Progressive handicap with multiple series and customisations

[Pete_Sykes]

We use a bespoke system to do results at the moment, but may move to sailwave. What I want to be able to do at “User” level is:

1. Adjust handicaps using an exponential filter so you get 0.15 of the difference between what you have and what you achieved.
2. Cap that at +=5%
3. No update on 1st result >5% from the Standard Corrected time ( SCT) as just one may be an anomaly
4. Keep this per boat not per series as we have evening series and weekend series running consecutively and the handicaps flow between these series.

At “system” level:

1. Keep a history of all boats and races updated with performance after every race
2. Do some relatively simple maths on handicaps after every race, referring to that history to get get a new handicap for the next race
3. Update all series with the new handicap number not just that series generating the number
4. Automate all this so only an IT admin has to think, the race officers just enter race details .

So far, I’m finding the NHC spreadsheets to be ephemeral - I don’t seem to keep the data and if I set an excel link in the scoring system, its not found. What am I doing wrong there.

Thanks

Pete Sykes

[Sailwave]

Hi Peter,

User Level - 1,2 and 3
Using a custom Excel sheet there is no problem in doing this with Sailwave.

User Level - 4
I can understand what you are saying although this could be an issue as you are wanting to transfer the ratings between series which are typically held in different files
I Know other clubs that use progressive handicaps have the evening and weekend series run with different ratings their reasoning being that the weather conditions for summer evening races are different from the day conditions (usually a lighter wind and often dying towards the end). Also, the crew (and sometimes even the skipper) used for evening races differ.
Sailwave has a default starting handicap which is stored against the competitor and a rating for each race which is stored in the results table

System Level 1
Not sure what you want to store here

System Level 2
This would be done automatically in the Excel custom sheet

System Level 3
Not impossible but changing ratings for specific races in different series will be complicated - please see also above User Level 4 comments

System Level 4
Apart from the System Level 3 comments above everything is automated and the users would not need to do anything special.

Now lets look at your issue with the NHC spreadsheets

Load the NHC2014.blw included with Sailwave and Edit scoring system and select the rating system tab and make sure it looks like this with the internal selected and no Excel link

Then click the rescore button and you should see the Sailwave helper window appear for a couple of seconds and disappear.

Now lets do the scoring using the external mode specifying a template manually
so change the Rating system as shown

so that we are using Custom External and tick the box for the Excel link and specify SWNHC3.xls
This file will be in the Templates folder as specified in the Setup - Global Options - Folders - Templates

Now click rescore and you can will see Sailwave automatically starts Excel and loads the info into Excel and the SWHelper window is displayed

You can now use the SWHelper window to step through the races or simply click update all and it will return to Sailwave with the calculations all done

Give me a call if you need help

Jon

[Pete_Sykes]

Thanks for this - I have since found I have to be precise in getting the fleet name and scoring system name the same.

The templates folder I have only contains header and footer templates. I’ll try a reinstall.

On the queries about systems level requirements: I will need a recent history of boat performance as we don’t always update. If a boat races at > 5% above SCT we ignore that the first time and only adjust the handicap if they do it again. This implies we must at least know the recent results so we can get that last performance figure - which won’t include OOD , DNC RET … results in the interim. This should go over all race series either from the last of one to the first of another of from midweek to weekend series.

Just to make it more complex, we run some races on open handicaps rather than personal handicaps, but we still use the performance data to adjust the personal number.

I can see the problem. We are boat based and series all sit in one database, Sailwave is more series based with distinct series based files. If there was a way of having Sailwave call out to a separate module to get a boat handicap for each race and post race, update that module with each boat’s performance then that should be a simple module to write, albeit more complex than a set of excel macros or formulae

Thanks

Pete Sykes

[Sailwave]

Hi Peter

@Pete_Sykes

I have since found I have to be precise in getting the fleet name and scoring system name the same.

Could you explain a little more where this is applicable thanks

@Pete_Sykes

If a boat races at > 5% above SCT we ignore that the first time and only adjust the handicap if they do it again. This implies we must at least know the recent results so we can get that last performance figure - which won’t include OOD , DNC RET … results in the interim.

If you are using a custom template this would all be handled automatically as when you rescore all races get rescored not just the last race so all races will be passed to the custom template so it will know what the previous scores are.

@Pete_Sykes

Just to make it more complex, we run some races on open handicaps rather than personal handicaps, but we still use the performance data to adjust the personal number.

