Batteries Carried Into Competitions

[Tom Line]

Originally Posted by GUI

What they have ruled is reasonably logical given that the Q&A is solely for clarification of rules, and as the rules stand a battery with cables attached is a modified COTS item. There is nothing to say that there won't be a team update excluding batteries from the withholding weight. If the GDC doesn't limit itself to only interpretting rules in the Q&A, and leaving changes for team updates then the whole system breaks down. The various channels have their purposes, and the Q&A's is to clarify esisting rules.

I would tend to disagree.

I don't believe this is reasonably logical. It flies in the face of years and years of competitions and what has been legal in the past. This is rules lawyering at it's worst - literal interpretation of the rules without regard to intent.

I also disagree with your statement of "the whole system breaks down". This is FIRST's, and by extension the GDC's, game and rules. They have the ability to do ANYTHING they want to do. If they make a ruling in the Q&A, then pass it on in the Team Updates, then that's just fine. It would certainly save the chaos and confusion that this is creating.

Now, very hopefully, the GDC clarifies this in an update today. If not, I'm certainly going to regard their decision making process in a whole new light.