After serving as a Head Referee for my first tournament of the season, I would like some additional clarification on <SC3> as it pertains to Rings that end Autonomous or Driver Control periods positioned above the flexible top of Stakes. SC3 point a.) states (emphasis mine):
..."encircling" means that any part of the Stake is at least partially within the volume defined by the inner edges of the Ring
The red box text of SC3 states:
...if a gentle "shake test" would result in the Ring falling anywhere other than further onto its Stake, then it is most likely not Scored
Q&A 2166 already describes that the flexible top is included in the Stake and that rings may be Scored if encircling only the flexible top. Two common scenarios came up at the tournament, which are recreated here. In both scenarios, the flexible top of the Stake is inside the inner edges of the Ring, fulfilling the "partially within" phrase of SC3a.) In Scenario 1, the Ring would likely fall off the Stake if a "shake test" was performed as suggested by the red box text of SC3. In Scenario 2, the Ring is secure around the flexible top and would stay above of the flexible top of the Stake if a "shake test" was performed.
- Should a Ring above the flexible top failing a "shake test" on a Stake negate the "partially fulfilled" criteria of point a.) in a situation like Scenario 1 and cause the Ring to not be scored?
- If a Ring is on the High Stake or a Wall Stake in which the Stake cannot be easily shaken, should only the "partially within" criteria be used to determine if a Ring sitting above the flexible top of the Stake is Scored or not?
- If a Ring ends the Autonomous period in a position similar to Scenario 1 in which a "shake test" should be performed to determine if the Ring would stay on the Stake, I would not want to shake the Stake and cause the Ring to fall off as that would change the state of the game mid-match. In this scenario, should referees only use the "partially within" criteria of point a.) to determine Scored status?
Thank you for your time!