CORSA 2012: Data Processing for Registration, Timing, and Scoring

[Lacki, Allan V]

AUDIENCE:

This email is likely to be of interest to folks who will be chairing the Registration, Concours, Autocross, Rally, EconoRun, Scoring and Awards activities.


BACKGROUND:

The Convention is likely to require much coordination between folks who are involved in registration, concours, competition events, scoring, and awards, especially with respect to data processing.  NECC encountered this same situation when we conducted the Corvair Olympics back in 2007.  To automate the data processing, we developed an online registration web page that enabled us to pre-load all of our timing and judging forms with information about each entrant.  Then, we pre-loaded all of this information into a large Excel workbook that compiled the timings and scores from each event.  The Excel workbook provided exhibits showing the results for each event, ranked by class and position for each entrant.  It also compiled overall scores for the NECC John Fitch Award, which is similar to the CORSA Ed Cole Award.


PROPOSED DATA PROCESSING SPREADSHEET:

Over the weekend, I prepared a similar Excel workbook for the 2012 Sturbridge CORSA Convention.  It is much too large to attach to an email, and so I uploaded it onto the NECC website.  Here is the address:

http://www.corvair.org/chapters/necc/tools/corsa_convention_scoring_2012.xls

BEWARE!  This Excel workbook is 26 megabytes and takes a L-O-N-G time to download.  If you are running DSL or cable, the waiting time may be as high as 5 minutes.  If you are running dial-up, please don't attempt to download it. The reason it is so big is because it is designed to accommodate up to 1,000 entrants in each of the following events:  (1) Concours,  (2) Autocross,  (3) Rally,  (4) EconoRun.  That should be more than adequate!

BEWARE!  This Excel workbook is fresh and may contain some bugs.  While I have loaded it with dummy data to test it, I can't guarantee that it's perfect.  But it should be close.  As mentioned above, it's based on a similar workbook that we used with success at the 2007 Corvair Olympics.  And we have a year-and-a-half to debug it.

By way of this email, I am volunteering to improve and maintain this Excel workbook, providing it meets your collective approval.


FEATURES OF THE SPREADSHEET:

Even if you choose not to download it, you may be interested in the Workbook's capabilities, and so here is a summary:

Excel Workbook Purpose:

The Excel workbook does all the data processing for events held at the CORSA International Convention, including Concours, Autocross, Rally, and EconoRun.   It compiles scores and timings for each event. It adds up the points and ranks the winners.

Here is a list of exhibits it will produce for you:

1.  List of entrants, by driver name.
2.  Timing form for autocross.
3.  Concours Results, with point scores and rank for every Concours participant.
4.  Autocross Results, with point scores and rank for every Autocross participant.
5.  Rally Results, with point scores and rank for every Rally participant.
6.  EconoRun Results, with point scores and rank for every EconoRun participant.
7.  Ed Cole Award Results, with point scores and rank for every participant.

All scoring is designed to be consistent with CORSA Rules.
Analysis of Rally results assumes a Continental / TSD rally.
All scoring equations can be changed, if necessary.


Excel Workbook Instructions:

The Excel workbook, while very big, is also very easy to use.  All data is entered on one tab, and all data processing occurs automatically, without user interference.  There are no "macros" to invoke.

1.  Paste the Registrar's list of entries into the "Data Entry" tab.
        a.  Enter your data in the yellow cells.
        b.  Do NOT enter data in the grey cells.
        c.  The grey cells at the top and left side of the tab are reserved for cell formulas!
2.  Edit the Data Entry tab.
        a.  Edit the entries for grammar and style, i.e. fixup the car descriptions, classes.
        b.  MAKE SURE EVERY DRIVER HAS A NAME, CAR NUMBER, ETC!
        c.  MAKE SURE THE CLASS CODES ARE CONSISTENT WITH THOSE SHOWN IN THE "LOOKUP CLASS" tab.
        d.  Incorrect class codes, e.g. "IS-4?", will create errors in this workbook.
3.  As the events get underway, enter concours points, autocross run times, etc into the columns in the "Data Entry" tab!
4.  Check the results.
5.  Set the Print Area for each report and print 'em out.


Types of Workbook Tabs:

1.  The purpose of the Data Entry tab is self-evident!
2.  Lookup tabs and Analysis tabs are not intended to serve as reports.  They are for data processing.
3.  Entrants tabs and Winners tabs are designed to be printed.  Specify the "Print Area" or Pages to Print in Excel to accommodate the number of people who entered each event.


NEXT STEPS:

Please let me know if you have any comments, suggestions, or objections to the use of the proposed Excel workbook.


Allan Lacki


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