FINISH LINE

The basic job is simple: to record the finish place and time for each competitor in every race. This area, and the job of the Finish Line Coordinator are the most important positions in causing the running events portion of the meet to run well. Your entire meet will be judged on how well this area runs.      

WHAT YOU WILL NEED -
1. Timers. It is expected that you will provide times and places for each runner in every race so that, as a minimum, the number of timers should be equal to the number of runners in a race. A good minimum is 6, the laned races often need 8, and non-laned races may have 12-15 in them. If you intend to give the timers a break, you will need enough to work "shifts" . You may also want to have two sets of timers during the 100's and 220's. There are other influences on the number of timers in the "Tips" section.
2. Stop Watches. I suggest a minimum of 8 but have a spare or two to cover the one that "walks away" or the race with 12 in it.
3. Finish sheets. Obtained from the Conference, you use them to record the finish place and times on. I suggest a minimum of 185 but be sure to bring many extras, since you may use as many as 250 if two large clubs meet.
4. Pencils. Bring more than 1. Used to write finish times on the stickers/results sheet.
5. Flags/Radio/Whistle - Used to communicate with the starter when the starter is remote to the finish line (hurdles, 100 meters, and 220's). The choice of method used isn't important but the ability to signal that the starting line is ready to time BEFORE the race starts is critical. If you use flags, you will need two colors, one for OK and one for not OK. Red and green or red and white are commonly used. Radios are used by more clubs now and provide a positive way to let the finish know how many are in the race and/or what age groups are involved. Combinations of methods are also sometimes used.
6. Clipboard. Used by the Finish Clerk to hold the finish sheets upon which the stickers are placed and the times are written.
7. A first aid kit. Most accidents do happen at or near the finish.
8. Finish line tape. This is not absolutely necessary but if you bring it make sure it is about 40 feet long and is not the type that will injure the children. White, yellow or orange are good colors.
9. A table and chair for the Finish Clerk
10. A stapler. Used by the Finish Clerk
11. A tarp or awning to provide shade
12. A cooler with refreshments
13. Tags which indicate which place a timer is responsible for
13. "Remaining laps" counter
14. A bell to sound the last lap (instead of using the gun)
15. Volunteers which hold the finish tape

HOW IT'S DONE -

Each race is handled separately and, hopefully, the same way. The general process is done as follows in the sequence shown:
- Finish line gets prepared.
- Finish line announces to the Starter that they are ready.
- Runners, with stick-on tags, are started in the race. Timers start timing.
- As runners finish the race, timers stop their watch (but do not reset it) and retrieve the tag of the runner who finished in the place they are responsible for.
- Timer takes tag and stop watch to finish clerk.
- Finish Clerk places tag on spot on finish sheet which corre-sponds to the place of finish.
- Timer reads time to Finish Clerk who records the time for that place on the tag just placed on the finish sheet.
- Finish Clerk and Finish Coordinator resolve any discrepancies or problems.
- Finish sheet is sent to the Awards/Results Table.

The process now starts over again with the finish line preparing for the next race. The single most important factor in determin-ing the length of your meet is the time between the finish of one race and the start of the next.

Before the process is described in detail, an important subject for newcomers to the program: Assigning timers to places NOT lanes. We assign timers to finish places for a few very good reasons: First, assigning timers to lanes only works in a laned event. For the non-laned, a different method (places) MUST be used and the switching creates confusion in our inexperienced timers. Secondly, Assigning timers to lanes results in total confusion in resolving finish places using the times recorded, again, due to the experience of the timers. Thirdly, It has NEVER worked successfully without separate people to pick the places in addition to those timing, which no club has ever been able to field. If a choice of priority between providing times or picking correct places must be made, in our program places are more important. In fifteen years in the program I have seen the timing of lanes tried numerous times: IT HAS NEVER WORKED SUCCESSFULLY, EVER ! Confusion reigns, finish places are lost, the meet runs long, etc, etc..

