Everything you need to know

Recap Tabulation Methods (1)

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The RC Help Articles are especially written for people new to the Race Committee. This article discusses the two Recap Tabulation Methods.

By the way, to avoid confusion, I like to use the term "Scoring System" to refer to Event scoring and final results tallying and "Tabulation Method" to refer to Recap final results tallying. Race Committees should understand each tabulation method thoroughly, know their strengths and weaknesses, and then consistently select that system for each Recap.

The term "Tabulation Method" is defined as the manner in which the results from a series of races or Events are added together for Regatta, Season or Regional Rankings. The two recognized methods are:

Cumulative (Points earned from all Events are added together for ranking), and

High Scores (Points earned from the best three Events only are added together for ranking although four or five Events can be used to avoid ties at the top ranking levels).

The easiest way to prepare a Discipline Recap is to transfer each racer's Points earned for each Event to a Recap Scoresheet or Tally Sheet, total the Points and assign Recap Ranking. Then, if you plan on having a Multi-Discipline Ranking, reverse score the Recap Ranking and transfer those points to the Multi-Discipline table for each Discipline. This maintains the concept of Competition Level and thus Competition Value through to the Multi-Discipline level. On the other hand, if you want to weigh each Discipline equally, then transfer Discipline Ranking instead of Discipline Points to the Multi-Discipline table but do this only for the Multi-Discipline table, not the Events Recap table.

The Cumulative Method adds up all the points from every Event on the Regatta or Season Recap. Thus, it could tend to reward faithful race attendance more than skill level. The more often a racer competes, the greater the opportunity to place well on the Regatta or Season Recap. In fact, it's entirely possible for a racer with "average" skill levels who competes often to place higher than a racer with "superior" skill who competes seldom. The Cumulative Method tends to reduce traveling elsewhere to compete or helping out on the Race Committee because of the premium placed on race attendance.

The High Scores Method (an extension of the Reverse Scoring concept) adds up only the top three Events on the Regatta or Season Recap. Thus, it could tend to reward skill level more than race attendance. However, most Racers realize that the more races they attend, the greater the Competition Level of the Event and thus the higher number of points earned. Note that the High Scores Tabulation Method will yield results equal to the Cumulative Method if three Events or less were conducted for the Season! The High Scores Method tends to encourage traveling elsewhere to compete and volunteering to help out on the Race Committee since racers aren't penalized for missing races as in the Cumulative Method.

Both methods are valid and equitable, therefore, it's really up to you which one you want to use. If in doubt, use the High Scores system. The next article in the series will cover the question of why points are tallied for Regatta or Season Recaps instead of ranking. But for now, remember that an Event conducted properly is more fun for everyone! Best wishes for a successful racing season.

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