Anyone got a "How to Fill Out a Scoresheet" Tutorial?

[chbrow10]

Hi,

In an effort to make the thankless stats job a little easier, I am planning on making a tutorial with example scoresheet that we can leave on the squad clipboard. Hopefully this will cut down on the math errors and other mistakes. I have my noted from RO class, but I thought this would be a great question for the Benosphere, since every club has this problem at one time or another.

So, has anyone already done this, and do they have something that can be passed on?

Flexmoney, I already saw your "Rule of Three Circles" post.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

Edited August 10, 2010 by chbrow10

[Sarge]

Hi,

In an effort to make the thankless stats job a little easier, I am planning on making a tutorial with example scoresheet that we can leave on the squad clipboard. Hopefully this will cut down on the math errors and other mistakes. I have my noted from RO class, but I thought this would be a great question for the Benosphere, since every club has this problem at one time or another.

So, has anyone already done this, and do they have something that can be passed on?

Flexmoney, I already saw your "Rule of Three Circles" post.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

Flex's "Rule of three circles" is great. I learned that last year and use it every time I shoot a match to check my own scoresheet.

I don't know of a tutorial that can teach math that will fit on a clipboard.

As far as I know, the only math we do locally is adding up hits. The stats guy does the rest.

[markcic]

1. Make sure the scoresheet is the correct one for the stage.

2. Total up the hits.

3. Write legibly.

[Chris Keen]

I actually do the stats for Flexmoney's club here in Ohio, and I want to preface this by saying Kyle really knows his stuff. And the "Rule of Three Circles" is a nice idea ..... in theory. But it drives me crazy when people who don't quite understand WHYwe want the 3 circles, just follow along blindly without asking "WHY". The 3 circles are:

• One circle around the TIME. This one is simple, but oh so very important. I've seen many reshoots go south, when there is no time recorded for the 1st run.
• One circle around the total number of hits ... After ADDING THEM UP (that's a key element)
• One REALLY BIG circle around the penalty boxes ...... BUT ONLY IF there actually are penalties (this is the only circle I hate, when there ARE NO penalties)

The idea of the 3 circles is to draw the stats guy's/girls's attention to important information, but if there are no penalties, and someone circles that area anyways, it STILL draws my attention to that area, slowing me down. The other thing I want to point out is it does absolutely no good to circle the total hits .... if you havent bothered to ADD UP THE HITS. The circle here is to verify that your math actually matches the pre-determined number of hits. The final thing that slows me down is when folks write zeros in the totals boxes that have nothing in that collumn to be added up. I already know if the box is blank ... that equals zero, so you don't have to remind me. It's just another thing that draws my attention away from what's really important.

I know people mean well, and there's allot going on at USPSA matches, but I've seen folks get screwed big-time by the person on the clipboard, when they fail to pay attention to what they are doing.

The best thing I've found is to periodically give a small speech at the shooters meeting. Just to re-emphasize what's really important. You may have to give this speech a few times in the beginning, and then once or twice during the year.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Chris Keen

[wgnoyes]

One other thing that helps, even if you don't circle stuff, is to issue red pens along with the clipboards. That way, the red colored numbers just kind of draw attention to themselves and are much less likely to be overlooked.

And I always want the times totaled on a multistring stage.

[Flexmoney]

Yeah...I always got a kick out of the folks that circle the total hit and they don't add up.

Some tricks I like in design...

- Design the stages with a different amount of total hits. That helps the RO notice he/she has the wrong score sheet. When the hits ought to add up to 31 and he/she is only getting 29 hits...that is a good clue. (We also have one local club that does individual half-page score sheets...and uses a different color paper for each. That is nice.)

- Make sure the score sheets have nice big boxes to write in the scores and time. This helps the stats guy/gal from having to squint at itty-bitty numbers.

- Explain the "Rule Of Three Circles" (or whatever you use) at the Shooter's Meeting. And, yes...you gotta explain that it's not about making circles...it's about actually checking the info.

- At the Shooter's Meeting, remind the competitors that they are responsible for making sure their score sheet accurately reflects their run.

- Make the shooters and the Range Officers SIGN THEIR SCORE SHEETS. 9.7.1 tells us to sign and have the shooter sign (it's not just for Major matches) This is a good belt and suspenders check on the score sheet.

- Remind the clip board RO that they are RO'ing...not scoring targets while the shooter is still doing his/her run. Then, have the timer RO call out the hits...AND have the clipboard RO repeat what he/she hears.

- It is a constant job to explain the "why" of all this. We probably don't do as much as we could in this regard.

[Flexmoney]

Red pens...might have to try that one.

[sperman]

One other thing that helps, even if you don't circle stuff, is to issue red pens along with the clipboards. That way, the red colored numbers just kind of draw attention to themselves and are much less likely to be overlooked.

And I always want the times totaled on a multistring stage.

I think your thread on totaling the times for a multi string stange is a good example of why NOT to have the person holding the clipboard total the times. There were several people, sitting at computers, who couldn't properly add the numbers. (I know there was some confusion over what the numbers were, but in most cases they guys were doing the math wrong.)

[High Lord Gomer]

And I always want the times totaled on a multistring stage.

I'm curious...why? In EZWinScore you don't/can't enter the total time, can you?

