RECORDS AND RANKING

RANKING: Our Executive Officer for Records and Ranking this season will again attempt to keep on computer details of every athlete's performance each week. These results are used when selecting Centre representatives for State Relays and Zone Championships. At the end of the season, the athlete gaining the best performance in each event, for each age group, is rewarded with a champion pocket and certificate.

AGE MANAGER/RANKER DUTIES: The duties of the Age Manager/Ranker is one of the most important within the Hornsby Little Athletics Centre and influences a wide variety of activities of the Little Athletes at the Centre. These activities range from nomination for State Relays, Zone Championship, Centre Best and Septathlon awards. Note: The duties of the Age Manager/Ranker can be undertaken by one (1) parent OR by a group of parents.

With centralised computer records and ranking, accumulating around 50,000 entries a season, the Age Manager/Ranker plays the most important role in ensuring that all results have been entered accurately so that each little athlete gains full benefit for his/her performance.

The following information is an explanation of the duties that the Age Manager/Ranker is required to perform:

1.	Daily performance checking
2.	Championship competition team nomination

DAILY PERFORMANCE CHECKING: The age Manager/Ranker is required to check the daily performance results of each of his/her age group which will be presented on a printout supplied one (1) week following the date of performance. The following information is supplied to each Age Manager/Ranker:

(a)	listing of each athlete in the age group.
(b)	copies of the original daily performance results sheets, also a year-to-date summary of each event performed by the age group, together with a summary of each event that has been offered for the age group.
(c)	a year-to-date ranking of each athlete for each event performed that week.
(d)	a result validation error printout(if appropriate).

ATHLETE LISTING: Each Age Manager/Ranker should make themselves familiar with all Little Athletes in his/her age group.

PERFORMANCE RESULTS SHEETS: The daily performance results sheet will be collected by the Records and Ranking Officer at the completion of each competition day.

The results will be computer entered and processed, validation of any discrepancies that are detected during this data entry will be adjusted where possible. Any entries that cannot be verified/validated by normal process of elimination will then be passed on to the Age Manager/Ranker on the Validation Error Result printout for follow-up.

The following procedure is required to be performed by the Age Manager/ Ranker relative to the daily performance results.

LONG JUMP/TRIPLE JUMP: The Long jump/Triple jump is performed with a maximum of three (3) jumps per athlete. In the event of large numbers in an age group and time not permitting, the event Key Assistant may decide to limit the number of jumps to a minimum of two (2) jumps per athlete.

All jumps, with the exception of a foul, are measured and entered as a performance for each athlete. At the completion of the nominated jumps for each athlete, the recorder then issues a performance ticket to the athlete for their best jump, and listing the best jump for the athlete in the appropriate column provided on the result sheet.

The Age Manager/Ranker is required to confirm that the 'BEST' performance entry, for each athlete is correctly identified. Any error(s) detected should be immediately advised to the Records and Ranking Officer for appropriate computer processing adjustment.

The ranking of each athlete's performance, as provided on the results sheet is unnecessary; computer processing will provide any daily and year-to-date ranking.

HIGH JUMP: The high jump also has three (3) jumps per athlete, this again can be adjusted by the Key Assistant in charge of the venue, to a minimum of two (2) jumps. The recorder enters a successful, foul jump, or passed jump, for each height of the bar. When an athlete has fouled three (3) (or two (2)) jumps, the recorder then completes a performance result ticket and hands it to the athlete, and listing the best jump for the athlete in the appropriate column provided on the result sheet.

The Age Manager/Ranker is required to confirm that the 'BEST' performance entry, for each athlete is correctly identified. Any error(s) detected should be immediately advised to the Records and Ranking Officer for appropriate computer processing adjustment.

The ranking of each athlete's daily performance, as provided on the results sheet is unnecessary; computer processing will provide any daily and year-to-date ranking.

SHOTPUT/DISCUS/JAVELIN: Only the best performance of the shotput, discus and javelin by each athlete is measured, and therefore only one (1) entry will appear on the result sheet. In the event of large numbers in an age group and time not permitting, the event Key Assistant may decide to limit the number of throws to a minimum of two (2) throws per athlete.

