I had some unusual free time before the start of the meet I'm timing today so I thought I'd do a zero gun test. A zero gun test is used to check that the automatic timing system starts and captures properly. The test involves placing a starting gun with the start sensor flat on the finish line and fired. The timing system should capture the flash of the gun at zero seconds. The zero gun test is required for IAAF running records. During a meet, the test should be performed once a day on each of the finish lines that will be used that day.

I use the auto capture function in finish lynx so I temporarily set it to manual capture. I created a new blank event and to the capture on. I placed the gun near the track with the chamber near the leading edge of the starting line and fired. In finish lynx I confirmed the flash occurred at 0.000. 

It's a good idea to place something under the gun, cardboard or newspaper, or your finish line will get covered with black power from the gun. Hindsight is 20/20 and now I have a black powder stain on the finish line.

Introduction

I’ve used Hy-Tek Meet Manager extensively for the last eight years. Although it’s missing some functionality, Meet Manager can do just about everything you need to do. There is a lot built into Meet Manager that most people never even know is there. However, Meet manager is old and has not kept up with the times. I’ve fiddled with RaceTab and LynxPad and neither was very impressive.

When I first heard that DirectAthletics was going to release their own meet management software I was super excited. I thought, these are people who understand what a meet management software could be. A commercial product written from scratch and specifically designed to interface with DirectAthletics and TFRRS could be a fantastic piece of software.

Read the rest of this post »

If you have to run power and network cable to various finishlynx cameras and you don't want people messing with them you should build a moat.

Let me start off by explaining the data flow for our timimng system. We have three computers. One for Hy-Tek, one for capturing FinishLynx images and one for revieiwing FinishLynx images. The meet management, seeding scoring and results, is all done on the Hy-Tek computer. The timing, FinishLynx, is all done on the Finis Lynx computer.

On the FinishLynx computer a local folder is shared on the network. The Hy-Tek computer exports the start list to this shared folder. The FinishLynx software reads from this directory and saves race files back to this directory. If a race needs to be reviewed the third computer reads the files over the network.

To keep things organized I like to have a directory for each meet. I name each directory in the following fashion: yyyy-mm-dd - name or 2011-10-01 - Charles Bowles. For everything to work all three computers need to be pointed to that directory. If the directory changes all the computers have to be changed. To make things more efficient, I use a working directory with a constant name. After the meet is over I archive the fold with the naming convention explained above.

To save some keystrokes I've created a script to do the archiving process. After a meet I simply run the script. I'm promted for a name and then the meet files are archived and everything is set for the next meet.

If you would like to use the script simply copy the script below into a text editor like notepad. Save the file as "Archive.vsb". Make sure to use the quotes or the file will be saved as Archive.vbs.txt.

I hope this helps someone. If you have questions leave them in the comments.

 

' =======================================

'==                            Archive Script                      ==

' =======================================

 

'Current year folder

dir = "2011-12"

 

'Root Directory

root_dir = "D:\Finish Lynx"

 

'Working Directory

working_dir = "Active Meet"

 

' =======================================

' ==    DO NOT EDIT BELOW THIS LINE    ==

' =======================================

 

'Prompt for name of the archive folder

archive_folder = UserInput( "Enter archive folder (yyyy-mm-dd - name):" )

 

 

'Define the destination archive folder

archive_folder = root_dir & "\" & dir & "\" & archive_folder

 

'Move active folder and rename

Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

objFSO.MoveFolder root_dir & "\" &  working_dir , archive_folder

 

'Recreate active folder

set objShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")

set objFolder = objShell.NameSpace(root_dir) 

objFolder.NewFolder working_dir

 

'Display archived confirmation

WScript.Echo "Archived to: " & archive_folder

 

Function UserInput( myPrompt )

' This function prompts the user for some input.

' When the script runs in CSCRIPT.EXE, StdIn is used,

' otherwise the VBScript InputBox( ) function is used.

' myPrompt is the the text used to prompt the user for input.

' The function returns the input typed either on StdIn or in InputBox( ).

' Written by Rob van der Woude http://www.robvanderwoude.com

    ' Check if the script runs in CSCRIPT.EXE

    If UCase( Right( WScript.FullName, 12 ) ) = "\CSCRIPT.EXE" Then

        ' If so, use StdIn and StdOut

        WScript.StdOut.Write myPrompt & " "

        UserInput = WScript.StdIn.ReadLine

    Else

        ' If not, use InputBox( )

        UserInput = InputBox( myPrompt )

    End If

End Function

 

(download)

Click here to download:

a-barrier-from-the-caos-meBmGjyCgmDoawstzzHy.zip (4.84 MB)

I started this post over the summer and never got around to finishing it, and there's no time like the present. I added a mail slot to the door outside our timing and results area. This allows the door to stay closed at all times. Field event results can be put through the mail slot and the timers are never disturbed. It worked great and kept the caos outside and away from the timers.

(download)

Click here to download:

organizing-your-ipico-chips-GjetflmewixpCipwoaAe.zip (6.58 MB)

If you have svereal thousand chips this may not work for you, but with just 2000 chips this works great for us. We have a set of chips labeled in red from 1 to 1000 and a set labeled in black from 1 to 1000.

