Start Time Allocations

[FatBoy]

On the subject of start times...

What's the rules/guidelines on start time allocations for JK? I didn't run on Saturday but if I had I would've been last off. I was first off on Sunday. Is this fair? Aside from the fact I get 8 hours less rest than somebody with the opposite draw, I'm also in deserted woods for both (personally I prefer this but is it fair?). I know some people had two middleish times.

[Mrs H.]

I actually requested 2 middlish starts for the whole family beacuse of our commitments back at the event centre and got a pretty late and pretty early - where as other people not in WM clubs told me they got two middlish. I had punching start permits for both days and started earlier on day 1 and later on day 2 - thereby achieving middlish starts both days but not as a result ofr my original request

[FatBoy]

Hmm. SYO and SPLOT very close together in the alphabet...

[redkite]

Well SWOC had v early first day and v late second

[John]

Is it not done geographically - those with least travelling distance early on day 1 and late on day 2 ?

[David May]

Fatboy asked

What's the rules/guidelines on start time allocations for JK?

It's pretty straightforward really: JK Guidelines state "start time allocation and seeding shall be in accordance with Appendix L" and Appendix L (2.4.1) states "entrants should be allowed a choice of early/middle/late start times (for the JK this should apply to each day separately, e.g. an entrant may choose late starts on both days ..."

[FatBoy]

Hmm don't remember about requesting start times at point of entry mainly because it was in about 2002 to get the cheapest fees. I suspect though there was either not a choice or it was ignored because all the SPLOT's (or to be correct, those entered as SPLOT) were within a couple of minutes of each other at the start both days.

Anybody any views on what would be a fair way to do it? I can't see having first and last starts or middle and middle being fair.

[CHS]

We requested mid starts on both days and got them because at that point we thought that we might travel down each day. When I looked at the entry details before start times were allocated very few people had requested start blocks.

G- Tim does run for SYO. I havn't noticed the start block arrangements myself but it could be so.

[Tatty]

SOC also had early Day 1 and late Day 2. We're near SPLOT and SYO in the alphabet as well!!

[PorkyFatBoy]

There could be a theme here - SUFFOC were early day 1, late day 2 (all four of us had the same start time!)

[Guest]

Sorry to spoil the pattern, but SO had 11.00 starts on Day 1 and 12.00 starts on Day 2. I did feel at the time that we had come out of this rather well.

[Guest]

The club allocations are done by Mike Napiers software I guess it may take a basic alphabetical approach but might take everyother club or something.

Hocolite

[rosalind]

Is it not done geographically - those with least travelling distance early on day 1 and late on day 2 ?

The Irish had early starts on the first day and late on the second.

[FatBoy]

I'm guessing then it's "random" ish by club. What's the chances of SPLOT's getting last/first next year?

It was my understanding that it should be not a simple reversal for the second day, or is this yet another guideline not a rule? If I'd started last on day 1 then an earlyish start on day 2 is fine but basically all the SPLOT's were last and first off on their courses.

How about this for sensible: 4 hour blocks e.g. 9.30-10.29, 10.30-11.29, 11:30-12:29, 12.30-13:30. Your club get drawn by random for the first day. Second day swap thus: 1-3, 2-4, 3-1, 4-2. That way you are guaranteed one of the "extreme" blocks and one of the middle blocks. Start times within the block are random so you probably won't start before/after the same person both days. Perhaps try to keep entry forms together though, although this doesn't always happen now.

[Paulo]

Agree with Fatboy's suggestion. I never thought it was fair to completely reverse the start list, as seems to have been done here, as there is clearly some kind of advantage in all the people who get 2 middle start times over the late/early combinations.