It’s after autonomous mode, and a robot is heading towards the human player loading zone. **May a human player already have a tetra in their hand before a robot(s) enters the zone? ** This could be somewhat of a time saver by maybe a second or two, and in this game, every second counts.
Yes, because the rules state that as soon as autonomous mode ends, no matter what your robot is doing or where it is, you may pick up a tetra.
You can hold a tetra in your hand as soon as auto mode ends. Get ready to run! 
If I summarize this correctly:
a) The human player can grab a tetra off of his/her stack in the human player zone and hold it during the time period between the autonomous and manual parts of the game
b) According to rule <G13>, the human player may only deliver ONE tetra to the robot at a time. Namely he/she can’t pick up the whole stack and deliver it to the robot (assuming the person can hold/carry the stack and/or the robot can hold/carry the stack).
c) The robot MUST be inside the loading zone before the human player steps off the pad; otherwise the robot becomes disabled outside the loading area and cannot be loaded even by reaching and gets a still 10-point penalty (ref rule <G13>)
d) Rule <G14> also stipulates that the field attendants who attend to the auto-load stations will ONLY load ONE tetra at a time onto the loader.
e) If a robot is “greedy” and can carry more than one tetra, the robot MUST fully exit the loading station and then re-enter the loading station to receive/grab another tetra; per rule <G17>.
That is correct.
I’ll add another comment to your list… I believe the HP must be standing in the triangle for the loading zone… So the HP cannot be anywhere within the big HP box to load a tetra - there is a specified triangle area where the HP must stand in order to place a tetra on the robot.
I think there was a question somewhere else regarding this, so thought I’d add it here.
Amy, regarding your comment
I’ll add another comment to your list… I believe the HP must be standing in the triangle for the loading zone… So the HP cannot be anywhere within the big HP box to load a tetra - there is a specified triangle area where the HP must stand in order to place a tetra on the robot.
- The human player STARTS on his/her pressure pad and has a stack of tetras within reach.
- The human player then EXITS the pressure pad, which disables the robot. Hopefully, the driver has placed the robot INSIDE the on-field triangular loading zone BEFORE the person steps off the mat.
- The human player then runs over to the loading zone area, but that area is NOT marked on the floor of the human player area. The floor is ONLY marked for the robot inside the playing field. So, yes a human could lean/stretch diagonally over the railing to load-up a tetra. See rule <S06> and <S07> in chapter 4.3.2.
ps: don’t touch the robot at all and don’t be leaning over the rail at any other time other than loading (but that doesn’t even make sense since the robot would be disabled if you were leaning…)
PLEASE read team updates before answering questions. There is an identical marking on the outside of the field border where the human player must stand - from Team Update #2, page 2 and 3.
ADD: Human Player Loading Station Box (like a batter’s box) to: The Arena, 3.2.1
Boundaries and Markings, a new last paragraphOpposite the 4 human player loading zones on the outside of the field border
are 4 human player loading station boxes. These boxes are a mirror image of
the loading zone, are triangular in shape, 36” on each side, and colored to
correspond to the appropriate alliance color.
The highlighted area above is incorrect. As per one of the updates, the human player area is also defined by a triangle on the floor.
Quote from dhitchco
a) The human player can grab a tetra off of his/her stack in the human player zone and hold it during the time period between the autonomous and manual parts of the game
I do not believe this to be true either as the autonomous mode is in effect until the player mode starts. You therefore cannot touch the tetra until after your drivers are allowed to move to the driver station.
I understand how the HP role works. But, there IS a marking for the HP to be standing in. Update 2.
Edit - Ah g’s! Two people beat me to it… thanks!
Also, read G27 in Update2… must have both feet in the little HP area while loading a tetra.
And no, you cannot hold a tetra during automode. A HP may only grab a tetra AFTER automode is over.
is it possible for all three HPs to leave the station and load tetras on one robot???
NO. Update number two said that both feet of a human player must be in a set triangle whilst loading a tetra, I imagine that two robots are not allowed in the same loading zone at the same time. I can see that a maximum of two robots can go to human loading stations at a time.
no but i mean all the HPs putting three tetras on one robot…
maybe I’m just reading your response wrong…
I suppose this would be allowed, one would just have to keep 3 people inside the little triangle outside of the filed. You would also need to remember that both other robots would become disabled once you did this.
I suppose this technically could be done, but it doesn’t seem to be worth the risk 
<S08> HUMAN PLAYERS may only pass TETRAS to their team’s ROBOT when the ROBOT is in the LOADING ZONE and disabled. HUMAN PLAYERS are not allowed to pass TETRAS to, or interact with, ROBOTS of another team, even if on the same alliance. Violating this rule will result in the disabling of both the HUMAN PLAYER team’s ROBOT and the receiving team’s ROBOT.
So no, you can’t.
You could also pick the tetra up with your foot and hurle it into the air, catching it in you teeth. This would allow you to have free hands to do other such activities.
hmm i must have skipped over that rule… thanks…
What if… Your alliance has a disabled robot? Can the human player of the disabled robot pass tetras to the human player loading tetras onto the robot in the loading station? Not much of a time savings here I admit.
There should be something that the human player can do if their team’s robot is not working, other than sit on the field.
You have to keep in mind that in order to load more than one tetra onto a robot via the HPZ, the robot has to back off the loading zone, then reenter it. This is going to involve the HP having to step back on the pad, then do the whole process again. They’ll be grabbing another tetra in the process (you could probably do it in one motion; step on the pad and while the driver is backing off then parking it again, grab a tetra, then step off the pad to deliver the tetra when the robot is in position).
The human players this year MUST become “robots” themselves.
- They can’t jump up and down excitedly on the pressure mats
- They can’t run into each other as the three human players try to feed their robots at the TWO manual loading stations. namely, don’t criss-cross in your human player paths.
- The human players CANNOT do anything to the other human players even on the same alliance. No handing-of tetras, etc. Each HP is dedicated like a “robot” to his/her OWN robot and ONLY receives instructions from his/her driver…
If your team’s robot becomes disabled for some reason, the LAST thing you want to have happen is to have the HP LEAVE that pressure pad. The HP should just sit there and “freeze” until directed to do elsewise…
This will NOT be easy to CONTROL…