I’ve got a question regarding Slapshot rule G7b–well, two really. One is speculative and one addresses something that specifically happened to a student I was coaching last year.
G7b:
"Drivers are prohibited from any of the following actions during a Match:
…
b. Standing or sitting on any sort of object during a Match, regardless of whether the Field is on the floor or elevated. "
First, the specific question. One of my students sustained a football injury last year right before a tournament in which he had sprained his ankle (edit: it may have been a fracture instead of a sprain, I’ll ask at the next team meeting). A doctor had told him to use crutches and limit his unsupported standing and walking activities. As such, he requested the event organizers provide a chair during matches so that he could drive the robot from a sitting position and was accommodated appropriately. This rule, as written, doesn’t make exception for students who have injuries or doctor’s orders not to stand unsupported for too long. As I have this student placed on a team with only one other teammate this season, and as he’ll still likely be playing football and be exposed to such injuries, what could we do if a similar situation arose and we couldn’t find a replacement/loaned driver under Rule G4c?
Secondly, the speculative question. While I was doing VRC in high school, circa V5 Turning Point, my team’s driver had a disability that affected his physiological standing height. When he asked for a stool at our first and only event with raised fields, the head ref gave him permission to stand on a stool and then the organizers provided said stool.
So could tournament organizers and head refs still address such injured or disabled team members with this rule on the books?
Edit: if necessary, I can take this post down and wait for the official Q&A thread to be posted. Just wanted to get this out there sooner rather than later.