Need help finding a timing system

"Walden Manor, including Chip, Skipper, Sky, Sue" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am a rookie race director and trying to get a new race
going for next season. My first big hurdle is that I need
to come up with a cheep yet reliable timing system. The
race will be a sprint with a pool swim which means
something like 7 waves. I am thinking that we could
probably do something on a spread sheet but really have no
experience. Any advice?

thanks, Chip

Just kicking around ideas...

Requirements:

* At least five camcorders with uninterrupted power. One for
the swim exit, T1 exit, bike finish, T2 exit, run finish.
You may be able to reallocate them as the swim & bike
courses close(?).

* A couple VCR's with remotes.

* Someone to perodically synch splits by audibly stating
elapsed Wave-1 time into the camcorder microphone.

* A file containing a table that associates everyone with
their bib numbers and wave sequence.

* Enough spreadsheet-savvy volunteers (3-6?) to watch the
replay and key splits in shifts. Or... make copies of
tapes and divide keying into time increments and let them
work simultaneously, joining your data later.

Set an achievable expectation for publishing, but you could
have it done in a couple of days. This assumes you only have
a couple hundred triathletes.

Most races only post them electronically these days. You can
email them or create a crude web page in no time at all.

Good Luck,

rsquared

"Walden Manor, including Chip, Skipper, Sky, Sue" <[email hidden]>
wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am a rookie race director and trying to get a new race
going for next season. My first big hurdle is that I need
to come up with a cheep yet reliable timing system. The
race will be a sprint with a pool swim which means
something like 7 waves. I am thinking that we could
probably do something on a spread sheet but really have no
experience. Any advice?

thanks, Chip

Interestingly enough, I have a friend here in Austin, Tx who
has just started his own timing system company specifically
for doing smaller races. Where are you planning on holding
this race?

Jim Weeks