Webscorer PRO has supported team relays before (via a feature called “Fixed relay”) but with the following limitations:
1. Fixed relay requires you to pre-assign which team member races which relay leg
2. Fixed relay requires a special start list format which is not supported by Webscorer online registration
3. Fixed relay cannot be used for time-limited lap races
4. It is possible, but confusing to setup a fixed relay for a mixed solo / team event
For time-limited lap races, the recommendation has been to setup a mixed solo / team relay race as a normal lap race where teams are represented as “Racer name = Team name” and all team members must wear the same bib. Teams will get lap times shown in results, but credited to the team name, not to the team member’s name.
The new “Flexible relay” feature in addresses these shortcomings:
1. Flexible relay allows teams to decide during the race which team member races which leg
- The start list for a flexible relay looks exactly like a start list for an individual race
- Teams are identified by having the same “Team name”
- When timing, the app operator will tap lap times as in a normal lap race
- Thee app will automatically advance all team members to the next lap
- When you tap a racer box, it will cause the racer boxes of all team members to change color as well
- Teams can decide the running order without informing the timer during the race
2. Flexible relay start list is automatically created from Webscorer online registration
- Each team member signs up as an individual, paying his / her proportion of the total team fee
- This allows organizer to get each racer’s name, age, gender, emergency contact info etc.
- This also solves the problem how to get each team member to sign the online waiver
- Racers choose their team affiliation by entering their own “Team name” (Participant affiliation question #1)
- Racers can pick the team name from a drop down of previously entered team names, reducing spelling errors
- Organizers can sort the racer list by “Affiliation” (team name) to see which team each participant is a member of
- You can also create a normal start list for a flexible relay and post to Webscorer.com as TXT, CSV or XLS file
3. Flexible relay can be used both for fixed lap races and for time-limited lap races
- Lap time results will show the team member’s name next to each recorded lap time
- In a 6-, 12- or 24-hour team relay, racers will appreciate getting credited for their own lap times
- You can also run a fixed lap relay, where each team does e.g. 4 laps total, one lap per team member
- The results will look identical to the “Fixed relay” feature
4. Flexible relay makes it easy to setup a mixed solo / team event
- Solo racers have no “Team name” (or each solo racer must have a unique “Team name”)
- Team members share the same “Team name”
- A team of 2 is simply 2 individual racers that share the same “Team name”
- There are 4 identical “Team names” for a team of 4
- “Team name 2” can be used to identify racer hometown, sponsor or any other affiliation
Results from a sample flexible relay race: http://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=47689
If you want to time a team relay where all team members must wear the same bib number, you’ll need to use “Fixed relay”. Or if you want to know ahead of time which team member races which relay leg, then the “Fixed relay” is the way to go.
WARNING - it is important that the start list for a flexible relay is 100% correct. If a racer is in the wrong team or the spelling of the “Team name” is not correct, it will be difficult to correct this mistake during or after the race.
Before starting the race, follow these steps:
- On the “Start List” panel, tap the “Sort list” toolbar button
- Tap the button until the list is sorted by “Team name” (visible only on tablets - no room on phones)
- Double-check that teams are complete, and the team names are spelled correctly
If you end up timing the race with a misspelled team name (the racer was considered solo instead of member of the team), the results can only be edited after ending the race on the app. This can be done on the app, or by downloading the posted results from Webscorer website - and making the edits in Excel.
