Accurate Contest Scoring - Distance

For our friends overseas who do not read 'Soaring' magazine, I am posting below a letter which I sent to the magazine. It was published in the December issue (with modifications).

Bill Feldbaumer 09

Accurate Contest Scoring - Distance

I have long advocated using Total Elapsed Time for scoring sailplane races. That system chooses as champion the pilot with the highest speed over the total contest distance. It also eliminates 1000-point scoring with all its problems.

It is now possible to achieve these same results in a simpler manner with a new technology – GPS recorders – and the exclusive use of a new task – the Time Distance Task (TDT).

With the TDT, a flight time is specified; for example, 3 hours. The distance achieved by a pilot 3 hours after his start time is his score. His cumulative score is his total distance flown in the contest. The champion has the highest total distance. He also has the highest speed for the entire contest.

The pilots can return home or land elsewhere after their flight time is up. A “contest finish” is not required. Pilots who land out in less than 3 hours are also scored on their distances. This eliminates the complex problem in 1000-point scoring of accurately scoring land-outs vs. finishers.

Any number of turnpoints can be assigned. If few are assigned, the pilots can choose their own turnpoints as with the current Pilot Selected Task.

The Sporting Committee of the Soaring Association of Canada has set the objective of using the TDT exclusively and eliminating 1000-point scoring. They used the task in contests this year. They plan to use it exclusively and score on distance in some Provincial contests next year.

I urge all racing pilots and the Contest Rules Committee to support the change to this new scoring system. An accurate and easily understood scoring system will add greatly to the joy of racing.

Bill Feldbaumer 09

Reading about new ideas for contests always brings to my mind that there are three groups of people who need to be considered when dreaming up all this new fangled competition stuff.

Group 1. The pilots.. IMHO no system will keep them all happy. BUT they will race under whatever tasks are presented by the organisers. By nature, pilots are outspoken challengers of anything, but at the same time very competitive on whatever task they are given.

Group 2. The organisers (mainly volunteers remember) who struggle with understanding the rules, tasking & administering the race and putting up with all the agro generated by dissapointed pilots (we wus ^%%!#$!# robbed etc etc). Also have a mind for the scorers who have to implement the scoring program changes as well as sit around waiting for the last pilot to get home and hand in their GPS..

Group 3. The group TOTALLY forgotten by architects of fancy racing tasks. The viewing public! We whine about the growth of our sport and I constantly read complaints about why Soaring is not on TV. In my experience a time/distance task is about as exciting to a viewer as watching paint dry.

However the excitement level & interest is very high when you see 18-20 gliders on a longish final glide and dropping water to finish over a finish line on the airfield. So why don't we have a competition that requires all the gliders to arrive at the airfield at the same time to address the needs and wants of group 3!)

Before you all get excited about the safety issues...take a deep breath....its a proposal to get that stuff between your ears working on racing that satisfies Group 3 as well as Group one and two!.

wrote: <snip>

,snip> Just a thort - when nothing else will do 'the Baldman'

Having never flown a contest, please allow me to educate myself on this topic with this question.

Working under the assumption that one gets the behavior that one rewards (in this case maximum ground coverage) - what prevents pilots from simply throwing a wet thumb into the air, making a three hour downwind dash, taking the rest of the night to make the retrieve, and then having a fleet launch the following day where the vast majority of the pilots are operating under less than stellar physical conditions?

Are we assuming they will want to come home into a headwind at the end of the day for a 'crowd pleasing' finish? For the sake of safety (and logistics), what incentive is provided to return to the home field? Are we taking the following day off while crews attempt to gather the fleet.

Is there some information I am missing here. Can you please explain this a bit more? Thanks!

So does this mean that on a windy day the whole field sets of downwing and the one who is fathest away after 3 hours is the winner? Must make for long retrieves.

Basil

Subject: Accurate Contest Scoring - Distance Date: 09 December 2001 14:28

For our friends overseas who do not read 'Soaring' magazine, I am posting below a letter which I sent to the magazine. It was published in the December issue (with modifications).

Bill Feldbaumer 09

Accurate Contest Scoring - Distance

I have long advocated using Total Elapsed Time for scoring sailplane races. That system chooses as champion the pilot with the highest speed over the total contest distance. It also eliminates 1000-point scoring with all its problems.

It is now possible to achieve these same results in a simpler manner with a new technology - GPS recorders - and the exclusive use of a new task - the Time Distance Task (TDT).

With the TDT, a flight time is specified; for example, 3 hours. The distance achieved by a pilot 3 hours after his start time is his score. His cumulative score is his total distance flown in the contest. The champion has the highest total distance. He also has the highest speed for the entire contest.

The pilots can return home or land elsewhere after their flight time is up. A 'contest finish' is not required. Pilots who land out in less than 3 hours are also scored on their distances. This eliminates the complex problem in 1000-point scoring of accurately scoring land-outs vs. finishers.

Any number of turnpoints can be assigned. If few are assigned, the pilots can choose their own turnpoints as with the current Pilot Selected Task.