Now, let's add some important specifics to that general process:

FINISH LINE GETS PREPARED: Before each race, the Finish Line Coordinator should:
- See that he has enough timers to cover the number of entries in the race. Try to have at least one more timer than runners in the race for back-up.
-Verify that there is a timer assigned to each place. If there are more timers than entries in the race, he assigns them to "back-up" other timers or can give them a break.
- Reminds the timers to reset their watches.
- See that the Finish Clerk has a finish sheet ready to record the results. If there is voice contact with the starter and there is more than one age/group in then race, the clerk should have one sheet for each ready and marked.
- If a finish tape is used, see that it is in place.

ANNOUNCE THAT THE FINISH LINE IS READY: Once the Finish Coordina-tor has done ALL of the above, he can notify the Starter that "the finish line is ready". He should make sure that the timers' attention is directed at the Starter from this point until the gun is fired. He should announce in a loud voice that "The gun is up" to the timers when the Starter raises his gun arm (done when the "take your marks" command is given).

RUNNERS ARE STARTED: The timers should direct their attention at the "Gun is up" notice to the gun of the Starter. They should keep their eyes fixed on the gun until it is fired and start their watch at the first sight of smoke - NOT AT THE SOUND OF THE GUN !!!. They should then take their hands away from the watch buttons or, if the watch is on a lanyard around the neck, drop the watch from their hands until the finishers approach. This is to avoid resetting the watch or voiding the time. If the timer has a problem, he should immediately tell the Finish Coordinator who can assign one of the extra timers to that place.

FINISH OF THE RACE: As the runners approach the finish line, the timer should pick out the runner in the place that timer is assigned. This is tougher than it seems, especially on the shorter races but if the timer keeps his eyes fixed on the runners a decision can usually be made.

Some important things about finishing and timing:
- The watch should be stopped when the torso (the body from the bottom of the neck to the hip bone or crotch) crosses the first edge of the finish line. Be careful not to time on hands or heads especially if there is a "lean" by the runner.
- If the race is close, keep your eyes on the runners. You can stop the watch without looking at it.
- If there is a discrepancy and two timers pick the same runner for different places, the timer picking for the better finish place prevails. This will be dealt with more in the Rules and Tips sections.
- The Finish Coordinator should not assign him/herself to timing. Instead, he/she should watch the overall finishing to help resolve discrepancies. Remember, his decision may be needed to resolve any discrepancies of place and/or time.
- In retrieving the tag, the timers should be VERY careful not to dash onto the track after their runner and collide with another runner who is still finishing. The best approach is to keep your eyes on the runner, wait for a clear track, and go after the runner then. Take him/her well past the finish line to retrieve the tag to clear the finish line for others. It also helps if the timer does not turn his/her back on the finish line while collecting the tag.

TIMER TAKES TAG TO FINISH CLERK: This is pretty much self explana-tory. After retrieving the tag, the timer releases the runner and takes the tag and his watch (with the time still recorded) to the Finish Clerk.

If the Finish Clerk is using a clipboard (and not a table) have him/her located 10 or more yards past the finish line and located off the track, usually on the infield side to take the results. If a table is used, position it 10-15 yards away from the track and 10-15 yards past the finish line. This will relieve the congestion around the finish, especially if two sets of timers are being used.

One important suggestion to expedite the process is to have the timers approach the Finish Clerk in the order of the position the are timing/picking. For example, the First place timer's results are taken first, second place is taken second,etc. REGARDLESS OF WHICH TIMER IS READY FIRST. The clerk needs to maintain some discipline here. Once the timer has given the tag to the clerk, he/she should immediately leave the area around the clerk and not linger to view results. The timers should not have ANY role in resolving discrep-ancies, that MUST be the sole responsibility of the clerk and Finish Coordinator. The discussion under the "Resolving Discrepancies" heading gives some sugges-tions for handling some of the common discrepancies that will be encountered.

CLERK PLACES THE TAG ON THE FINISH SHEET: Again, mostly self explanatory action. One sheet should be made out for each age/group and class in the race. For example, never mix Varsity and JV or Girls and Boys of the same age/group. The sheets have places for 8 finishers. If you have more, just attach a second sheet, mark it as "Page 2 of __" and mark over the finish places with the correct order.

