Chapter 5: Match Play
Introduction
A Teamwork Match lasts one minute, but a lot happens in that minute — and a few things happen right before it and right after it — that a Head Referee is responsible for getting right. This chapter covers what a legal match looks like from the moment robots are set to the moment the timer reaches zero, and where a Head Referee needs to step in along the way.
Most of a match should run without intervention. Robots start, drive, handle Bean Bags, and stop, and the referee's job is to watch closely and stay out of the way. But a handful of moments carry rules that a Head Referee is specifically responsible for enforcing: the setup before the timer starts, the mid-match Driver switch, the last seconds of play, and the ways a match can legally end. Knowing exactly what each of these should look like — and what to do when one goes wrong — is what lets you keep matches fair without slowing them down.
The time to complete this chapter is approximately 45 minutes.
In This Chapter
This chapter is organized around two parts of match play. First you will learn about match mechanics: the legal start, the Driver switch, and how a match ends. Then, you will focus on loading and possession: how Bean Bags legally enter the field and how many a robot may handle at once.