"Joerg & Renate Stieber" wrote in message ...

The Time - Distance scoring system has been used for the last three Canadian
Nationals. It has been well accepted by the majority of the competing
pilots. So far, we have still normalized the score to 1000 points, in order
to make the TDT compatible with traditional scoring systems for Assigned
Speed Tasks and Pilot Selected Tasks which are still part of the Canadian
Nationals Rules. However, we are now comfortable enough with TDT to
seriously consider to eliminate the 1000 point system altogether and express
the score in kilometers instead of points.


This will have a profound impact on contests. Right now, despite day
devaluation, contests are won and lost on the weak days. If we add up
the separate days based on distance achieved rather than 1000 points,
this will end up putting much more emphasis on the strong days.

For example, think of a weak day in which the winner goes 50 miles vs
a strong (ridge!) day in which the winner goes 300 miles. Suppose
noone lands out, so we have 1000 points both days. If you do 90% of
the winner's speed on each day, you do 45 miles on the weak day and
280 miles on the strong day. Under current scoring, you get 900 points
for each day. Under TDT scoring you get 45 points for the weak day and
280 points for the strong day. Automatic, and very strong, day
devaluation!

The big issue is that the difference between 90 and 91 mph on a strong
day becomes much more important than the difference between 30 and 31
mph on a weak day. It's 3 times as important if the tasks are the same
length of time, since you cover 3 times as much distance going from 90
to 91 mph than you do going from 30 to 31 mph. If the fast day is a 4
hour task and the weak day is a 2 hour task, it becomes 6 times more
important to go the extra mph on a strong day.

Advocates might say this is good. (Though it could also be achieved by
changing the mind-boggling devaluation formula we currently use to one
based on distance achieved, if that's the only benefit.)

I (for once) don't have a strong opinion, but I'm curious if the
supporters have thought this through, and why they think putting so
much more emphasis on strong days is a good idea.

John Cochrane