TIMER READS TIME TO FINISH CLERK: The timer reads the time from his/her stop watch exactly as it appears. That means that if the time reads "14.42", the clerk writes down "14.42" on the SHEET very close to the tag. The timer then moves quickly away from the clerk, resets the watch, and returns to the finish line ready for the next race.

Once all of the stickers have been received and the times recorded on the sheet beside the sticker, the clerk then should "round" all of the times and rewrite them onto the sticker. Rounding is done because hand times are only accurate to one-tenth of a second and is required by the rules. The reason for the Clerk to do the rounding is obvious: To simplify the timers job to return them to the finish line as quickly as possible and to provide a consistent (hopefully correct) method of rounding.

Rounding is simple. Once the time is recorded as "14.42", if the hundredths (or last digit. In this case the "2") is 1 or more, it is rounded to the next higher tenth. In our example, "14.42" becomes "14.5". Please note that the rounding is done at 01, NOT at 05, as expected. Rounding applies to all races of any length and includes relays.

RESOLVING DISCREPANCIES: There are several common discrepancies which occur in recording the results:

1) One that will develop is when you have more than one watch on a place. This is resolved (after the rounding described above) as follows:
All watches on a place disagree -
2 watches on one place - use the slower time
3 watches on one place - use the middle time
Two agree (after rounding) and 1 disagrees-
use the time of the two which agree

2) Another is that no time is recorded for a given place due to watch failure or timer error. There is a great deal of contro-versy if no time is recorded for a runner, especially if the performance in question possibly produced a record or personal best. The ONLY valid way to deal with an "NT" (No Time) is to record it as such by entering a "NT" on the sticker. Some clubs have chosen to adjust the known time of another place finisher by adding or subtracting time. I don't suggest adjusting times.

3) Times don't agree with finish places. For example, third place has a faster time than that recorded for second. This occurs more often (almost exclusively) in the shorter races or those in which the finish was very close. Using rookie timers in a closely finished race will always cause this to occur. There is no patent way to deal with this problem since it can be caused by a variety of factors.
Some possible solutions that have been used/suggested follow but common sense should be used liberally:
- Swap the times so that the faster time goes to the better finish place.
- Use the time of the better finish place for that place and add a pre-determined amount, say .1 second, to it for the next place regard-less of how far behind they finished.
- Record the time for the better place finisher and a "NT" for the other(s) in question.
- look at the times for the two places and how they compare to the rest of the times taken in the race. Use the one which appears most right and give an NT for the other.

Quite obviously, there are some benefits and many flaws in each solution. The single best answer to this problem is to have more than one timer on a place, especially 1-4 (the "award" places) and prevent it from happening if possible. It also helps to have a Finish Coordinator who can quickly apply a decision where just he and the clerk are involved and avoid long delays while the timers argue and nothing happens. When the meet is over and done, 99.99% of those involved will be more appreciative of an efficient meet which is over early rather than an absolutely accurate finish result affecting only 1 or 2 people but which caused the meet to be 30 minutes longer.

SEND THE FINISH SHEET TO AWARDS: The Finish Clerk only needs to be sure that all of the times, event, age group, and places are clear and readable before sending the sheet to Awards.

INTERACTIONS - As stated, the finish line is one of if not THE most important factor in a well run and efficient meet. If it runs poorly either by itself or interacts negatively with the other key areas, your meet will not go well.

The finish line interacts with two other areas constantly during the meet. One is the Starter and the other is the Awards/Results table.

As explained in the "How its done" section, the Starter must not start the race until the finish line is ready. As a result, the finish line actually "paces" the meet by how fast it can record the results of the races. When the starting line is remote to the finish line, the Starter can, when voice contact is possible, also help the finish line by giving them the number entries are in the race (helps assign the timers available), and what age/groups and classes (varsity/junior varsity) are in the race before it begins. This will allow the Finish Clerk to have the finish sheet, or sheets, ready in advance and be prepared to separate the finishers by age/group, varsity and junior varsity or in any other way the competitors are mixed. It will eliminate much confusion and delay if the clerk knows what to expect.

