pic: YMTC: Is 41 hanging?

[jonathan lall]

Originally Posted by maxlobovsky

awwww, comon, that really sucks. They totally deserved the hang. They were emphasizing the idea of following the meaning of the rules, not being lawyers, and yet this is the kinda call they give.

Oh they definitely deserved to hang, but the robot broke and could not meet the requirements to hang in the (I would definitely say correct) judgement of the refs; the fact that the chin-up device works and almost all of the weight is supported does not mean the robot is hanging. So many people take cheap shots at 'lawyers' here because of incidents like this one and also instances where a team comes up with an idea that others didn't because the others didn't properly read the rules. I hear the University of Western Ontario has a 6-year honours engineering/law school course, that some people here might want to take .

Another aside: In my opinion it is completely acceptable and neccesary to come down on the refs when they make an improper call. It's also important to prevent it from happening again. It is not appropriate to disrespect them or their authority, and I think a lot of people do not see the difference. It has to be kept in mind also that the refs are volunteering in most cases and want to be as fair as possible.