Open Dates for Entries - Anyone got any thoughts

[Dee]

There has been a bit of discussion in the past about setting open dates for entries. Some competitions have successfully set open dates in the past, but as far as I know none at the P/1 level.

With online entries open dates are easier to set; at the moment they default to 6mths before the competition or 4th Jan whichever is the later, then organisers can set the date as they please, but is this right?

Should we really be opening for entries as early as 4th Jan? This does make it hard for those who have been ranked into a division but not obtained a bib and therefore have no bib number, it is also earlier than it used to be by at least a week; there didn't really used to be an open date, but no-one could really enter until entry information was published. On the other hand for those of us with very early competitions it only gives host paddlers 3 weeks before the end of the priority period!

And what about the 6mths default, should we be considering "blocking" competitions, so that we define set entry open dates and competitions can choose one of those dates, eg . 10 Jan, 1 Apr, 1 Jun rather than allowing random selection of possible open dates?

This isn't just about online entries, of course; it's postal entries too. Any open date needs to apply across the board to all methods of entry.

[Mike Mitchell]

Dee, I love online entries but can we just clarify the system/ make it clear.

So can we enter every event for the year on the 4th Jan and if the open date is latter than this set the time for midnight on the opening Date.
If this becomes possible and the opening date is in say 6 months, will an online entry at midnight get preference over a postal entry not opened but received before the opening date.

Hopefully events won't be over subscribed but some probably will be.

Can a PU entry get converted to a full entry at the Date sent, if the paddler gets promoted before the event ?

Are Bib Numbers going to be a problem for some paddlers now and promoted paddlers during the season.

[Dee]

Dee, I love online entries but can we just clarify the system/ make it clear.

So can we enter every event for the year on the 4th Jan and if the open date is latter than this set the time for midnight on the opening Date.
If this becomes possible and the opening date is in say 6 months, will an online entry at midnight get preference over a postal entry not opened but received before the opening date.

Hopefully events won't be over subscribed but some probably will be.

Can a PU entry get converted to a full entry at the Date sent, if the paddler gets promoted before the event ?

Are Bib Numbers going to be a problem for some paddlers now and promoted paddlers during the season.

Mike - to be clear, open dates are not just for online entries. I believe there was some discussion at the ACM and any competition can select an open date for entries. Some have even done this in previous years (pre online). I just think it's an area that could do with clarification

If I set an open date for entries I would ignore entries received before that date. How organisers manage open dates is not in the rule book, so each will decide, but to my mind the whole point of an open date is not to receive advance entries!

Rules for waiting lists were amended at the ACM and my understanding is the position of a promotee on waiting list will be based on the date on which organiser is notified of promotion, but host paddlers always have priority over paddle ups

Plans are in progress to automatically allocate bib numbers for promotees which, if everything goes to plan, should alleviate the issues with promotions

Back on topic. What should we do about open dates? Remember the 'effective' open date used to be controlled by publication of entry details.

[Dee]

PS And please don't over panic about competitions filling up. Nothing fills up that fast. If everyone starts panicking and applying in first 24hrs we will just end up with lots of cancellations a couple of weeks later, which is hassle for everyone.

[Mike Mitchell]

PS And please don't over panic about competitions filling up. Nothing fills up that fast. If everyone starts panicking and applying in first 24hrs we will just end up with lots of cancellations a couple of weeks later, which is hassle for everyone.

Dee, I won't over panic but you had over 700 entries in one Day yesterday.
I did a PU entry for my son and he is 37th on the waiting list.
Just have to be faster next time.

[davebrads]

It's not the event that is full, just that paddle-up entries can't be accepted before the cut-off date so all paddle-up entries go straight onto a waiting list.

[CeeBee]

I spotted that too - the Div 1 paddlers know that the chances of getting a Paddle Up entry at Prem is limited so need to enter these races quickly as a PU to stand a chance of getting an entry.

I like the staggered entry dates.

[Jasper]

I don't mind the staggered "Entries will Open" dates but what I do dislike is those events that claim to have On-line Entry capabilities but then when you click on the link are not there! This means that you have to keep checking to see IF a new on-line entry race has been added to the list.

This happened last season but I did not wait and posted my cards off to the address of the organiser as advertised. Only for the event then to go on-line and my postal entries were not manually entered for ages. A period of major stress wondering if your cards had been received while watching the on-line list of entries growing by the day.

Can those events that say they are going to have on-one entries actually get on with providing us with the facility?
Jasper

[Dee]

To be fair.....

Usually the calendar doesn't go . up until mid/late-January; it was relatively early this year partly because some comps are opening early and partly because Nick is now away.

With the exception of about four competitions that I'm waiting to hear from, the competitions have been initiated and are now just waiting for organisers to complete the set up. Do remember that for many of the organisers they are on a learning curve, so give them a little leeway.

I'm sure that they will be up fairly soon.

[JimW]

I have considered starting a thread to let people know that there is going to be a slight delay getting our race (Pinkston 2/3) onto online entries, but decided not to for a few reasons:

- As both the entries clerk and a div 2 competitor I am twice as frustrated that we aren't up yet as anyone else Thrice in fact because I want K1 and C1 entries.
- I am not going to explain why there is a delay.
- I don't have an estimate for when we will have everything sorted and be listed.
- I don't intend to add all the event information immediately.
- So far only one person has contacted me to ask about it.

The system Dee is running is great, I have checked our settings and the defaults are right for our event, I have even added some custom text although as noted above I will expand it nearer the event. As far as I know the delay is still at our end but I'm not really in a position to chase it so will just need to be patient, I hope this is not causing anyone any real problems.

Jim

[Jasper]

As if to prove the point another race gets added to the list of on-line entry capable events overnight and now you have to look through the full list to try and identify which one it was.

I do understand Jim that other issues sometimes can get in the way which may result in a delay but the races I refer to from last year are the same ones that are late in getting their facility up and working again this year.

This is not your event I have to say.
Jasper

[Dee]

Jasper
At he bottom of the list there is a button for entering multiple races. If you click that you should quickly be able to see more easily which you can enter but haven't

[Dee]

So, maybe one option would be to say next year that no entries open before 15th January, say.
This would give organisers a bit longer after Christmas to get their competitions published.

Another possibility might be to say that open date is a minimum of 7days after the publication date (so that checking once a week would be ample)

Or have fixed open dates and if publication misses one then it is automatically pushed to the next one.

Or ... your turn!

[CeeBee]

I've been set up as an administrator for an event this year. I've been browsing through what I can see for the event.

The system is so well thought through and all the information I want is readily available with so little effort for an organiser. I know that it was taking many organisers in excess of 35 hours to process postal entries and deal with e-mails. This automates this all in one fell swoop. Dee must have saved volunteers hundreds of hours last year. It is a fantastic step forward for the sport , both volunteers and paddlers.

It has solved so many problems and then some new ones arise! The question posed about when events will come on line is one such new' problem. I like the idea that events are only released say once a week and so a comment could be added each week marking the new events added with an *new* to the left and when the next date events will be released will appear.

[Dee]

Oooh you do love to add to my todo list!

It is a good idea though!