CORSA 2012: More report

[Vairtec Corporation]

On 7/27/2011 9:07 AM, Ken Schifftner wrote:

> Harry, I'm told, has set up a scoring computer that is almost real-time.  A "runner" will bring the composite score sheets to the tabulator so the scoring is done as the Concours proceeds rather than later. The forms will be initialled and the judge(s) will be right there so if a question occurs it can be resolved quickly.

Oh -- in other words, just like we did it at the 1984 convention, where 
the concours was held on Saturday and the tallying was completed in 
plenty of time for the banquet.

We had three computers set up, each pre-loaded with templates of the all 
the judging sheets that were programmed to "know" the correct range of 
values that could be entered in any block.  Our data-entry people were 
not "Corvair people" and had no idea what all these numbers signified, 
they didn't need to, they only needed to enter the data from the paper 
sheets accurately.

With runners bringing the sheets to the tallying room as soon as each 
sheet was completed, the scoring of the concours was finished less than 
5 minutes after the last sheet arrived, and several HOURS before the 
banquet.

5 minutes in 1984 vs 9 hours in 2010.  It's time to go back to the future.

Now, admittedly, the scoring criteria today is far more complex.  Where 
in 1984 each unit sheet had X number of entries, today the sheets have X 
times 3.  Where in 1984 there was one sheet per judging unit, today 
there are different sheets for each distinct body style as well as for 
each judging unit.  So it will be a more complicated process, and there 
will be reasons to look for ways to streamline it.  But, I am convinced, 
it both CAN be done and MUST be done.

It doesn't take countless hours to tally the scores at Pebble Beach and 
it shouldn't at Sturbridge, either.

An aside:  The tallying process in 1984 was so painless that we 
second-guessed ourselves.  It was too easy.  Something must be wrong.  
So during the banquet but before the awards we pulled all the sheets for 
the best-of-show winner and re-tabulated that car, entirely by hand.  It 
matched the computerized tally perfectly.

Keep an eye on the tallying process in Denver, Ken, and let us know what 
good ideas we can use and what pitfalls we should avoid.

--Bob Marlow, 1984 Concours co-chair