Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
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The official VEX V5 Robotics Competition Question & Answer system has closed for this season. If your team is planning to attend the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship, you may submit game and event-related questions to the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship Driver's Meeting Question Collection Form, which is available at this link: https://forms.gle/VpoRH5GmhktejJ8R8.

Official Q&A: VEX V5 Robotics Competition 2024-2025: High Stakes

Usage Guidelines All Questions

2354: Event Delays & T3


Spencer Vaughan (Event Partner)
7-Dec-2024

<T3>

Hello, at a recent event we experienced a significant delay during an elimination match that lead to an extensive deliberation process after the end of the autonomous period which was further delayed by the beginning of an awards ceremony for another division running parallel at the same event.

In the end, this process was over an hour long, and teams remained in the driver station the entire time. I wanted to seek clarification on a few things if this scenario (or a similar scenario in which there are extreme circumstances / circumstances outside of the HRs control) occurs:

  1. Are match replays / restarts permitted in this scenario, or should matches play on? And what should occur if teams batteries have died / pneumatics have leaked during the extended delays? If the deliberation was regarding an autonomous action that would re-occur if the match was re-played, would this change the decision?

  2. If a deliberation is ongoing for an extended period of time, are drive team members ever permitted to leave the alliance station for a bathroom break and not lose their ability to appeal a decision as per <T3>?

T3  
Answered by committee
19-Dec-2024

EPs and Head Referees should avoid further delaying an in-progress Match for non-Match activities like award ceremonies. Once a Match is in progress, it should be completed before the event moves on to anything else. It is the Head Referee’s responsibility to make a ruling in a timeframe that minimizes the impact on the event’s schedule while considering the pertinent rules and circumstances.

Should something beyond the control of the EP or Head Referee occur that leads to a situation where an in-progress Match cannot be resumed for an extended period of time, rules <G3> and <T7> would apply.

If a Team member needs a restroom break, battery switch, or to repressurize pneumatics during a delay, that could be reasonable under rule <G3> if all Teams are given the same opportunities.

Rule <T7> gives EPs and Head Referees the power to agree on a Match replay for virtually any reason. Again, <G3> applies.