I've been number crunching and coming up with a league table for the GPS Team Challenge. It will run separate from the competition, and I'll put it up at KA72.com at some point soon (if the idea suits enough people, that is.)
Basically, it splits the competition into Divisions, so that teams are competing against other teams of a similar standard.
I came up with the initial composition of the divisions by running a league table for last year, and then promoting successful teams up a division, and demoting poorer ones down a division. Then I have blended in the teams that joined the competition last year, giving some precedence to teams that have been in the competition for more than one year.
Here are the divisions for my first half of 2011 table. (Promotions and demotions will occur on 6-monthly basis, I think.)
Hopefully by running a league table, your team will be able to compete with a smaller number of similarly skilled teams from around the world. That will give you more incentive to make small improvements (and maybe get your team promoted to the big league!)
Note that this is organised completely separate to the GPS Team Challenge. I plan to use the results posted to GPSTC to determine promotions and demotions, but this is not an official part of the competition. However, there may be occasional prizes for divisional winners 
Division 1 for 2011
JP/NP Mob
Wad1team
The Pit Crew
Speed Team Makkum
Mandurah Mob
Swan River Mob
Moreton Bay Mob
Tassie Speed Seekers
SA Speed Demons
Connewarre Cremasters
FNQ Mob
Cockroaches
Division 2 for 2011
Portland Pirates
Pinaroos
One Eyed Cantabrians
Team Horst
Tjeukemeer Speedsurfing Team
Perth Southsiders
Cro Preluka Speedhunterz
Board Crazy Boys
Cro Boreas Speedhunterz
Sunshine Coast Sailboards Vikings
Cro Aeolus Speedhunterz
The Southerly Busters
Division 3 for 2011
Slo Zusterna Speedhunterz
Dutch Fun Speeders
Amazing Windsurfspot Speed Team
Grevelingen Chop Team
Slo Coldbeer Speedhunterz
Burrum Heads MOB
SpeedEnz
Mid-North Coast Marauders
The Wannabees
Morito Beach
ACT Gustbusters
Division 4 for 2011
Slo Nuclear Speedhunterz
Saka Beach
WestOzWind's Divas and Warriors
Team East (UK)
Oesterdam Boardriders Club
Lake Macquarie
Speed Team Lauwersmeer
WK Speed Warriors
O-Spot
Bonno Blasters
Rough Water Riders
Division 5 for 2011
Easy Riders
Belgian Slalom Team
FMF
The Sailfish
Teammuiderberg.nl
Fogland Speed Surfers
Cro Lakrdija Pro Team
St John's Mud Sharks
Surf-forum.com
Team Juice
Irish Speed Kings
Cheers,
Dylan.
Legend Dylan.
Go you good thing
Is that only on results thru KA72.com or those posted to GPSTC as well
)
The sheer volume of data on the GTC site is formidable, and mini competitions like the league table and the ashes have shown that slicing and dicing the data in different ways can be very useful...
I'm happy to make the data available in other formats (XML, CSV) for things like this if someone wants to do their own crunching.
If you have an idea on how best to present this data in a feed format then I'm happy to put this onto the site.
Great idea Dylan!
Why are the Portland Pirates in Div 2? When we are ranked 8th for 2010.
How does this system work?
Seems to me that in Div 1 it has the top ten teams in it for 2010 apart from The Portland Pirates?
Cheers...
because you are english
because we are racist
because we hate our fatherland
because we couldnt put you in div 6 on your own
because we know your better than us
............
Hmmm,
Put it this way Dylan we sail in a place that works very rarely and rarely travel to faster spots, as a matter of fact we worked bloody hard this year to get the results and a lot of getting up early before work, blagging work and sailing in freezing conditions.
Now i understand what you are getting at and its a sideshow for you to play with but it does feel like a kick in the teeth. I hope you don't feel insulted as much as we do.
Basically if you get ranked in a competition and data is used from this competition to set up a sideline then if its not used properly then its a farce. For arguments sake its like entering the Olympics for the first time and winning gold in your event but because the other competitors have entered before they are a higher division?
Just my thoughts,
Thanks......
Mobydisc said...."
Does it really matter what division your team is in?
Well just seeing that the FNQMob is in Division 1 should be inspiration for all of our members to make sure we stay there.
Good luck to everyone else
I think Great Britain's No.1 team Portland Pirates needs to be in Div 1, and make Div 1 a 13 team Division to make it inclusive enuff, IMHO
Many regrets,
If i have overeacted and been a bit brash i do not mean to upset anyone. Dylan what you are doing is great its just we (Portland Pirates) are very competitive in our own right.
Anyway as for making myself look silly? well we shall see.
Olympics comment yeah fair play its not like the games but it is a competition and thats that!
Ok gonna get off my soap box now.
No hard feelings.
Now where is that urn?
Firiebob,
No worries and i'm sure Dylan is great bloke christ he does a free site for starters,anyway if your getting up i should be going to bed.
Well maybe another beer first.
Each division has underdogs that were promoted from the last season. This year's division 1 underdogs are the Connewarra Crewmasters, The FNQ Mob and the Cockroaches. If there had been a league ladder last year, they would have been the top 3 teams in the 2nd division. Now they have 6 months to prove that they were worthy.
Hardie, I'm really stuck on 12 teams as a maximum in a division. More than that and the field is too large to be fun. I'm actually thinking on trimming the divisions down further to 11 or 10 teams as the year goes on. To be honest, I personally feel that 8 teams per division is probably the optimum number, but I'll see how it plays out, and with so many new teams last year I didn't want to spread them out too thinly when they are an unproven group.
I will discuss with Ben how to access the data "live" for an up-to-the minute ladder page.
I don't mind if the Demerits are relegated back a few divisions if it creates room at the top so more people are happy. We probably should not be in the third division as there are only a couple of us who are actively posting so if either of us have the day off when the other is out, then our scores don't count. Plus I'm not the greatest sailor in the world.
First of all I want to thank Dylan for giving me something more to strive for in windsurfing, and life in general. After illness and a lot of stress at work last year this team challenge has really given me something better to work towards and fill up the hole that work created.
I am one of the new team members for Portland Pirates, having only joined in september and not really producing any results that have benefitted the team yet so in my eyes any division is good for me. There are a few members of the team who worked unbelievably hard last year and they can hold their own against most world class sailors, especially considering the conditions we sail in (37knots in boxy harbour chop I personally think deserves a knighthood for bravery! ;-) )
We will be moving up to Div 1 without a doubt, cap'n swags has already given us our deck swabbing duties for the year and when I win the lottery we will all be going to Le Franqui for a while ;-)
Happy new year and good winds to all.
Lea
Oh look the 2nd place english team {team east) have been put into div 4 only 15 places below their 2010 ranking of 24 ;
Maybe its,
because you are english
because we are racist
because we hate our fatherland
because we couldnt put you in div 6 on your own
because we know you're better than us
............
Seriously though it's so considerate and very nice of you to give us uk teams a chance for next year ,it makes us feel much appreciated.Thanks very much LOL
Just put ALL the English teams in Div 1.
Then wait 6 months to see some REAL whinging!!!!![}:)]
Realisticly in 6 months it will all sort itself out with little work from Dylan.
It will be very interesting I think,especially if some teams can jump a division.
Fantastic idea Dylan.
