carry on.