GPRM setup question

[jeffd]

I have read through the documentation in the software and performed a search here... but still have a couple questions before our cub scout pack runs our race in 3 weeks.. In case it makes a difference, we have a 4 lane track, gprm 7.0, and using the perfect-n type scheduling. I also currently expect about 15 entries in each of the groups of tigers, cubs, and Webelos..


Group and subgroup question:
The breakdown for our awards is tigers (1-2-3), cub (1-2-3) and Webelos (1-2-3). In the past, once we get those winners, they race to determine 1-2-3 in the whole pack.

I think I am over complicating things, but do I set up 3 different groups or just 1 group and 3 sub-groups?


Advancing question:
Is there an ideal number of rounds to run before a final round? Or is this set up (perfect-n) to run a single round - then go to your final round since you have a sample of how the car will run on each of the lanes?

Thanks in advance for the help

[pack529holycross]

Here is what we did... we set up a racing group for each den. Then you add all the names of everyone in your Pack into the system... We only really used "subgroups" by changing the name to "Hometown" to be able to list the kids hometowns in the system and on the screen ( gave it an international flavor to see all the different places people come from ).

Then you run will "pass" those drivers that pass inspection, and hit "run schedule" to generate the schedule for each group. You can run them all at once, OR just do it as you go - I stopped trying to run them in advance during the event when I realized that I really didn't have the correct "passed" list. The software is very fluid when it comes to allowing you to do stuff on the fly.

Once you have run the round, it will ask if you want to start a new round for that group or start a Grand Finals... click no.

Then you pull up the next group, run the schedule, and race those cars.

Once ALL of the groups are done racing, THEN you click YES for that "start grand finals?" window... and it lets you pick Grand finals, then "advance from Den" then the number of kids per den you want to advance.. ( we did top three in 6 dens = 18 racers ). Depending on how big your pack is... I would recommend that you advance as many as you can - it makes for more fun for the kids.

We ran points scoring, since it was easier to correlate what was happening in the standings with what is happening on the track. Plus you actually have a relevant "finals" race group based on racing performance up to that point. You will get arguements for and against every type of scoring ad nauseum, but thats for another day.

Hope this helps. read my post titled "race recap - pack 529 " to read about what we faced as far as glitches and a full breakdown of the length of our event.

Nicholas

[gpraceman]

Group and subgroup question:
The breakdown for our awards is tigers (1-2-3), cub (1-2-3) and Webelos (1-2-3). In the past, once we get those winners, they race to determine 1-2-3 in the whole pack.

I think I am over complicating things, but do I set up 3 different groups or just 1 group and 3 sub-groups?

If you only want the Tigers to race Tigers and so on, then each rank should be a group. If you don't mind the scouts being mixed together, and assuming you are scoring by times, then you can make each rank a subgroup. Either way the software will be able to give you standings for each rank.

Advancing question:
Is there an ideal number of rounds to run before a final round? Or is this set up (perfect-n) to run a single round - then go to your final round since you have a sample of how the car will run on each of the lanes?

If your race groups are small, you can do a single round. Otherwise, you can run a preliminary round to find the faster cars and then advance them to a "trophy round". The software is very flexible, so you can run as many rounds as you want. However, I recommend doing no more than 2 rounds, since once you start eliminating racers, they lose interest and may start leaving.

Also, make sure to check and get the lastest update to the software before your race, so you have all of the fixes and improvements.

[jeffd]

Thanks -
I think this makes more sense.... well since I imported a list of several scouts instead of manually putting in a handful of each.

Once I did that - I was able to see the race executed more smoothly.

Thanks all for the help - and feel free to continue suggestions.