Arbitration
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Arbitration, or Appeals, is a method of disputing interpretations of rules or disagreements in scoring. For instance, teams may appeal if they feel like a build was unfairly scored or if they think an event was ran incorrectly.
Submitting an Appeal
The first thing to do if you choose to file an appeal is to talk to the head event supervisor. Often, the conflict can be resolved through a conversation. Be respectful to the event supervisor, since they will ultimately be the people deciding the ruling.
If appealing a build event, the device may have to be returned to impound. If removed from the location of the competition, the appeal may be declared null and void.
Next, you will want to submit an appeal. The vast majority of the time, only coaches may submit an appeal. Coaches will have to pick up an appeal form or submit a form online, depending on the tournament. When submitting an appeal, be as thorough as possible; cite the specific rule that you believe was broken as well as your interpretation of the rule. The form should be completely filled out.
Finally, the form will have to be submitted. Once submitted, the decision will be final. Appeals may not be appealed.
Often, an arbitration team will be consulted to determine the outcome of the appeal.
Examples
These examples may give you an idea of when it is and is not appropriate to appeal.
Appropriate to Appeal
Alice and Bob participated in the Disease Detectives event at an invitational competition. They took and submitted the test, but were marked as a no-show in the final event rankings. In this case, it is appropriate to appeal, since they were marked as a no-show in an event that they participated in.
- Alice, Bob and Carol participated in the Codebusters event at a regional competition. In the test, they encountered a question that should only be included in a state/national level test. In this case, it is appropriate to appeal for the question to be thrown out, since the test did not follow the rules.
- Alice and Bob participated in the Wright Stuff event, submitting a biplane to competition. The event supervisors tiered the team, incorrectly citing a rule that the plane must be a monoplane. In this case, it is appropriate to appeal, since the team and the event supervisor had different interpretations of the rules.
- Alice and Bob participated in the Wright Stuff event. To weigh the plane, the event supervisors forcibly grabbed the plane out of Alice's hand, damaging the wing. They attempted to fix the plane, but ended up performing terribly. In this case, it is appropriate to request an appeal.
Inappropriate to Appeal
Alice and Bob, reigning national champions of Anatomy and Physiology, participated in Anatomy and Physiology at a regional tournament. They placed fifth to last place in the event, and they assumed that a scoring error must have been made. In this case, it is NOT appropriate to appeal, since there is no compelling evidence that they should have placed better.
- Alice and Bob, angered that their appeal was thrown out, decided to appeal the appeal. In this case, it is NOT appropriate to appeal, since rulings of the appeal are final.
- Alice and Bob participated in the Mission Possible event. They feel that they were unfairly tiered. After the event, they left with the device. In this case, it is NOT appropriate to appeal, since builds must be placed back into impound if an appeal was going to be made.