National Ranking Series, update

2009 National Ranking Series results are here: http://www.whitewaterrankings.com/

March 18, 2009

SUBJECT: UPDATE ON NATIONAL RANKING SERIES STATUS

The National Ranking Series effort is currently focused on two separate tasks.  The first task is race recruitment and is being handled by Nic Borst.  At the moment we have commitments that, with a few exceptions, will give us a continental representation for our sport.  These include three separate races in the following regions:

Mountain States, Southwest, Northwest, Texas, the Mid-West, The South, The Mid-Atlantic States, the Northeast, and Canada (the continental cup).  

A full listing of included events and associated points and rules will be included in our next update.

The second task is to create and implement the technology required to update and score the National Ranking Series on a weekly basis.  The necessary software is scheduled for a beta release within a month.  The software is unique to ranking systems in many ways including:

• • Each race and racer will have their own page where they can update their profile/give race information on an ongoing basis.  These pages will be “facebook” style pages that will allow organizers/press to access an athlete’s bio online.  They will also allow for updates to schedule/conditions, USACK numbers, athlete results, etc.  An athlete’s individual result at any given race will link back to their online profile.  Chatting, announcements, smack-talking, etc. will all be facilitated.

• • The race results will be uploaded from a standard template to the site via the web.  There will be no intermediate step in which a rankings “Czar” somehow edits the data.  It will be the organizers responsibility to upload the standard file and the compiler will then automatically update the overall rankings results.  It is hoped that this feature will dramatically decrease the time it takes to post results.  To facilitate this process the standard file that is being used will be an excel spreadsheet that will also help the local race organizer to score the race (by sorting results).  

• • The ability to update your profile is expected to have the ancillary effect of encouraging USACK membership.  Rather than trying to sell these memberships at each individual race we have simply included the ability to add your number later.  Athletes without current numbers will not be ranked.

There are several future projects associated with the rankings website that can possibly be added if the initial core features are a success.  These include:

Online race registration:  We can let people register for races in advance and create a ranked starting order for the race automatically.  This would help with scoring and race organization at a local level.

USACK Membership Purchases:  We could link our website to the USACK database for memberships and allow for real-time membership purchases.  This service is being offered to USACK currently with the stipulation that they would need to cover the costs (since it is assumed it will return a net profit almost immediately).

Advertisement:  The hope is that the rankings series can eventually become self-sustainable through advertisements posted on the page.  If this is the case then the rankings system, which should require very little effort from USACK in the future (compared to current systems) can possibly be turned over directly to USACK for operations.  It is our hope that the fundraising committee can secure lower-level advertisers for this first year at the site.

Our current schedule is to begin the process of uploading and posting scores by the start of May at the latest.  We do expect to face significant bumps along the way as we implement the software as we are unable to find old race results with which to test the software.  Our software designer has assured me that he will be able to continue to monitor the situation to ensure accurate reporting throughout the season.  More updates to follow in the following weeks.