Although this sounds quite cumbersome, it isn't. Typically, as race results are being recorded by the clerk, the Starter contacts the Finish Coordinator and states something like "In the next race we have 6 runners, 3 varsity and 3 JV's" or "In the next race we have 8 runners 2 Bantam Girls Varsity and 6 Bantam Boys JV", or "In the next race we have 5 runners, all Bantam Boys JV"

After assigning the timers, checking their watches as reset, and that the Finish Clerk is about ready, the Finish Coordinator then re-contacts the Starter and states "The Finish Line is ready". The race can then be started.

Interaction is simple with the Awards/Results table. As long as the results are readable and clear they are sent as soon as possible to the Awards/Results table.

TIPS - Here are some suggestions on running your finish line effectively:
- Always assign timers to places NOT lanes. See the discussion above.
- First assign one timer to each place possible in the race. If you have more timers than entries in the race, don't assign the extras to a place until you are sure that the assigned timers have gotten a "good" start with their watches. Immediately after the gun goes off, any timer who has a problem should loudly announce "No time for ____ place !" The Finish Coordinator can then assign one of the extras to that place. If there are still extras, the Finish Coordinator can, in the first few seconds of the race, assign the extras to "back-up" another place usually in the following order:
First extra - 2nd time on first place
Second extra - 3rd time on first place
Third extra - 2nd time on second place
Fourth extra - 2nd time on third place
Fifth extra - 2nd time on fourth place
Sixth extra - 2nd time on fifth place
This process will work well except in the 100's. There you will need to assign the back-ups before the race.

___ After the timers have been working for a while give one or two of the extras a break with the warning "if you come back, others can take a break".

___ At the beginning of the meet and at any time you have new timers, take the time to explain how the watch works, when to start the watch (smoke), when to stop the watch (torso), to keep their hands away from the watch buttons during the race, and when to reset the watch (after giving the time to the Clerk).

___ The timers should press the buttons of the watch with their finger, not the thumb (fingers are faster than thumbs).

___ NEVER, NEVER, NEVER let the timers resolve a finish problem. The clerk and/or the Finish Coordinator ONLY should resolve problems by themselves.

___ The time between the finish of the last runner in a race and the firing of the gun for the next is the real secret of why meets run long. 1-2 minutes between is very good, 3-4 is a good target especially with new people, and anything longer needs immediate improvement.

___ When you have many races of the same event, eg, the 100's, try to have two sets of timers. You can start the next race almost as soon as the last runner is over in the prior race. Time is gained because while the second race is being run, the prior race results are being recorded by a first and independent set of finish line officials. Safety can be a real factor so always be sure the track is clear and that the finish is clear as the second race approach-es. This usually takes some practice by both the Starter and Finish Line Coordinator but can be worth the effort.

___ Your Finish Coordinator should be someone who is not afraid to take control. Don't go too far for control types, however, since they can drive people away.

___ NEVER try to provide a time for a runner by adjusting the time of another competitor by judging how far behind or ahead the known competitor they finished. THERE ARE NO KNOWN FACTORS WHICH ARE RELIABLE TO SAY THAT A GIVEN DISTANCE EQUALS AN AMOUNT OF TIME. Guessing always causes controversy, avoid it.

___ Don't allow the use of wrist watches which have a stop watch function.

___ Rotate the assignment of the timers. Don't always have the same person time the same place. If you do you may loose the timer for 7th or 8th when then the third or fourth race in a row has no 7th or 8th.

___ Timers should allow the older female runners to remove their own tags if they want.

___ The number of timers can be reduced if your club has access to a timing device which allows multiple times to be taken. This includes the Chronomix and Seiko type devices. This will allow fewer people but you should consider what you will do if the device fails. Also, remember that unless the device is started automatically by the firing of the gun, and stopped automatically electronically, the times are still considered manual and you need to round them.

___ If you have a severe shortage of timers, contact the Stager to have him/her place no more than the number of timers you have in the race. Before you do this however, you should make a strong effort to recruit enough timers, even from the visiting club.

___ Only the Finish Coordinator should communicate with the Starter. Multiple contacts are confusing.

___ Avoid having one person time more than 1 runner.