Page 7 - Issue 64__FINAL_web normal

CHAIRMAN’S PIECE

The Proposal to Automate Our Season Long Competition Results
I thought it would be good to share with the wider membership the proposal I presented at the AGM
workshop on automating the results of our season long competitions (that is the 4 distance BAR, the 3
Distance and the Short Distance Competitions). Automation would save our members and officials a
great deal of time currently spent in form filling, results compilation, and claim validation. The
proposal was well received at the AGM and we are actively working to take it forward. Here is an
explanation of why we are proposing this development, how it would work, and the financial need to
be addressed in order for it can be implemented.
Why automate the competition results?
Automating the competitions would have the following benefits to our members and officials:
• The current status of results, and the position of all competitors, would be available to view on
our website throughout the season rather than only compiled and published at the end of the
season. You would know what you had to do to rise up the tables during the season .
• Members would no longer need to calculate their results and submit claim forms .
• Every member who completed the necessary qualifying rides would be included as no claim form
is required.
• The need for officials to validate and consolidate claims and produce results would be eliminated,
together with a lot of paperwork and correspondence.
With modern technology the requirement to complete forms is becoming increasingly obsolete and
discourages participation, especially by the younger generation of VTTA members. Only a minority of
our members (less than 350) currently submit claims for the competitions even though many others
will have the qualifying rides for one or more of them. Modernising how our competitions work would
enable and motivate greater participation, which is definitely a good thing!
How would this work?
Basically, we need to transfer some information between the VTTA and CTT websites. To do this we
need to ask our members to give their permission to share that they are a paid up VTTA member, and
their group, with the CTT. We would also ask them to agree for the CTT to provide their published
individual event results to the VTTA. This does not involve the transfer of any particularly sensitive
information but would ensure the process is GDPR compliant. Exactly how permission would be
requested and given will be decided as we progress the design of the system.
We would then provide the CTT system with accurate and up to date information regarding VTTA
members. At present the ‘VTTA Details’ area on the CTT site cannot be 100% relied upon because
members forget to update it when they join/lapse/change groups etc. The new system will ensure
accuracy of VTTA membership information shown on start sheets and will be of great help to VTTA
event organisers in validating entries.
The CTT would provide electronically VTTA members’ individual results to us on a regular, say weekly,
basis. The VTTA website would automatically calculate plusses and determine the best performances
that qualify for the season long competitions.
An interim results tables would be published on our website for each competition as the season
progresses – for individuals, clubs and groups. Group recorders would be able to view and extract the
results that pertain to their own group.

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