Each throw, with the exception of a foul, is marked, and at the completion of the nominated throws for each athlete, the best throw is measured and entered as a performance for the athlete, then issues a performance ticket to the athlete for their best throw.

OVERALL CHECKING: Over and above the checking identified above, the computer entered data now has to be validated by the Age Manager/Ranker.

The performances entered for each athlete on a result sheet has to be checked against the computer printout to ensure that the entry is correct and/or that an athlete has an entry for a daily performance entered in to the computer.

ANY entry that is incorrect or any performance that is not listed in the printout, has to be immediately advised to the Records and Ranking Officer for appropriate computer data entry correction. NO printout will be provided following the identification of any error; any correction will be indicated when that event is next performed by the age group.

EVENT RANKING: The results that are entered in the computer are processed and a computer ranking for each event that has been performed by an age group will then be provided to each age Manager/Ranker.

Information provided in the printout will be:

(a)	the total times that the athlete has performed the event;
(b)	the total times the event has been offered to the age group;
(c)	the best performance for each event by each athlete;
(d)	an average of their performances in the event to date; and
(e)	their worst performance.

This printout will assist the Age Manager/Ranker during the evaluation for team selection for the various competitions for which the athletes can be nominated.

As can be seen from the above the Age Manager/Ranker plays a very important role and a vital task undertaken by any person who nominates for this position.

CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITION SELECTIONS: The Age Manager/Ranker nominates all the athletes for the various championship events. The criteria for these selections is listed elsewhere in this handbook.

In conjunction with the Championships Officer the various Little Athletes to be nominated are identified and an appropriate letter is forwarded to them. These Little Athletes will then be required to acknowledge their acceptance/rejection of the nomination(s) for the event(s) by return to the Age Manager/Ranker who will then pass these acceptances/rejections on to the Championships Officer.

Any nomination rejections are then discussed with the Championships Officer and the reserve(s) are then nominated.

CHAMPIONSHIPS COMPETITION SELECTIONS
SELECTION POLICY FOR STATE RELAYS AND ZONE TEAMS

GUIDANCE FOR STATE RELAY TEAM COMPOSITION:

(a)	Athletes selected in track events cannot compete in field events.
(b)	In field events combinations shotput/discus or long jump/high jump, each combination must comprise of four (4) competitors.
(c)	Long jump/high jump competitors can make up shotput/discus teams and vice versa.
(d)	U/8 age group also has - 4 x discus and shot put/long jump (instead of long jump/high jump) comprising of 4 competitors in each.

ZONE CHAMPIONSHIPS: It will be the responsibility of the appropriate age Manager/Ranker to nominate their teams based on the following criteria:

A.	Any one athlete may be chosen in only four (4) events PLUS a relay team, this in some instances will require the age Manager/Ranker to come further down the age event ranking list to make a nomination for an event.
B.	The first four (4) athletes plus the next best athlete with the highest standard of performance will be nominated with further consideration given to the measure of Saturday participation in the event.
	1.	notification will be by way of a letter which will be forwarded to each of these athletes requesting they identify their choice of events (in which they are ranked in the top four (4)) in which they desire to compete in at Zone indicating their order of preference.
	2.	all acknowledgments are to be made in writing (on the tear off portion of the notification slip) to the Championships Officer, through the Age Manager/Ranker by the nominated closing date. In the event of a cancelled competition day on the nominated closing date then the athlete is required to contact their Age Manager/Ranker by telephone and confirm in writing as soon as possible. In the event that the Age Manager/Ranker cannot be contacted in time then the onus remains with the athlete to contact the Championships Officer, or as a last resort a Committee Member, a list is presented at the front of this information booklet.
	3.	in the event that an acknowledgment is not received by the nominated closing date, the Championships Officer reserves the right to continue with final selections for any unresolved competition event. All selections determined after the nominated closing date will be deemed final.
C.	All nominations must be approved by the Championships Officer, the Officer for Records and Ranking and at least one member of the Committee of Hornsby District Little Athletics Centre Inc at a specially convened meeting set aside to ratify nominations for each competition event.
D.	In regards to Relay teams that proceed to Regional and/or State Championships. A team member may only be changed/replaced as a consequence of injury or sickness.