Low quality 2X ball?

[Rob]

Did anyone else notice that the 2X balls this year were much more fragile than simmilar game objects used in the past? I saw so many big balls popped this year that probably shouldn't have been. We practiced with a simmilar size ball from a previous competition and had no problems. At the Quincy scrimmage the weekend before shipping, we popped 2 big balls. We made some critical adjustments to remedy this problem, but I still think that the balls used this year were not robust enough to handle the rigors of the game.

In Quarterfinal 1 match 2 in the Archimedes division we played against teams 60 and 1241. Each of these teams popped a ball while trying to handle it. The deflated rubber on the field became entangled in part of team 60's drivetrain, hampering them for much of the match. This obviously put them at a disadvantage during the match, and their alliance was eliminated in that round.

In one round at UTC we had a 2X ball in our grasp and were trying to cap. A team playing defense against us popped the ball causing us to have to drive across the field to try and get another one. This took up so much time that we were unable to cap and thus lost the match.

I don't know the reasons or methods for selecting specific game objects, but I hope for more robustness in inflatable objects next year. This would allow teams more flexibility in designing mechanismes. It would also make playing defense agains 2X cappers more difficult because there would be less concern about losing the ball due to popping it. How do you all feel about this?

Rob