To store and organize the chips we have a board for each color set. Each board has ten rows of ten slots that hold ten chips each. The slots are roofing nails that are long enough to go through the board and support ten chips with some room to spare. Each slot is labeled with the number chips that belong there.

If all ten chips are returned to the board they are placed black side forward. If there is a chip missing, they are placed orange side forward. With this method we can look at the board and very quickly see what chips are missing. This comes in handy after a big meet when we are check to see if all chips have been returned. 

This won't work for everyone, and it takes up more space than putting the chips in the boxes they came in, but for a mangagable number of chips it's great for organizing.

Social media and social engagement are big things on the internet these days. One of the reasons why social media has become such a big deal is because it's basically free advertising. Before social media if you wanted to get the word out about an event you had to pay for advertising. Well now with things like Facebook and twitter you can make a post and if it has value, it will get passed around by people who are interested. It's almost like targeted marketing. 

A couple years ago I was at the USTFCCA National convention and I attended a talk with Steve Miller, the CEO of the Professional Bowlers Association. One of the things that he said that stuck with me was about marketing the sport of track and field. When you think about the sport as a whole, your competitors are not your opponents on the track, they are other sports like bowling, arena football and lacrosse.  The bottom line is that the sport of track and field has a marketing problem.

As coaches or meet directors, we tend to think about track and field from within track and field. We put on meets and other teams come. Well what about the public? What about the track fans that don’t know they're fans yet. Who is trying to get them to the engage in the sport?  It's easy to be a fan of football or baseball. All you have to to is turn to ESPN and you get your fill of the latest news. Being a track fan is much harder. If you are not deeply entrenched in the sport, you need to actively search to see what's happening in the world of track and field; you need to know what websites and what forums to hit up. 

There is a hodgepodge of track and field websites out there and some of them are pretty good. Sites like Runnerspace and Flowtrack are on the right track. But these sites and track and field meet directors need to keep reaching farther into the community.  Everyone involved in track and field needs to be a ambassador of the sport. We need to build communities, engage and cultivate them.  If every Pac 10, Big 12, SEC and Big East track programs had the community engagement that the University of Oregon has, track and field in the US and in the world would be completely different. 

With advances online and the advent of social media the marketing problem that track and field has can be attacked by smaller portions of the community. We need to use the tools and resources available to us to promote our sport, and not just to people who are already in the know.

Remember we need to promote the sport of track and field, not just an individual event.  Take a look at the social media efforts done in conjunction with the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. Below is a link to a blog post on Almighty’s web site describing some of their efforts. 

This week, a small team from Almighty flew from Boston to Greensboro, North Carolina to try something altogether new. For the fourth time in 12 months, we’re working with the Running and Digital teams at New Balance to create a fully-integrated activation in support of a national high school track and field event – on this occasion the New Balance Outdoor Nationals, the outdoor championships for US high school track and field athletes. Read more here.

This weekend I am timing the Northwest Youth Club Championships. This meet is being held at Willamette University and hosted by the Salem Track Club. Because this event is a USATF Event CoachO.com is used for the meet registration.

This was my first experience with using Coach O for registration and unfortunately it won’t be my last.  From a functional standpoint it does just about everything you would need. The fact that it ties directly into the USATF membership database is really nice. However, from a usability standpoint it is absolutely terrible.

For some reason every time anyone creates or changes an entry, I need to get an email about it. I got over 100 emails that I did not need or want. Plus now I have to sift through these pointless emails so I can find the ones that actually need attention and I got several because at the bottom of each page is some text which instructs people to send technical questions regarding on-line meet entry to me. This is not my entry system, I didn’t write it, nor do I know anything about it, why am I answering technical questions?

Navigating around the admin interface is cumbersome at best.  Let’s say I want to see the performance list. In a well-designed interface, I would just click on a link and see a performance list. In Coach O it takes 5 clicks.

1. You need to click on Meet entries to expand your admin choices regarding meet entries.
2. You are presented with a series of menu buttons and you need to select: display performance list.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the continue button
4.  Select weather you want to display the list sorted by mark or by team
5. Click the continue button

You have to go through a similar process for everything. It got very annoying very fast. You have to select a menu item then click a button. Why can’t I just click the menu item? The example of the performance list is a public function. If I wanted to access something that was only for meet admins, like viewing rosters, then I need a passcode. You are prompted for this every time you do just about anything. Why can’t I just log in and the system knows I’m an admin?

There is plenty more that’s wrong with the Coach O registration system and the registration end is not any easier.

I have used several online registration systems of the last decade including one that I wrote myself. None, however none are as bad as Coach O. Because Coach O ties into the USATF memebrship database, I have to go through the pains of using it again in two weeks for the USATF Oregon Association Junior Olympic Outdoor Track And Field Championships.

This intermediate box is mounted to the camera pole and porvides all the connections needed for the FinishLynx cameras. All the connections are made on the bottom so there are easy to make and are protected from the weather.

(download)

Click here to download:

intermediate-distribution-box-aFhvByFAdjytgtAekbku.zip (4.22 MB)

This is the main distribution box. It containes a UPS with about 60 minutes of runtime, switch, wireless acess point, and a ethernet to serial converter. All connections are made under the box so they are easy to access and protected from the weather.

(download)

Click here to download:

main-distribution-box-EFeupmkdjvboaAJyspta.zip (3.41 MB)