[SPAM] Re: 2005 Nationals Reminder

Fri Apr 15 07:20:49 AKDT 2005

Eric,

The changes to the matrix system you describe below are an 
improvement over what has been used in the past, but there are still 
places where a small change in process can yield a big improvement in 
fairness and equity.

The most significant of these for Masters would be to not carry over 
qualifying scores into the finals.  Since the constraints presented 
by the preliminaries don't allow for equal exposure of judges, it is 
simply wrong to carry the preliminary scores into the finals.  Think 
of it this way, the way we handle the scoring now is akin to taking 
one measurement in thousands of an inch and another measurement in 
millimeters and then adding them together.  They are similar 
measurements but are not directly relatable.

The most basic requirement for normalizing is that you have equal 
exposure across judging sets.  Comparing scores between pilots who 
have flown in front of different sets of judges is fundamentally 
wrong.  I fully realize that given the number of Masters competitors 
some compromises have to be made.  However, carrying flawed 
preliminary scores into the finals is completely unnecessary and 
corrupts the results.

FAI starts with a fresh slate in the finals, I see no reason why 
Masters shouldn't be doing the same.

Thx, Jerry

>It may seem early to be thinking about the Nat's but rooms go fast 
>and the sooner we know you are coming the better we can plan the 
>contest :-)
>
>Here is my Na's update the next K-Factor as an FYI.
>
>Regards,
>
>Eric.
>
>
>
>Nats News. I received more than one note asking me if there were 
>going to be fewer rounds at this year's nationals and if the matrix 
>system was going to be discontinued.
>
>          The challenge that we face this year is that there will be 
>no rain-day on the fifth day, usually the Friday of the week. This 
>does not change how many rounds we plan to run. Last year, Tony 
>Stillman contacted and advised Dave Guerin (our 2004 and soon to be 
>our 2005 event director) to make sure that he planned for the loss 
>of the rain-day. Dave has taken this problem by both horns and made 
>contingency plans to manage all of the permutations of potential bad 
>weather situations.
>
>          What does that mean to you as a Nationals contestant?  You 
>will still see the same basic contest six round formula as we have 
>done in the last few years. Where there are more than 25 or so 
>pilots in a class we will use the Matrix System. When there is less 
>than that number in a class we will run the more familiar and 
>conventional best of "Four out of six rounds" formula to select 
>winners in 402 and 403 and finalists in 404 and 406.
>
>          Nothing really new there!    If we have weather problems 
>that cause us to lose rounds the usual "worst-round" discard formula 
>will be used: 2 rounds out of two, two rounds out of three, three 
>rounds out of four and four rounds out of six. (Because the rounds 
>are flown in parallel pairs on each site you tend to not get a four 
>rounds out of five rounds flown scenario.)
>
>          The Matrix System will be used for large groups of pilots. 
>Once again nothing really new there. The Matrix System is used when 
>you can't fly all of the pilots in front of the same panels of 
>judges in one flying session. A session is usually in a morning or 
>an afternoon.
>
>          With a Matrix System at the Nationals we usually use two 
>sites and have two flight lines with three judges on each line per 
>site. The pilots are divided between the two sites. One group will 
>fly in front of the judges on that site while the other group does 
>the same on the other site.
>
>          This way we get two rounds in for each site/group. This 
>exposure is the essence of a Matrix System. It is a compromise of 
>the ideal situation where all pilots fly in front of the same judges 
>in one session. This year the on the second day the pilots will be 
>organized into new groups and jugged again in the matrix format. 
>After three days of this exposure a group of finalists is then 
>selected. This finalist group is then given the full "treatment" and 
>judged with full exposure and comparison of pilot to pilot in front 
>of the same judges.
>
>          A big grumble/complaint from the past was that if you got 
>stuck in a group with top seeded pilots you had to fly with them 
>every round, every day!  This year the only definitive grouping that 
>will be pilots on the same frequency. [This is why it is important 
>to have a second or even third frequency with you. With 17 
>frequencies for the Masters class most of pilots will be in 
>frequency groups of 2.]
>
>          This is a difference from last year. When you group the 
>pilots in units of 2 or 3 you can make substantial changes to the 
>mix of the site groups per day. This year we will change around the 
>players in each group every day. [With the exception of those on the 
>same frequency] This should have the result of giving a more 
>equitable amount of exposure to the four judging panels each day. 
>The pilots will be "randomly" regrouped, not just rotated.
>
>          The thinking is that if you can't give completely equal 
>exposure to judges you can definitely give much fairer exposure of 
>the pilots to each other. This is what a Matrix System should do for 
>you. The plan is to have all of the groupings and site allocations, 
>judging and work assignments etc. ready and in your contestant 
>packets when you arrive at Muncie.
>
>          Any questions please write to me on Pattern4u at comcast.net 
>or call me on (856) 988-9184.
>
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-- 
___________
Jerry Budd
Budd Engineering
(661) 722-5669 Voice/Fax
(661) 435-0358 Cell Phone
mailto:jerry at buddengineering.com
http://www.buddengineering.com
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