[Chills1994]

that is one of my biggest pet peeves and I use it as proof when the clipboard commando doesn't echo the time or the target scores the RO calls out that the clipboard guy doesn't know what he is doing.

I really pay attention to what happens to my scoresheet then.

and I always bring at least two pens with me: a pilot G2 with black gel ink, and then a blue pilot G2.

at the end of the match I always give my squadmates one last chance to look over their scoresheets before I turn them in....I am surprised. nobody! ever takes me up on that offer.

[wgnoyes]

And I always want the times totaled on a multistring stage.

I'm curious...why? In EZWinScore you don't/can't enter the total time, can you?

No, but after entering the component times, I print the "verify for stats" sheet, which contains the competitors' runs on a given stage since last time I ran the listing, 1 per line. THAT listing ONLY shows the total time, so someone in stats is now trying to compare a scoresheet with 3 or 4 string times with a detail line on the verify sheet that shows the total time. SOMEBODY therefore has to add it up; it might as well be the guy with the clipboard. He after all just wrote them down and probably can still read his own handwriting.

[wgnoyes]

I think your thread on totaling the times for a multi string stange is a good example of why NOT...

Give them one of these in the bucket of stage supplies instead of a regular clipboard.

[LChico]

And I always want the times totaled on a multistring stage.

I'm curious...why? In EZWinScore you don't/can't enter the total time, can you?

1. Because it can help clarify whether a string number is a 4 versus a 9, or a 0 versus a 6. Totals can help clarify dismal writing skills.

2. Because the verify screen lists the the total time & not the component string times.

At Mid Carolina Rifle Club, we bought clipboards with calculators on them.

Linda Chico (L-2035)

Columbia SC

[DrawandDuck]

I tried a little coloring for my last match and it worked out VERY well......and who doesn't like to color!!

[chbrow10]

I tried a little coloring for my last match and it worked out VERY well......and who doesn't like to color!!

I like how there are little arrows and notes that say "Total Here". Who did the coloring, the scoresheet RO or stats? So they have a regular pen and a highlighter?

[DrawandDuck]

I tried a little coloring for my last match and it worked out VERY well......and who doesn't like to color!!

I like how there are little arrows and notes that say "Total Here". Who did the coloring, the scoresheet RO or stats? So they have a regular pen and a highlighter?

I did....I kinda do it all.....set up, stage templates, printing of score sheets, registration and scoring. It is a yellow highlighter, printed off 50-60 sheets and started coloring....makes it a little harder to over look and provides a subtle hint to fill in the blanks.

[chbrow10]

oh, I get it. They are colored before they are filled out. Nice idea.

[wgnoyes]

And I always want the times totaled on a multistring stage.

I'm curious...why? In EZWinScore you don't/can't enter the total time, can you?

1. Because it can help clarify whether a string number is a 4 versus a 9, or a 0 versus a 6. Totals can help clarify dismal writing skills.

2. Because the verify screen lists the the total time & not the component string times.

At Mid Carolina Rifle Club, we bought clipboards with calculators on them.

Linda Chico (L-2035)

Columbia SC

Exactly right! I've got a real life example from the 2004 Area 3 so horrid I wouldn't have known what to put in except that they totaled the times, which gave me all I needed to figure out the strings. Else I would have had to call the RM and get the guy to reshoot. (Had it been a local match scored after the fact, the guy would have had to take a DNF.)

[DrawandDuck]

oh, I get it. They are colored before they are filled out. Nice idea.

BINGO!!!!!

[Jane]

- Make the shooters and the Range Officers SIGN THEIR SCORE SHEETS. 9.7.1 tells us to sign and have the shooter sign (it's not just for Major matches) This is a good belt and suspenders check on the score sheet.

AMEN to that!

I get annoyed by the kool kids at matches who initial all their score sheets before the match has started.

I know this is a USPSA discussion, but at last year's IDPA Nationals we had two score shoots with NO STRING TIME and BOTH MORONS HAD SIGNED THEM (shooter and SO)

Edited August 11, 2010 by Jane

[centermass]

- At the Shooter's Meeting, remind the competitors that they are responsible for making sure their score sheet accurately reflects their run.

- Make the shooters and the Range Officers SIGN THEIR SCORE SHEETS. 9.7.1 tells us to sign and have the shooter sign (it's not just for Major matches) This is a good belt and suspenders check on the score sheet.

In my short 6 months as statistician, I finally had one scoresheet yesterday where no time was recorded. I've attempted to contact the shooter thru our club forum, yet there is no definitive answer for the time. In EZWin do I mark the stage as "Not Shot", otherwise the program will not let me enter the hits w/o a time. Unfortunately for the shooter it was the classifier time.

Edited May 2, 2011 by centermass

[Chris Keen]

Yes, that stage will go down as a DNF for that shooter. Once the stage is torn down, and everyone goes home, it's too late to correct the mistake, since the only real fix is to reshoot that stage.

[centermass]

Yes, that stage will go down as a DNF for that shooter. Once the stage is torn down, and everyone goes home, it's too late to correct the mistake, since the only real fix is to reshoot that stage.

That's frustrating... but as stated it is the shooter's responsibility to check the scoresheet.