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Scorekeeping Technology
For all you nerds out there, our resident scorekeeper, Ron Wilhelm, has written an explanation of our internally developed, online scoring system for the 2010 Games season.
The 2009 CrossFit Games had a simple-to-explain, difficult-to-implement heat scheduling method whereby heat times for events where determined by the overall standings to that point. Because of these demands, a database driven scoring and scheduling system was developed, in contrast to the Excel spreadsheet more typically seen at the score-keeping table.
The system handled calculating the placings and tiebreakers automatically as results were input. The scorekeeping team simply had to enter the results from the scoring cards. Out of this came the event and overall rankings, as well as the heat groupings for the next event.
This initial version met the needs of the 2009 Games, but was embarrassingly specific to that event. It could only handle a single event, and only supported the 2009 scoring methods. Once the Games were over, we hauled it back into the lab and began improving it. This refinement including supporting different scoring methods, and the ability to handle multiple events. We are proud to announce that we are making this system available for the sectional and regional events of the 2010 CrossFit Games. We have called the system Agon.
What is it?
An online scorekeeping system for use by sectional and regional CrossFit Games events.
How does it work?
Sectional and regional scorekeepers can use the system to enter workout times/scores. Workout and event results are calculated automatically as they are entered and reflected on the CrossFit Games website.
What event types are supported?
Timed workout (lower is better), scored workout (higher is better), timed workout (higher is better), scored workout (lower is better). We don't expect these last two to be used, but they were easy to add.
What scoring methods are supported?
- 2007 Games points table - 1=100pts, 2nd=95 pts, 3rd=90pts, 4th=89pts...
- 2009 Dirty South points table - Starts at 500 and works its way down
- 2009 Games points table - 1st=1pt, 2nd=2pts, 3rd=3pts...
- modified 2009 points table - 1st=1pt, 2nd=3pts, 3rd=5pts, 4th=6pts...
- Every Second Count
- lowest converted points (ESC variation) - Timed workouts are converted to points with 1 second=1pt and are added to total. Scored workouts are subtracted from total. Lowest points at the end is the winner.
- Proportional Performance - Score is the percentage of the top finished in an event.
- Standard Score - Score is how many standard deviations above or below the mean.
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18 comments on this entry
1. Miranda 801 wrote...
Nice work Ron!!
28 January 2010 / 10:19 a.m.
2. Laurie wrote...
Thanks for your work on this and for making it available. Scoring and scorekeeping has quickly become on of our bigger hurdles...
This should help tremendously!
Laurie
Rainier CrossFit
NW Regional Qual
28 January 2010 / 10:35 a.m.
3. Kevin wrote...
This is not a system developed by crossfit. It is a program that has been around for years in the statistical world called SAS, or a similar program, one of many statistical software programs used today in colleges and businesses throughout the world. Crossfit is trying to sell this propaganda to you as something they developed. Crossfit has some great aspects, but their biggest downfall is taking things that have already been discovered and selling it off as their own.
28 January 2010 / 12:45 p.m.
4. Ron wrote...
I'm intrigued by your idea of a web usable SAS-based score-keeping system. I'd love to see a proof of concept. I haven't used a statical packages since my college days, when it was SPSS via a VT series terminal on a VMS system. I'd totally forgotten about that, but it wasn't the inspiration for this system. I used an existing web development framework, sure. I'd be a fool not to. It's wasn't SAS or SPSS. But I'm pretty sure I wrote the lines of code and templates that actually do Games-specific "stuff".
28 January 2010 / 1:41 p.m.
5. Alex Taylor wrote...
I've always been fascinated by the logistics of events like this. It's nice to see a peek into the back-of-house stuff that makes events like the Games run. Are we going to see the front-end too?
28 January 2010 / 4:17 p.m.
6. Jamie@CFA wrote...
Kevin,
Don't read so far into things... saying romanov invented POSE running doesn't literally mean he created the style of running as it is a style that has been around since cavemen hunted boars, its an expression of uniquely packaging something and branding it.... If you put crack on ice cream and called it "crack cream" did you really invent this? no but you alter its original state and made it your own brand and therefore made it unique a new expression of ice cream. Post its are just paper but some dude named Art Fry "invented" them!!!
