LAP SCORING TECHNIQUE IN MIDDLE AND LONG DISTANCE EVENT

 

LAP SCORING TECHNIQUES:

Ø  The most common system I see used counts of the number of laps for the leader via the lap counter and then mentally or on paper keep accounts for who has been lapped.

 

Ø   If there is significant lapping or many runners, it is difficult to keep up and be able to be certain what lap a lapped runner is on particularly if you’re the only lap counter. If in addition, as is often the case, the same official needs to operate the lap board and tell each runner his or her laps to go, you can see how that official quickly can very easily hit overload in a 25 lap 10,000-meter race.

 

Ø  It can become even more of a challenge if the lead runner drops out or significantly slows so that several runners then pass him. Thus just using your memory or some simple counting system is fraught with problems.

 

Ø  The best hand system is to record a time for each athlete for each lap completed. It allows confirmation that a lap is not missed assuming the athlete does not stop on the track, which is not normally the case in most of the more common track races. However, it can be a problem for longer road or track races that go on more than an hour or where time between laps is more than a few minutes. For races longer than 10,000 m or hour runs it is essential to have lap times for each lap.

 

Ø  The times recorded need not be exact since you are using them only for verification that a lap was completed. Likewise by having the form show both laps completed and laps to go, the system becomes more easily understood by most officials. If a lap counter is only recording for a few runners then they have time to verify the number of USATF National Officials Committee Training Monograph Series Page 3 laps by calculating the time interval for each lap by subtracting the each subsequent time. A fairly uniform or slowing pace for each lap confirms that none have been missed. In fact using the average or the last lap time, they can even predict about when to expect each runner for the next lap and when they should be finishing.

 

Ø  This allows the lap counter to understand where his or her athlete is in the race. Some officials insist on using check marks rather than times. This is slightly better than keeping it in you head but if you miss someone or someone unlaps themselves you may assume in error that they have be lapped rather than unlapped and not put a check mark for them.

 

Ø  The use of check marks defeats the purpose of a full proof lap scoring system, because if you miss a lap there is no way to confirm it.

 

Ø  Any counting system without times has this as an inherent limitation. It is true that this problem is less likely to occur if you limit the number of runners or walkers being observed by a single lap scorer to 4 or less.

 

Ø  Table 1 is an example of a complete form. Note I have added an additional row for each athlete where the individual lap times may be recorded. Lap scoring can be help by having numbers on competitors.

 

Ø  Without them the chance for error is significantly higher. But if the race numbers have more than two digits then errors will occur as you try to write and read at the same time, particularly when there is a pack of athletes.

 

Ø  The more the digits the harder it is. This can be helped by using a tape recorder and later transposing the numbers or by having one person read the numbers and the other record them.

 

Ø  Using hip numbers (maximum of two digits) and having them on both sides for the finish system as well as on the jersey can be of great help. Sometime hip numbers are used on front and back as well as both sides.

 

Ø  The extra numbers are particular helpful when competition numbers have three or more digits or when one or more of the hip numbers comes off or is obscured. Certainly familiarity with the athletes helps but that can't always be counted on and rarely do you know every athlete. I recommend use of bib numbers on the jersey and on the side the lap scorer will be located for races with more than 8 laps, or long intervals for each lap even if the race won't be electronically timed. If you have both hip and competitor numbers make sure you have both recorded for cross reference.

 

Ø  When numbers come off it is important to record the school or color of the person without a number for the electronic timer. It is the only sure way to make sure the right time gets with the right athlete. Another technique just now being incorporated into both the USATF and IAAF rules is use of the road racing chip system. It would given on line and accurate splits for each race as well as allow for easy review of how many laps each participant has completed.

 

Ø  A slightly less sophisticated system and therefore a slightly less accurate system is to record all the numbers of all the racers as they come around each lap. This is usually not possible during the first lap or two until they spread out enough. This allows you to keep track of laps and the order but can get confusing when in one race I had people on 5 different laps coming across the start finish line at one time. Using such a system it is important to circle or otherwise indicate when an athlete retires from the race.

 

Ø  The score card after the race would look like Table 2. Another alternative is that you can keep track of the last few runners and particularly all runners that have been lapped so that you know who has more laps to go after the winner and those on the same lap have finished. Using this system you know how many times the last runners have been lapped and you know when you have a finisher coming in. See Table 3 for an example of scoring using this system.

 

Ø  The lap scorer must know when his or her athlete is finishing. Because even with a FinishLynx system, someone has to tell the operator who is a finisher and who is not. They mostly likely will catch everyone crossing the line but they can't tell a finisher from a non-finisher and often cannot read the hip number because it has fallen off.