2000 National Collegiate Women's Rowing Championship

May 26-28, 2000
Cooper River Park
Camden County, New Jersey, USA

Adjustment to First 500m Split Times in JAMCO Race Bulletins

It became evident after studying Saturday's results that something was wrong with some of the splits at the first 500 meter mark. The course markers were checked early Sunday morning and each person who had been spotting from the first 500 meter mark was consulted. I concluded that the physical 500 meter target on the lane 1 shore was closer to the start than the correctly placed 500 meter marker on the lane 6 shore. This created a parallax problem sighting over this line in regards to obtaining accurate arrival times there for each crew. Generally, the effect was that crews in the lower numbered lanes recorded incorrectly faster first 500 meter times than they had actually rowed.

Based on this suspicion, NCAA permission was obtained to use a different target that appeared to be perpendicular to the course for the first race on Sunday and that cleared up the problem. The remaining races, unfortunately, continued to use the old line of site.

After the races ended, the discrepancy between these marks on the course was measured and adjustments were calculated trigonometrically. Those adjustments were made to our data files for each race and new reports were generated. After studying those reports, based on experience gained from looking at thousands of split times, I firmly believe that the adjusted reports are highly reliable split times for each crew at the first 500 meter mark. These adjusted results, as well as the originally reported split times, are now available at www.jamcotimes.com.

In no way are any of the elapsed times at the 1000m, 1500m or finish line changed from what has already been reported, recorded and distributed. Only the arrival times at the first 500 meter mark are affected.

-- Kent Mitchell, May 30, 2000

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