28 January 2010 / 5:42 p.m.
7. Skip wrote...
Great job Ron. We can't wait to use it.
Skip
Front Range CrossFit
28 January 2010 / 7:29 p.m.
8. Chris wrote...
Jamie,
couldn't agree more.
Looks like solid work Ron!
28 January 2010 / 10 p.m.
9. Paul Szoldra wrote...
Nice job Ron.. you are a genius! I'm sure it will be a very nice improvement over last year's system.
28 January 2010 / 10:52 p.m.
10. JB - CrossFit SS wrote...
This is a great tool for those running the Qualifiers, and another way to help off load the more technical aspects of running an event so that Directors and staff can focus on what really matters...Running a top notch competition, and producing a great community event.
What few will acknowledge is that Ron not only created the system, but as it's creator, will be responsible for making any tweaks to it (no software is perfect...or un-screw-up-able by the user) during competitions. This is a tiresome and thankless role, for which he deserves a TON of credit.
Thanks Ron!!!
29 January 2010 / 6:19 a.m.
11. chris cooper wrote...
This is terrific - we run about 10 events per year at our box (part of our recruitment and retention strategy.) Will this eventually be available to the Affiliate masses?
29 January 2010 / 6:53 a.m.
12. Bryan wrote...
Yup, definitely interested in this for the games here in the Carolinas. How do we sign up?
Also, how does the system handle dropped contestants? By that I mean say after Saturday you only keep the top 16 (sound familiar?). Can you tell the system to re-calculate the points and standings of all of Saturdays events only taking into account those 16 athletes to give new point totals going into Sunday?
I ask because otherwise events on Saturday are weighted more heavily in the final outcome.
04 February 2010 / 9:51 a.m.
13. Richard Zapata wrote...
This is pretty cool and would be real useful. I have the same question as the other commenters, when will this be available? Will the affiliates have access to it?
05 February 2010 / 12:14 p.m.
14. Ron wrote...
I'm rolling it out to sectional events about 2 weeks in advance. I'm going through finding out where the usability concern are with the earlier sectionals to avoid having the same issues come up with the later ones.
As far as your scoring method, that's certainly with the possibilities of the system, though it isn't currently developed. I proposed it in pre-Games discussions last year. An alternative is to use proportional performance or standard score methods.
11 February 2010 / 9:13 a.m.
15. Brian Doll wrote...
This sounds great. If this scoring system follows the edict of Crossfit itself, I'd hope you'll consider releasing this as open-source. There are many Crossfit challenges world wide, and a scoring tool would make them much easier to run and manage.
Feel free to contact me if you have concerns or questions on the logistics of releasing the product as open source. I'd be happy to help.
14 February 2010 / 7:55 p.m.
16. shannon South Central CF Sectionals wrote...
in using it for the sectional events - we wont need or want it to determine heats for the following workouts as we have already determined the heats for all 3 wods. will this create a problem? we are DYING to see it...i've been working on a massive excel spreadsheet not knowing HQ was going to provide something for us to use... i assume we will need internet access to use it for our event or is this something we can download to a lap top? we are 14 days out & getting very anxious about what i believe is THE most important element of the event - ROCK SOLID SCORING.
please help!
25 February 2010 / 1:36 p.m.
17. Ron wrote...
The system is just for scorekeeping. It doesn't attempt to figure out the scheduling or assignments of the heats. That's way too variable and to try to create something would have either been a) way to limited and useless for most events or b) too complicated for most events. It does assign numbers to athletes, but that's as an aid to scorekeeping so you can just search based on the athlete number, rather than searching for their name.
26 February 2010 / 6:37 a.m.
18. Alex Haussermann wrote...
Just wondering why we aren't seeing more sectionals (or any that I'm aware of) use the standard score method. It rewards performance far more accurately than any of the other methods. Being a math nerd and an avid crossfitter, I'm hoping that this method is implemented at the games.
Ron, I'm not sure what kind of authority you have in determining the scoring method for the games (if it isn't already determined), but I'm sure you see the value of this system. It's the right way to go!!
05 April 2010 / 12:10 p.m.