This could be handled by the custom template - For example if R6 was to be on open handicaps when the custom template scores R5 it would return the open handicap ratings to be used for R6 rather than the personal handicap there are a couple of ways this could be done

@Pete_Sykes

If there was a way of having Sailwave call out to a separate module to get a boat handicap for each race and post race, update that module with each boat’s performance then that should be a simple module to write, albeit more complex than a set of excel macros or formulae

Basically this could easily be done by the custom template
The first race will use the rating as specified within Sailwave but when you score race 1 the template can specify the rating to be used in R2 and when you score R2 you can specify the rating that will be used in R3 etc - the template could be written to read and save the data

Jon

[Sailwave]

@Pete_Sykes

The templates folder I have only contains header and footer templates. I’ll try a reinstall.

I assume you are using a recent version of Sailwave

Setup - Global options - Folders is where the location of the templates folder is defined

and by default this is C:\Users\Public\Documents\Sailwave\Templates

is this the folder you are looking in for the .xls sheets they should be put there by the installer

Jon

[Pete_Sykes]

@Sailwave

Hi Peter

@Pete_Sykes

I have since found I have to be precise in getting the fleet name and scoring system name the same.

Could you explain a little more where this is applicable thanks

OK, Tried it again. The issue I had was a fleet called “dinghy” and a scoring system called “peyc rh” I never saw the sw helper until I made the fleet “peyc rh” too. However by this time I’d faffed about so much… With a clean data file, its happy.

@Pete_Sykes

If a boat races at > 5% above SCT we ignore that the first time and only adjust the handicap if they do it again. This implies we must at least know the recent results so we can get that last performance figure - which won’t include OOD , DNC RET … results in the interim.

If you are using a custom template this would all be handled automatically as when you rescore all races get rescored not just the last race so all races will be passed to the custom template so it will know what the previous scores are.

Yes, but what about the handover of handicaps between series and consecutive series. I’m thinking I’d need a second spreadsheet or a database that holds boat performances and is independent of series. Then a series related spreadsheet could just go to that rather than just use what was contained in that series.

@Pete_Sykes

Just to make it more complex, we run some races on open handicaps rather than personal handicaps, but we still use the performance data to adjust the personal number.

This could be handled by the custom template - For example if R6 was to be on open handicaps when the custom template scores R5 it would return the open handicap ratings to be used for R6 rather than the personal handicap there are a couple of ways this could be done

Its probably just a series with different custom spreadsheet with a PY handicap. Its always contained in one series or one race. We don’t mix handicap types in a series.

@Pete_Sykes

If there was a way of having Sailwave call out to a separate module to get a boat handicap for each race and post race, update that module with each boat’s performance then that should be a simple module to write, albeit more complex than a set of excel macros or formulae

Basically this could easily be done by the custom template
The first race will use the rating as specified within Sailwave but when you score race 1 the template can specify the rating to be used in R2 and when you score R2 you can specify the rating that will be used in R3 etc - the template could be written to read and save the data

Yes. As above, that separate, series independent module

Jon

Thanks for this

Pete

[Pete_Sykes]

@Sailwave

@Pete_Sykes

The templates folder I have only contains header and footer templates. I’ll try a reinstall.

I assume you are using a recent version of Sailwave

Setup - Global options - Folders is where the location of the templates folder is defined

and by default this is C:\Users\Public\Documents\Sailwave\Templates

is this the folder you are looking in for the .xls sheets they should be put there by the installer

Jon

I’ve been trying a full pathname in the scoring system dialog. I’ll go to the templates file.

Thanks

Pete

[Sailwave]

Hi Pete

@Pete_Sykes

I’ve been trying a full pathname in the scoring system dialog. I’ll go to the templates file.

Full paths should also work but its easier to keep them together and you can switch them to a subdirectory for special work.
The NHC2014.xls should already be in that directory as its installed with Sailwave

Jon

[Sailwave]

Hi Peter

@Sailwave

OK, Tried it again. The issue I had was a fleet called “dinghy” and a scoring system called “peyc rh” I never saw the sw helper until I made the fleet “peyc rh” too. However by this time I’d faffed about so much… With a clean data file, its happy.

The name of the scoring system should have no effect whatsoever it just needs to find a fleet using the NHC scoring to invoke the SWHelper. One issue is if there is an error in calling SWHelper it can be necessary to restart Sailwave to reset the error. But great if its working now.

@Sailwave

Yes, but what about the handover of handicaps between series and consecutive series. I’m thinking I’d need a second spreadsheet or a database that holds boat performances and is independent of series. Then a series related spreadsheet could just go to that rather than just use what was contained in that series.

Yes if you are going to attempt to mix two series you will have to have some external storage that is accessible by the template. If it was just a single series then as its scoring all the races it could all be done in the workbook

@Sailwave

Its probably just a series with different custom spreadsheet with a PY handicap. Its always contained in one series or one race. We don’t mix handicap types in a series.

That fine then

Let me know if you have any questions

Jon