Answered: Referees obligated to follow rulings?

VEX Robotics Competition Discussion VRC > In The Zone (17/18)
1

This question goes hand-in-hand with the preceding question: https://vexforum.com/t/answered-head-ref-unaware-of-correct-rulings/46462/1

I’ve seen quite a bit of chatter going around the forums about referees refusing, or otherwise being prohibited, to follow official rulings from this channel. I’m not saying that this is common, but with state championships ongoing (one of which I’ll be refereeing, in Tennessee), I wanted to clear the air about this.

<G17> in part states that “All responses in this Q&A forum should be treated as official rulings from the VEX Robotics Competition Game Design Committee, and they represent the correct and official interpretation of the VEX Robotics Competition Rules.” The VRC Qualifying Criteria state that at state/regional/provincial championships, all rules in the game manual have to be adhered to.

Per the game manual, are all referees required to follow all official rulings in this channel, even if some authority involved with the tournament (e.g. Regional Support Manager, Event Partner) tells them otherwise?

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As you quoted, <G17> states that rulings posted in the official Q&A forum are considered as official extensions and interpretations of the VRC Game Manual. If you are having difficulty reaching an understanding with your head referee in a respectful and professional manner, please escalate your question to the Event Partner or REC Foundation Regional Support Manager responsible for the event.