Personal Handicap System - One Design Class

Imported from Yahoo
1

Hi.

Until recently Ive been sailing Laser SB3s. It was brought to the
classes attention that it was the same people winning races all the
time. As an ever expanding fleet more people were stuck in a mid fleet
position with no real goals to work to.

I was wondering if Sailwave creates a personal handicap (in a one
design handicap) which relates to the persons skill (ie. 1=Good
10=Bad) and creates a table of positions in relation to the
improvement of the personal handicap. As the sailor improves the
sailors handicap slowly reduces to 0. At the end of the season the
results are decided the biggest difference a sailor has made over the
season. Also the handicap scores can be used in calculating results at
events which result in very large numbers of entrants (ie. Nationals
Europeans).

Obviously the original results (1st,2nd,3rd) would be kept but there
could be a mini series for the mid fleet improving sailors to compete
in.

Im currently building an online version of this using PHP and MySQL
(for my final year dissertation). So far so good. Ive been able to
create personal handicaps on test data of a few events. But yet to
test it on the whole results. USing Laser Sb3 data.

My questions are does Sailwave use a personal handicap series in the
way Im creating it as mentioned above? If so how?

Thanks
Garf

2

Garf,

Currently Sailwave does not do any Personal Handicap calculations. It is in
the development plan and has been requested quite frequently.

I have done some work with Excel in calculating PH values on a more general
basis, i.e. for handicap fleets, but it still works for class racing. It is
based on the procedure documented in the RYA YR2 publication. But this
procedure does require all boats having a finishing time or elapsed time.
However it does have the benefit that the time differences between boats is
taken into account.

I know the Dart 18 class association used to have a PH system based on
overall finishing positions at an event, so no times were required.

Personally I think a system that takes into account the time difference
between boats is better.

I would be interested in knowing more about the work you have done
especially as you are using PHP & MySQL. I have an interest in race results
and handicap calculation systems.

FYI - Colin the author of Sailwave has proposed and is working on an online
repository using PHP & MySQL for storing race result information from many
clubs, which will calculate updates to Class handicap values, and possibly
individual boats personal handicap values, in 'near time'. I think it will
be possible to upload information from Sailwave to this repository and down
the updated Class & PH values if required.

Kind regards,
Huw Pearce
(long time user of Sailwave & PROlog [Datchet developed software to assist
the Race Officer)
Results Coordinator Datchet Water SC

···

-----Original Message-----
  From: Garf_UK@hotmail.com [mailto:Garf_UK@hotmail.com]
  Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 5:38 PM
  To: sailwave@yahoogroups.com
  Subject: [sailwave] Personal Handicap System - One Design Class

  Hi.

  Until recently Ive been sailing Laser SB3s. It was brought to the
  classes attention that it was the same people winning races all the
  time. As an ever expanding fleet more people were stuck in a mid fleet
  position with no real goals to work to.

  I was wondering if Sailwave creates a personal handicap (in a one
  design handicap) which relates to the persons skill (ie. 1=Good
  10=Bad) and creates a table of positions in relation to the
  improvement of the personal handicap. As the sailor improves the
  sailors handicap slowly reduces to 0. At the end of the season the
  results are decided the biggest difference a sailor has made over the
  season. Also the handicap scores can be used in calculating results at
  events which result in very large numbers of entrants (ie. Nationals
  Europeans).

  Obviously the original results (1st,2nd,3rd) would be kept but there
  could be a mini series for the mid fleet improving sailors to compete
  in.

  Im currently building an online version of this using PHP and MySQL
  (for my final year dissertation). So far so good. Ive been able to
  create personal handicaps on test data of a few events. But yet to
  test it on the whole results. USing Laser Sb3 data.

  My questions are does Sailwave use a personal handicap series in the
  way Im creating it as mentioned above? If so how?

  Thanks
  Garf

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http://www.sailwave.com/ -!-

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3

Garf,

I run a personal handicaping (PH) system for the Supernova
Association. It calculates the (Ph) based on finishing place, for each
race and each event. We have used it for many years and the results
are quite consistant.

The maths behind it was designed by our Association President, I have
taken the individual spread sheets for each event and combined them to
save having to transfer date manually. My effort are not pretty ! but
overall it works. However it would be nice to have something based on
sailwave or something simular. I would agree that timed finish's would
give better results but that is not available to us at our open meetings.

If you are interested I could foward you a whole years results which
you could use to test your system and we could compare the overall
results.
I will speak to the designer and see if he would mind letting you have
his formular for calculating the PH, I sure he would be more than
please to help.
David.

···

--- In sailwave@yahoogroups.com, Garf_UK@h... wrote:

4

That'd be brilliant if you could.

Im currently using a guildford handicap system. It takes into account
number of boats per race which Ive found alot dont. But I can adjust
my php coding to adjust to other handicap systems.

I run a personal handicaping (PH) system for the Supernova
Association. It calculates the (Ph) based on finishing place, for each
race and each event. We have used it for many years and the results
are quite consistant.

The maths behind it was designed by our Association President, I have
taken the individual spread sheets for each event and combined them to
save having to transfer date manually. My effort are not pretty ! but
overall it works. However it would be nice to have something based on
sailwave or something simular. I would agree that timed finish's would
give better results but that is not available to us at our open

meetings.

···

--- In sailwave@yahoogroups.com, "david_5562000" <david@e...> wrote:

If you are interested I could foward you a whole years results which
you could use to test your system and we could compare the overall
results.
I will speak to the designer and see if he would mind letting you have
his formular for calculating the PH, I sure he would be more than
please to help.
David.

5

Hi Garf,

A perfonal handicap system(s) is being developed; it will probably be aavailable in the next but one release of Sailwave.

Regards,
Colin J
www.sailwave.com

Garf_UK@hotmail.com wrote:

···

Hi.

Until recently Ive been sailing Laser SB3s. It was brought to the
classes attention that it was the same people winning races all the
time. As an ever expanding fleet more people were stuck in a mid fleet
position with no real goals to work to.

I was wondering if Sailwave creates a personal handicap (in a one
design handicap) which relates to the persons skill (ie. 1=Good
10=Bad) and creates a table of positions in relation to the
improvement of the personal handicap. As the sailor improves the
sailors handicap slowly reduces to 0. At the end of the season the
results are decided the biggest difference a sailor has made over the
season. Also the handicap scores can be used in calculating results at
events which result in very large numbers of entrants (ie. Nationals
Europeans).

Obviously the original results (1st,2nd,3rd) would be kept but there
could be a mini series for the mid fleet improving sailors to compete
in.

Im currently building an online version of this using PHP and MySQL
(for my final year dissertation). So far so good. Ive been able to
create personal handicaps on test data of a few events. But yet to
test it on the whole results. USing Laser Sb3 data.

My questions are does Sailwave use a personal handicap series in the
way Im creating it as mentioned above? If so how?

Thanks Garf

-!- http://www.fastmail.fm/ -!- http://www.spampal.org/ -!- http://www.sailwave.com/ -!-

Convert to daily digest of emails send blank email to:
sailwave-digest@yahoogroups.com Yahoo! Groups Links

--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.8.8 - Release Date: 14/02/2005