Northeast Regional Contest Board - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Documents like the Pink Book, "So You Want To Run A Sanctioned Meet" (CD Primer), and the "Contest Director's Guide" (available from NARTS) give you the general guidelines for running meets and filing results. Here is some specific information I have for meets in the Northeast region. A lot of it is common sense, but putting it down in writing will let you know what each of us can expect.

Jeff Vincent, NAR Northeast Regional Contest Board Chairman

Overview

• The NAR uses a three-tiered system of review and reporting of results. You, as the Contest Director (CD), are the first tier. You see everything that goes on at the meet and are responsible for maintaining compliance with the NAR Pink Book rules and accurately compiling and reporting the results. As Regional Chairman, I'm next in line. My job is to review the compiled results, correct any errors (either on my own or in consultation with you, as necessary), and forward the point sheets to the National Chairman. Finally, the National Chairman is in charge of creating and maintaining the national points database, and adding your results to it. The advantages of this system are multiple sets of eyes to review results and catch errors that a single individual might miss, combined with a reduction/concentration of the data as it moves upward.

• I use a mix of postal mail and email to get the job done. Generally, postal mail is used for sending sanction applications (and fees) back and forth, to send in results, and to send a formal meet reply sheet (postal mailings also allow me to include a blank sanction form for future use). Email is useful for any questions or corrections on mailed paperwork or as questions arise. In cases where time is of the essence, I'll accept scanned paperwork via email (typically a 300 dpi black and white scan in a TIF or JPG format). Finally, the NERCB web site (particularly the Northeast Region Contests page) let's you check on the status of meets and the points awarded at meets.

Sanctioning a Meet

• Application - You can get a sanction form online from the Contest Forms section of the NAR Useful Documents page or use one I've mailed to you. If you use the online form, please add the location of the meet (just town/city and state is sufficient) and the hosting section (if applicable). (You can add this on the special provisions line.)

• Sanction Fees - The meet sanction fee is $5 per meet. Please make any checks payable to "Jeff Vincent" (I don't have a special account for the NERCB funds).

• Free Meet - The Contest Board has a program where every NAR section is allowed one "free" (no sanction fee) local or section meet per contest year.

• Sanction Deadline - The sanction should be filed 30 days in advance of the meet, although I have some discretion there (Rule 6.8). Generally, I require the full 30 days for regional meets, three weeks for open meets, and two weeks for local meets, section meets, or record trials. My rationale is that the smaller meets typically draw more local contestants (often members of a single section) and that it is easier to inform them of the contest in the shorter time frame.

• Procedure - Once I get a sanction and approve it:
  • I'll make and keep a copy of the sanction form,
  • the meet information will be listed on the Northeast Region Contests page),
  • your contact data will be listed on the Northeast NAR Competition Directory page (unless you request otherwise), and
  • I will mail the approved sanction, a blank Point Awards Sheet (PAS), and a blank sanction form back to you.

• Notification of Changes - If you have to postpone, reschedule, continue, and/or cancel your meet, please let me know. This is not explicitly required by the Pink Book, but I can think of at least two good reasons: 1) I can update the Northeast Region Contests page so other competitors are aware of the change, and 2) I won't be after you for the results of a meet that may not have even been flown yet.

Reporting Meet Results

• "Paper or electrons?" - You have two choices on submitting contest results, conventional paper results or electronic ContestManager results. I'll detail both below.

• ContestManager (CM) - CM is a computer program by Chris Kidwell that allows you to enter basic information about a meet and the flight data. It calculates flight and event scores, placings, and point totals. It also does other related functions like checking the results for new records and compliance with meet requirements. It can be used either on the field during the meet or after the meet has been flown. It is most useful (some would say indispensable) for administering large meets (over ten contestants). While the program automates and eliminates errors in result calculation, it is still susceptible to input errors, so it is still important to double check your input and final results. CM is also a valuable learning tool -- novice CDs can use the program and study how events are scored and points are compiled. CM is a free download available for most computer platforms that can be found at http://www.narhams.org/ContestManager/.

• Paper Results - Once your meet has been flown and the results computed, it's time to file the results with me. For a paper filing, I require:
  • all contestants' CB-1-70 entry blanks with signatures on the back,
  • a completed Point Award Sheet (PAS) with three judges' signatures,
  • flight cards for all flights made, and
  • any other scoring materials (i.e.: judging sheets).

• Filling out the PAS - The top portion must be completed, especially the three judges' signatures. When filling out the points area, contestants should be listed in order of 1) division (A-C, Team) and 2) alphabetical by last name (or team name) (take a look at how CM does it or check this example). Leaving a blank line between divisions can aid readability. You may choose to label the event names and/or WFs.

• ContestManager Results - The requirements for a CM meet are similar:
  • all contestants' CB-1-70 entry blanks with signatures on the back,
  • a Point Award Sheet (PAS) with three judges' signatures (only the top section of the PAS is required to be filled out for CM filings, since the CM file duplicates the point listings),
  • a CM file (*.NAR) with the meet results (this is usually emailed to me),
  • for any new U.S. records, the flight card must be included for that flight, and
  • (optional) flight cards and/or any other scoring materials for all flights made. (This is optional since all of the pertinent data should be included in the CM file. However, if you include the raw data, I will check them against the CM file for any data entry errors.)

• U.S. Records - If there are any new records in your results, I will file them. Remember, a record flight *must* be returned to verify compliance with the rules. The procedure I follow is to notify the Records Chairman of the record by email, then send him a postal mailing of paper copies of the contestant's CB-1-70 and the flight card for each record.

• Neatness, Sorting, etc. - If I can't read it, I can't accept it. (One more reason to use CM.) Please make your results legible. I used to have specific requests for organizing the paper results submitted, but I've become more lax with time. Some suggestions:
  • order CB-1-70s in the same order as the PAS/CM file (1 division, 2 alpha),
  • order the flight cards by 1) event, 2) division, 3) place (or alpha),
  • separate the cards into groups: CB-1-70s and flight cards for each event, and
  • for grouping cards, use an easily removable method (paper clips or rubber bands versus staples).
  Again, those aren't requirements, but if you follow them it reduces the time I spend organizing the cards and they are ready to work with immediately.

• Timeliness of Results - The Pink Book (Rule 6.9) specifies results should be postmarked within two weeks of the completion of the meet, but allows my discretion. My rule is that results should be in my hands within one month (if that is not possible, contact me). This link gives a more detailed description of my requirements.

• Feedback - After I've reviewed the results and submitted them to National, I will post the point results on the Northeast Region Contests page. I also prepare a formal reply sheet and mail it to the CD. On it, I'll list any problems with the meet, how they were rectified, any changes made, etc. I started doing this because, in the past, there was usually no feedback (or even acknowledgement) of your results. The purpose of the reply sheet is to point out any errors made, in the hopes of eliminating them in the future. (And no, I get no more satisfaction from writing these critiques than you do receiving them, so if you file perfect results, we'll both be happier. :)