The Sporting Committee of the Soaring Association of Canada has set the objective of using the TDT exclusively and eliminating 1000-point scoring. They used the task in contests this year. They plan to use it exclusively and score on distance in some Provincial contests next year.

I urge all racing pilots and the Contest Rules Committee to support the change to this new scoring system. An accurate and easily understood scoring system will add greatly to the joy of racing.

Bill Feldbaumer 09

What, exactly and specifically, are the 'problems' with the 1000-point system to which you allude? You don't say in your earlier post.

Please quantify your answer with actual metrics, and also demonstrate that the effort required to implement TET would not be more effectively be spent achieving improved safety or enjoyment when applied elsewhere within the contest arena.

When you can demonstrate that there are real problems with the 1000-point system, and the TET system offers real solutions, I'll pay some heed. Until then, I'll continue to run what I brung as best I can, and let the CD sort it out at the end of the day. That has always, always worked for me.

Bob '18k' K.

One suggestion I would make is to take a look at scoresheets over time. Here in the US, I can't help but notice that names like Striedieck, Gimmey, Mozer, Johnson, et.al. appear at the top over and over again across decades, regardless of the scoring system or tasking in use. I'm sure that the same applies in other countries as well. Sure, some pilots 'prefer' one type of task over another, but in the end it seems that the same names appear on the leader board. So, I question how these scoring systems can be so terribly 'inaccurate' (ie. unfair?) if they've produced reasonably consistent results over time.

It strikes me that the more we strive for 'accuracy,' the more we may lose sight of other objectives. Little things like safety, challenge, fun for crew and spectators seem a lot more important than sorting out the minute differences between 24th and 25th on the scoresheet.

It may very well be that this type of task has promise. But as others point out, the minute that there are 'bonuses' built in for things like getting home, it begins to look like just another variation of our current tasking (e.g. the MAT here in the US).

[Apologies to Bill Feldbaumer. Bill, I respect your attempts to look for creative new solutions and I hope you continue to tweak your system. I just think it should start with an outline of objectives other than 'accuracy' and work backwards from there].

Erik Mann (P3)

Actually, what was used some days during WGC in Bayreuth was a Time Distance Task with a compulsory first turnpoint, not a complete task as a first fart of the TDT. The bonus for landing back at the home airfield was 15%.Assigned Speed Task was the primary task type.Now if you want to simplify scoring, running a competition with only TDT tasks is about the worst you can do. If you have been at a major competition, you have probably noted that on AST days, preliminary results are usually available early in the evening the same day, but on TDT days, preliminary results are usually available late at night or the following morning.The reason for this is that although you don't have to calculate both speed and distance point (which the computer will do for you anyway), the evaluation of logger data is much more time-consuming for a TDT than for AST:To check logger data for an AST, you have only to define one task per class, and typically check two to four turnpoints (and sometimes an outlanding position) per pilot.For a TDT day, you have to define one task per pilot, and typically check between five and fifteen turnpoints (plus usually a position at the end of the time window) per pilot.So if you never want your logger and scoring team to get off before midnight, competitions with only TDT's is the way to go.From the pilot's point of view, I think most competition pilots prefer to fly Assigned Speed Tasks over Time Distance Task. The reason for this is probably that on an AST, you can devote your concentration to the actual flying. On a TDT, much of your time and energy is used on boring 'planning work', like re-programming flight computers/loggers/GPS, re-deciding which turnpoints you are going to next, checking that distance between two turnpoints is more than the required minimum, planning turnpoints so that you don't fly out-and-return legs, planning to be at a specific point as low as possible (and still be able to get up and home) at the end of the time window, etc.Other disadvantages of the TDT:TDT is absolutely useless in trying to attract any spectator interest, as you can't meaningfully display real-time positions (as done during the latest WGC and EGC) and give the viewers an idea about who is doing well, and results are always available very late.Particularly with pilots of low experience, TDT tend to degenerate into semi-local flying or repeated circuits around a small triangle. To counter this, one has to introduce rule add-ons like a far-flung compulsory first turnpoints, minimum distance between claimable turnpoints etc.Geir>>>At 22:54 10 December 2001, U. Werneburg wrote:>We tried the TDT at the Canadian Nationals this year

Dennis -

Turnpoints are assigned to prevent the task from becoming a 'vulgar downwind dash.' A bonus is given for landing at an airport. This is done to discourage pilots from driving it to the ground as their time expires.

A major advantage of this system is that it eliminates the devestating penalty in 1000 point scoring for landingout. Assume that a thunderstorm developes over the home airport late in the day. Currently, the pilots choice is to risk life and limb by flying into the weather or landing safely elswhere and taking a scoring penalty that will probably knock him out of contention. With this system, he can fly to another airport, land safely, and get his full score.

The same applies to landings that are 'just short.' Rather than fly into the fence at the edge of the airport, the pilot can land safely a half mile out and only lose the bonus for landing at an airport.

Heinz,

Please see my reply to Dennis.

John,

Please see my reply to Dennis.

Bob,

I emailed you a copy of my OSTIV paper explaining the inaccuracies of 1000 point scoring. If anyone else would like a copy, they can email me a request.