Some Tips from a Field Resetter.

[JosephC]

As week 2 draws to a close, I'm here to bring Drive Teams some tips to not only help matches run smoother for them, but also lessen the burden on already over worked Field Reset crews. I only know what I've seen as a Field Resetter at Center Line and Kettering, but from what I've heard down the Field Reset grapevine, this also applies to every competition.

1. Station Human Players in every zone. Even if you don't plan on tossing the ball to your HP, putting an HP in every zone not only strategically benefits your alliance, but makes it much much easier on Field Reset. I can't tell you how many times a ball has come out of bounds, and the closest HP is all the way back in the driver station on the other side of the field. The first thing we're trained to do is look for the closest HP of the proper color and immediately give them the ball. If your HP is in the colored box, it only takes 2-3 seconds to give them the ball and have it right back on the field for your robot. If they aren't there, it takes us 5-10 seconds to run it down the field to your driver station, AND your ball ends up all the way back on the other side of the field, greatly increasing your cycle time.

2. Pay Attention. I'd need more hands to count on my fingers the number of times I've brought a ball shot out of bounds to an HP only to have them give me a confused look. This is especially prevalent when the ball is taken to the driver station and the HP isn't paying attention. We can't tell which on of you is the HP, and believe me; we want you to get that ball back into play as soon as possible. There was at least a dozen times where it took >10 seconds just to have the HP realize what was going on and get the ball back into play.

3. Don't yell at Field Reset when your pedestal doesn't light up. There is absolutely nothing we can do when the pedestal doesn't light up. We want you to have the ball, trust me, but yelling at us simply isn't the solution. The quickest way to get your pedestal to light up is to get the attention of the closest Ref. They control the lights, not us.


In conclusion, The HP role is extremely important this year, and requires a lot of care and attention. Field Reset does everything in their power to get you your balls and keep the flow of the match going, but some things simply aren't in our power, and by following a couple tips we can all work together to keep the match flow going and the Field Faults to a minimum.