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Has anyone encountered any problems at competition with 2.h - specifically, strings hitting the floor after the vehicle is released?

The language says "Piece(s) detaching from the Scrambler (e.g. bolts, nuts, drive strings)..." - what's the definition of "detached"? Rule 2.a. defines the "Scrambler" as BOTH the ETV and EPS. In a simple pulley-launched Scrambler, if the drive string is still "attached" to the EPS but detach from the ETV, has the string "detached" from the Scrambler?

It's a rule that I had unfortunately overlooked as a coach; I had just assumed it was a safety thing so pieces wouldn't fly off possibly causing injury. But, at our regional, the string that had pulled the vehicle forward would fly upwards after launch and typically land on the floor. I can understand a penalty applied, after closely reading the rules - does anyone know a quick workaround? What if the students caught the string before it hit the floor? That seems like the sort of thing that would be prohibited, but I can't find the rule which would disallow catching the string.

SPP SciO wrote:Has anyone encountered any problems at competition with 2.h - specifically, strings hitting the floor after the vehicle is released?

The language says "Piece(s) detaching from the Scrambler (e.g. bolts, nuts, drive strings)..." - what's the definition of "detached"? Rule 2.a. defines the "Scrambler" as BOTH the ETV and EPS. In a simple pulley-launched Scrambler, if the drive string is still "attached" to the EPS but detach from the ETV, has the string "detached" from the Scrambler?

It's a rule that I had unfortunately overlooked as a coach; I had just assumed it was a safety thing so pieces wouldn't fly off possibly causing injury. But, at our regional, the string that had pulled the vehicle forward would fly upwards after launch and typically land on the floor. I can understand a penalty applied, after closely reading the rules - does anyone know a quick workaround? What if the students caught the string before it hit the floor? That seems like the sort of thing that would be prohibited, but I can't find the rule which would disallow catching the string.

Last year, I first placed a piece of paper under the spot the string would hang to make sure it didn't touch the floor. The wheels of my ETV would go around the sides of the paper so it didn't interfere with anything else. I later simply extended part of my string so it was already touching the ground before the run (iirc this is allowed).

In our setup we tied down the end of the string at the front of the launcher. Then looped the string around a post on the ETV, then thru eyebolts (or a pulley) at the front of EPS, and then back to the weight over a pulley. That way when ETV left the EPS, the string became taut at end of launch. No way it could hit floor.