IOMICA Forum

7.1 - Change to Event Scoring System – Submitted by CRO NCA Representative Zoran Grubiša

Submission Title: HEAT RACING SYSTEM

Present Situation:
Current heat racing systems used on IOMICA Championships is HMS (Heat Management System).

Proposed Change:
Replace HMS with SHRS (Simple Heat Racing System) – complete text in attachment.


Justification:
SHRS is giving following advantages:
- Same number of heats sailed by each competitor
- Increase of maximum number of boats on the championship (80 with 5 heats of 16 boats up to 90 with 5 heats of 18 boats) making much easier race management and umpiring
- Reduce of number of requests as there is no promotion nor relegation
- More close racing with smaller difference in overall points requiring race tactics to be sail to win each race instead of keeping the place to remain in the heat
- No delays for waiting of protest hearing decisions
- No need to any heat re-scheduling in case of withdrawals
- Final heats raced on the second half of championship can be organized independently giving more freedom to the schedule of races (for example some heats racing in the morning, while other race in afternoon)

See full Agenda document for further details

I believe that this motion is Out of Order as it is not up to the IOMICA but the IRSA to approve the heat management and scoring system for use at Championship events.

The IRSA Championship regulations require that the NOR comply with IRSA regulatios,

The IRSA NOR requires that the scoring/heat management system be approved by the IRSA. So until SHMS is approved by IRSA, it is a non-starter.

From the IRSA Standard NOR -

7. Scoring and Racing System
Scoring will be carried out in accordance with the [insert racing system].
Note: The racing system shall be approved by ISAF - RSD.


I have other problems with this proposal - it is more a seeding race- heat management system - there is no proposal for scoring included that covers breaking ties, discards, scoring DSQ, DNE, DNS etc.

There is a discussion on this forum under the Events Management thread

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1855

Before we vote to mandate the selection of a new system I would like to see it tried and endorsed by a number of major member countries at National Championship or National Ranking events.

John

I believe this to be premature. Before administratively mandating a major change in how regattas are run and scored, the alternative method needs to be tried by the general IOM community and a consensus formed as to whether it improves on the tried-and-true HMS.

Outside of the originators of this "Heat Racing System" as proposed in 7.1, has any other NCA used it to run a major regatta and compared its qualities/benefits/ease of use/fairness with HMS?

The proposed system has some advantages and disadvantages. I think a two year period where it is tested, best practices developed and disadvantages brought out would be appropriate. I don't see HMS as broken, it just has some draw backs. The proposed system has some draw backs as well.

For example, lets say you plan a four day regatta. The first two days are for qualifying, the second two are for final rounds. You have nice winds for the first two days and get in a lot of racing. You then divide the fleet up into gold silver bronze, etc. Then on the remaining two days you have no wind, as in blowing zero. You don't have a regatta. You would have to complete at least one race in the final rounds to have a regatta and that one race would determine the final finish order. Under HMS you would have a regatta with well defined finish order.

That being said, I am game to try the proposed system. Perhaps it is better. Jump right in to making it the class standard...No.