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KEEPING SCORE:
This page gives insight into the basics of the points system for various competitions, as well as some tips for reading USS and ISU results. Keep checking back for new content.
COMMON QUESTIONS:
"When reading race results, I sometimes see "Q"; "q"; "ADV"; "DSQ"; "DNS"; and "DNF" next to a skater's name - what do they mean?"
Q - advances to the next round by coming in first or 2nd in the heat.
q - advanced because they had one of the fastest non-qualifying times (for instance, the fastest 3rd-place times when only the top 2 would normally advance).
ADV - advanced due to interference; this would be at the discretion of the judges and referees.
DSQ (or DQ) - disqualified
DNS - did not start (did not skate)
DNF - did not finish, possibly because of an injury that made it impossible to continue
"When reading race lap times, why is the first lap always so blazing fast for the 500m and 1500m races?"
It's because the timer is located at the finish line. In the 500m and 1500m races (4-1/2 laps and 13-1/2 laps respectively), the time for the first lap is actually only a half lap!
"In the World Cups, what is the difference between the 500m(1) race and the 500m(2) race?"
There are 6 World Cups, but each distance (500m, 1000m, 1500m) is skated 8 times per season. This is accomplished by skating one of the distances twice in each World Cup event. For instance, the 500m race may be skated twice in World Cups 1 and 4; the 1000m twice in WC's 2 and 5; the 1500m twice in WC's 3 and 6.
"What is a Repechage?"
A repechage, seen in World Cup competitions, is a 'second chance' round to allow for the possibility that some racers, through no fault of their own, might have simply had bad luck in their original qualifying race. Winners of repechage rounds can still advance.
SCORING:
OLYMPIC TEAM SELECTION PROCESS
I took a stab at explaining the (very confusing) Olympic Team Selection Process at Boots & Blades by creating a hypothetical competition. I'm still not sure I have it right, and would welcome any corrections to my logic. Guests (non-members) are able to ask questions and/or help us to understand the process better.
US CHAMPIONSHIPS
On Day 1 there is a 9-lap (1000M) Time Trial, that every registered skater must complete. The top 16 times for Ladies and the top 16 times for Men advance with a chance to win the National Championship. The remaining skaters are relegated to Group 2, gaining valuable experience, but with no opportunity to win the National Championship.
WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
In each division (men's and ladies) there are 8 national teams, placed into 2 brackets with 4 teams each. The teams are ranked or seeded somehow - teams 1-3-5-7 are in one bracket, and teams 2-4-6-8 are in the other.
In the Qualifying Round:
Each bracket competes in 4 events - 1000M, 500M, 3000M and a relay. (3000M ladies; 5000M men)
In the 1000 & 500, each country selects 4 of their 5 team members to compete, and each event is run in 4 heats, with 1 member of each team in each heat. However, the 3000M is a single race with 8 skaters, 2 from each team.
Points are awarded in the 500 and 1000 as follows: 1st = 5; 2nd = 3; 3rd = 2; 4th = 1. The same points scale is used for 1st-4th in the 3000M, but no points are awarded for 5th-8th.
Then the 4 teams run the relay, and the point scale is: 1st = 10; 2nd = 6; 3rd = 4; 4th = 2.
In each bracket, the top finishing team is advanced to the A Finals and the bottom team is relegated to the B Finals. Then the middle 2 teams compete in a Repechage round with the middle 2 teams in the other bracket.
In the Repechage Round and the Final Round, the slate is wiped clean, points from previous rounds are disregarded, and all teams start with 0 points.
In the Repechage Round, the 4 teams go through exactly the same round of events, in exactly the same way. The top 2 teams are advanced to the A Finals, the bottom 2 teams to the B Finals.
In the Final Round (both A & B), the teams skate as above. The points gained in this round determine the final rankings and medalists. 1st-4th place come from the A Group, and 5th-8th place come from the B Group.
Obviously, it's best to finish 1st in the Qualifying Round, 'cause you get a 'bye' into the finals.
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