<S1> Stay safe, don’t damage the Field. If, at any time, the Robot operation or Team actions are deemed unsafe or have damaged any Field Elements or Blocks, the offending Team may be Disabled and/or Disqualified at the Head Referee’s discretion. The Robot will require re-inspection before it may again take the Field.
<G7> Don’t damage the Field. Robot interactions which damage the Field or any Field Elements are prohibited.
Violation Notes: -In most cases, accidental Field damage should only be considered a Minor Violation / formal warning
Here are two rules related to damaging the field. The problem we face is that the two vertical red VEX IQ beams in two of the corners of the supply zone are easily broken. In a match, as we approached the supply zone, we accidentally hit and broke the red beam. The referee ruled that we damaged the field and caused a change in the score (5 points for partially parking). Consequently, we received a DQ. However, we believe that we had partially parked before causing the damage to the Field, and it occurred by accident. It should be considered a minor violation.
The red beam can fall off just from a light touch. If the team's robot accidentally breaks the red beam while retrieving blocks in the supply zone or while parking, would it be classified as a minor violation or a major violation?
If considered a major violation, is it due to the rules outlined in <S1>, or is it upgraded to a major violation because of a minor violation under <G7> that results in a change in score?
Thank you for your reply.