Race Scoring Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much do you charge to time an event? A: Thanks for thinking of us. It frequently depends on what the event requires. We've found that it often works best if you tell us what you want, and we craft a proposal that gives you that (or something very close to it) for what many people tell us is a reasonable price. Here are some reasons why: A 5K run with 250 entrants usually requires much less of our time and resources than, say, a half-Ironman distance triathlon with the same number of entrants. Also, some events want pull-tag timing (using TimeMachines), others want chip timing. Some events want splits at one or more intermediate marks. Some events want a net time, others want a gun time. Some events want a flat rate that includes mileage (e.g., cross country meets) so they can prepare a check beforehand and hand it to us on race day. Others strongly prefer a per-entrant rate plus mileage, often because they don't know how many people will participate. Even cross-country meets can vary significantly in their requirements. Some are multi-day affairs with dozens of races and tens of thousands of runners, and others have 2 races with fewer than 200 total runners.
Q: Your ElfScore program is amazing. How much do you charge to train a group of people on ElfScore? A: Thank you for those kind words. ElfScore started as a very easy to use race registration program. Now, while it is still amazingly easy to use for this, it has been steadily enhanced in close cooperation with hundreds of people over the past 20 years to handle a wide range of timing and scoring activities. Generally, training costs depends on the size of the group, and the number of days requested for training. For 1-2 people, the cost for 2010 is US$75 per hour, with a minimum of 4 hours, plus any travel-related expenses. For 3-5 people, the cost for 2010 is US$100 per hour, with a minimum of 4 hours, plus any travel-related expenses. For 6 or more people, please call or email us for a quote.
Q: How does finish line timing work? A: Producing accurate finish times requires a number of things working well in concert, while also planning for possible breakdowns in timing hardware. For example, each finisher should wear the bib number and, if used, the chip(s) they were assigned via registration. This gives the finish line crew a way to record the finishers using primary timing devices such as handheld timers or chip timing readers as well as auxiliary devices such as cameras and tape recorders. For races with chip timing, the chip each person is wearing gets activated when they enter a detection area (essentially, a magnetic field usually located on and above a mat or similar item). Once activated, the chip broadcasts its ID, which gets sent to the attached reader. The reader typically stores the chip ID, along with a date and/or time stamp, and sends it to an attached computer for further processing by a scoring program such as ElfScore. After a brief area for walking, the chip is usually collected from each so it can be reused for another race. For all races, we also use handheld timing devices (TimeMachine). With these, 2 or more people are typing a bib number for just about every finisher and pressing Enter to record a time for them. These times are called Select Times, and are very important! A caller is often handy to yell out a bib number for a person approaching the finish who is wearing it on their back or on the side of a leg, or attached to a jacket that is wrapped around their waist. For pull tag timing, we also have people: Click a button for each finisher to record a finish time. Maintain the order of finish in the chute(s). No passing or ducking out! Collect the pull tag from each finisher. If the finisher does not have a tag, the 'collector' writes the bib number on a blank tag instead. Put the pull tag, face down, on a fish stringer. Swap a somewhat full stringer with the next, sequentially numbered, empty one, and close the loop on the full one so the tags don't fall off. Carry the somewhat full stringer to Alan so he can scan the bar codes on the tags into his computer. If multiple chutes are used, people will be needed to staff each one. Of course, it's a rare race that neatly fits into all of this without some additional stressors. For example: What if a chip is not detected because someone did not wear it, wore it incorrectly or managed to lose it during the race? What if 2 people wear each other's chip or bib? What if someone does not wear their bib number? What if someone removes their pull tag prior to running the race? What if someone collapses in the chute, or has a medical emergency? What if someone wears a bib from a different race? What if one finisher pushes another finisher into a timing volunteer or chip reader? What if it rains, snows, sleets, hails, storms, etc.? In general, timing is rarely dull.
