HS State Championship decided by first timing chip to cross. Is this normal?

A couple years ago, NFHS made an allowance for scoring an xc meet based on chips. At the time, two chips had to be issued so you couldn't lose by having the "bare" foot cross first. If a girl was dq'd, it sounds like only one chip was issued. This would violate NFHS but I learned a long time ago, athletes have to follow rules, officials don't. I believe NTN/NXN scores this way which is why a team (Hilton?)that placed second or third was completely missed a few years ago because their chips weren't registering. I really don't know what is wrong with lining people up as they come through the chute. If nothing else, having a chute helps prevent that NCAA pre nationals debacle from a few years ago where chips were used and no chute so the women in the race decided to lie down immediately after crossing the finish line. Kind of takes away the drama of the lean at the finish and dqing someone for a missing chip is deplorable.

As such, the finishing lean has been replaced by a drop kick.

I guess I'm going to start watching more MLB. I need to perfect sliding into home.

2 chips were used...she lost both of them.

AKxc wrote:

2 chips were used...she lost both of them.

While I still think that's a tough way to get dq'd, it's a little harder to defend. It's going to be another responsibility that falls on the coach - as part of uniform check, make sure all chips are securely fastened.

I think its time to make chip attachments to the torso necessary.

doo doo wrote:

I think its time to make chip attachments to the torso necessary.

I don't think it will be long before the "chip" is a disposable sticker that you can put on the top of your singlet. The D-tag, worn on shoes, is already getting pretty close as it is disposable and distributed as a part of their race number. I think it even probably works from that height, but not reliably enough yet.

I did a couple races with the B tag this summer. this has two magnetized strips on the back of the bib that works pretty well, but is a bit annoying, because I like to crumple my number befor I pin it, and with the B tag you can't do that because you'll mess up the chips. otherwise this is very hassle free and way easier than the Dtag which you still have to tie into your shoe.

I raced in the 90s, there was none of this chip stuff, and things ran just fine.

I too wad the bib prior to pinning. When I encountered the B-tag I folded each side toward the center many times over and it was no big deal. My question is if the foam (that protects?) the foil strip can be removed without adverse results.

Lol i have this vision in my head of people putting the chip on the very edge of their toes, and gracefully leaping toward the finish line with one foot out pointed straight ahead in the air, with a facial focus of intent

Stupid. The chip should be an added convenience to help with timing, not a replacement for officials. The chip is there so that the hundreds of finishers who aren't too close to call can have their times and places registered automatically. You still need to have a human there to make the call when it's close.

For the same reason, the runner being DQed is ridiculous. The athlete's job is to run the race. The people at the finish line are responsible for recording places. If the people at the finish line want to make their own lives easier by using a chip system, fine. However, it is still their job to record places. The fact that a runner's chips fell off does not relieve them of their responsibility to record that runner's place.

Chalk this one up to idiot wannabe-has-been high school officials.

The NCAA uses chip timing at the championships. However, they also use a finishlynx camera to get the close calls.

The system works great if runners are coming in a couple of seconds apart from each other as 80-90% of runners do. The chip timing is completely adequate for this type of situation.

The camera is needed for those "Leans" and other close calls. Combining the two systems is the best way to time a race.

If Alaska did not use both systems and/or DQ'd an athlete for it falling off, then they are idiots and not qualified to host a elementary fun run!

I hate the chip time over gun time thing.

It's a foot race, not a time trial. Racing and out dueling someone should be valued over hanging back and time trialing it.

Chips are also being used increasingly in the UK when officials could do just as good a job. But, it's only 'stupid' if there is a genuine alternative.However... there aren't enough officials. Increasingly, people retire from their running careers and have no further involvement with the sport. It's very hard for runners' complaints to have any weight when they're doing nothing to rectify the situation. Admittedly, in this country, there is a much less institutionalised high school / university structure than in the US, so there is a much greater reliance on volunteers.

Bear of Bad News wrote:

The chip should be an added convenience to help with timing, not a replacement for officials. The chip is there so that the hundreds of finishers who aren't too close to call can have their times and places registered automatically.

BW151 wrote:

Chips are also being used increasingly in the UK when officials could do just as good a job. But, it's only 'stupid' if there is a genuine alternative.

However... there aren't enough officials. Increasingly, people retire from their running careers and have no further involvement with the sport. It's very hard for runners' complaints to have any weight when they're doing nothing to rectify the situation. Admittedly, in this country, there is a much less institutionalised high school / university structure than in the US, so there is a much greater reliance on volunteers.

I see your point in a way but disagree as to it's application here. I've seen a couple competent people run a shoot with 100s of finishers. I've also seen a whole crew of idiots screw up a finish line with less than 100. As an earlier poster said, chips are good way to time, but not judge a finisher's place. There should always be a finish order done by humans... well competent humans.

Very unfortunate by the NFHS.

In the NCAA and above, chips have to be used in conjunction with a secondary system, if the chip times are within .4 (I think) of a second. It doesn't have to be Finishlynx, a standard video camera will do. But they have to be able to determine th true order, the chips are a guide for ease of use.

sisyphus wrote:

AKxc wrote:

2 chips were used...she lost both of them.

While I still think that's a tough way to get dq'd, it's a little harder to defend. It's going to be another responsibility that falls on the coach - as part of uniform check, make sure all chips are securely fastened.

She had the chips attached to her shoes before the start. Each chip had a tiny, thread-like zip tie.

This was the first time they tried chip timing for the state meet in Alaska and there were no rules that said the chip was the only timing device. In addition the officials did not notify the coaches of the DQ. They only found out during the awards ceremony, when it was too late. The appeal was turned down because the officials were too embarassed to change things after the awards had been given out.

This is an obvious case of letting technology take over common sense. She was clearly 3rd place. Alaska high school sports are run by a bunch of neolithic baboons with doo for brains. It's that simple.