Best Practices for running a LARGE competition with Orion

<< Click to Display Table of Contents >>

Navigation:  Support > Orion Desktop Support > Competition Management > Best Practices >

Best Practices for running a LARGE competition with Orion

A large competition is loosely defined as any match that requires two or more instances of Orion working together. This is often needed when the number of athletes firing exceed the capacity of a single instance of Orion. These types of matches require additional preparation and logistical support. The best practices are listed below.

 

Master the Fundamentals First.

In a large match it is doubly important to have experienced stat officers (Orion operators). The stat officers should have managed 4 to 6 prior competitions before managing a large competition.

Be sure to adhere to all the Best Practices for regular size competitions.

 

Merging Results.

Option 1 (Recommended) Virtual Match. Virtual Matches are typically used to merge results on the Internet when a competition is held at two geographically different locations; however, you may also use Virtual Matches to merge results in a large match. In this setup one Orion instance is the Parent, and each other instance is a Child. The big advantage of using Virtual Matches is that Orion will merge the results for you, while you are scoring targets. Be sure to familiarize yourself with Virtual Matches, available in a separate FAQ at How do I create or join a Virtual Match

Option 2 Manual Merging. Alternatively, if Internet access is not available at the range you may merge results manually. This is a more tedious option, requiring attention to detail. Instructions for doing so are available in a separate FAQ at How do I merge results from two Orion matches?

 

Assign competitors to an instance of Orion for scoring.

Regardless of which method you use to merge results, it is important that all targets from an athlete, and all team members on the same team, get scored by the same instance of Orion.

Assign athletes and teams to specific instances of Orion. Divide the athletes up as evenly as possible between the instances of Orion and as logically as possible. For example, athletes on firing points 1 - 30 get scored by Orion instance A, athletes on firing points 31-60 get scored by Orion instance B.

Demarcate targets based on which instance of Orion should score them. Use a sharpie to write "A" or "B" at the top of each target, or purchase color barcode labels. Use One color for instance A, the second color for instance B.

Assign unique competitor numbers to each athlete. Competitor numbers must be unique within and between instances of Orion.

 

Once you have developed a plan on how to manage your large competition, practice the plan on a smaller match or at your team practice BEFORE your large competition.