Q: You always seem so relaxed at an event. We've got an event coming up that makes us a little nervous. How much would you charge to assist us with timing at our event? A: Thank you! Relaxation flows from being prepared. For us, this means knowing what a race director expects, and anticipating and knowing how to handle both pre-race and race day requirements. In general, it's very difficult to specify a price that handles all types of situations. Assistance can take many forms. Some races want us to simply oversee race day registration and timing activities and assist with any unforeseen problems that arise. Others prefer a more hands-on approach. Still others prefer a combination of pre-race training and race-day presence. It's usually best to just call or email so we can discuss what you want.
Q: You seem to know a lot about timing and scoring a wide variety of events. If I need help, can I call you? A: Thank you. Yes! I'm a self-employed computer consultant most of the time. Lots of timing companies and individuals occasionally need assistance. For example, a race may have unforeseen registration data quality problems. Or, a timing firm may be a little unfamiliar with how to use software or hardware. One company needed to convert a registration data file from one format to another, and I handled it for them in less than 30 minutes. Another wanted help with setting up for an event with several waves of mountain bikers, and I was able to handle that in about 2 hours. Another wanted help with configuring several laptops so that they could network them for race registration. For lengthy problems unrelated to quality issues with ElfScore or TimeMachines, I generally charge US$75 per hour, with a minimum charge of US$25. If you are having problems with a race, you may need to ZIP the files in the race folder and email the ZIP file to me. Of course, if you are calling to report a bug in ElfScore, or a problem with using a TimeMachine, I can't remember ever charging someone to handle those problems, so feel especially free to call and report those problems!
Q: How far are you willing to travel for training or timing? A: We've been to New Zealand twice to assist someone with timing, and Alan has been to both coasts several times to time races. Of course, we'd have to ship our equipment to a race that we have to fly to. During a typical season, we drive to races up to about 600 miles away, and try to arrange our schedule so that there's another race that same weekend on or near the path we're taking. For training, Alan usually either flies or drives, so is rarely limited by distance. Most timers want training during a slack period in their schedule, and some want a combination of training before a big race, and assistance during it.
Q: How do I add some fields/sort commands/select commands to a report? A: Easy. Open the report in the editor, then use the Insert menu option to select the type of command to insert. A list of database fields will appear. Check the boxes next to the fields you want to insert the commands for, and click OK.
Q: How do I reset the TimeMachine clock to 0:00 after a false start? A: Turn it off, wait 1 second, turn it on, and tap <Clear> a few times.
Q: How do I retransmit times from a TimeMachine during a race? A: Tap <Clear>, <Setup> (repeat until [RS 232 PORT] shows), then <Enter>4 times. Note: You must tap <Setup> within 1.5 seconds after <Clear>.
Q: How do I download times from a TimeMachine timer to ElfScore? A: From ElfScore, select any timing location. Choose File, Configure COM Ports, select the tab for the COM port to use (usually 1, 3 or 5), and then select Open Port and OK. This makes ElfScore start listening for data coming into the computer. Next, on the TimeMachine, insert one end of the telephone cable in the connection that says RS-232 port above it. On the other end, attach either the 9-pin or the 25-pin adapter to the cable, and then attach this to the computer's corresponding serial port. (If the computer has no serial port, you will need to purchase a USB to DB9 adaptor cable and install its associated software first.) If this does not work, there are numerous other possibilities, such as the TimeMachine buttons being programmed for the wrong locations, etc. If you can't get it working, call Alan at 217.698.8600.
Q: How do I set up for new race in ElfScore? A: ElfScore comes with 18 or so built-in ES_* directories, which have sample race setups for numerous types of events (one race, two races, duathlon, triathlon, prediction run, marathon, etc.) as well as a folder for club administration (ES_CLUB). Just decide which sample setup is closest to what you want, open the database in that folder, use File, Save to save it under a new name, and then choose Yes to open it once the files have been copied. Follow the steps in the tutorials for more information on completing the setup. ElfScore users can download the latest updates to these folders from the ElfScore page of the web site.
You can reach us via: Alan J. Avery Elvish Consulting 1408 Noble Ave Springfield, IL 62704-3450 Phone: 217.698.8600 email: alan@timingiseverything.com alternate email: ajavery@yahoo.com