Trackball Crossing {answer}

[FRC2537]

In an answer today to "Trackball Crossing the Line" you stated "The provision of the second sentence in Rule <G10> is so that Robots from opposing Alliances do not get into pushing matches with Trackballs that are crossing the Finish Line (e.g. there is no advantage for an opponent to block a Trackball that is being pushed across the Finish Line)." It clearly handles the case of "pushing matches" as long as defending robots remain in contact, however, consider the following:
a) Blue is herding a Trackball towards their finish line.
b) Blue stops 1 foot before the Trackball starts to roll over the finish line.
c) Red blocks the trackball, stopping it while part of the plane of the finish line intersects the Trackball, and immediately releases it, to avoid "possession" of a foriegn Trackball.

If Blue pushes the Trackball and it crosses they get no points because they contacted the Trackball in the "no-touch" zone.

Thus Blue must move the ball clockwise across the finish line, without breaking the plane from the counterclockwise side, to try again. This is a difficult behavior, and clearly an advantage for Red. Even Red driving in front of the Trackball so that it slowly rolls back to the Blue herder takes that Trackball out of play for the time it takes it to clear the "no-touch" zone.

Are other rules in play here that eliminate this advantage? The 80" wide "no-touch" seems like a region, free of Blue robots, where Red robots can take a number of delaying actions under the rules. Perhaps the rule needs to be changed to permit Blue contact in the "no-touch" zone AFTER Red contact with the trackball. Just a suggestion.

[GDC]

Rule <G10> states that "a Trackball that has crossed its own Finish Line, while contacting Robots of both Alliances as it is crossing, will earn 2 points." Note that there is no requirement for simultaneous contact with the Robots from the two Alliances. In this example, the two opposing Robots made contact with the Trackball while it was in the process of crossing the Finish Line. The requirements of the rule were satisfied. Therefore, the Trackball would still score 2 points.