I have long been a fan of "dropping" the low score from judging.
I am re-thinking my position on that.
It just dawned on me that for every place(s) a team goes up, other team(s) must go down an equal number of places.
Maybe everyone else knew this and I am just a slow learner :redface:
Using KCBS as an example:
We have two teams with similar scores.
Both teams has solid 8's for the high 4 scores.
Team A has a 6-8-8 for the 5th score and a 5-8-8 for the low score.
Team B has a 7-8-8 for the 5th score and a 6-6-6 for the low score.
(Actually, any score for Team B below approsimately 5-8-8 would have the same result).
At this point, before dropping the low score, Team A is placed higher than Team B (without even figuring the "weighting" thing)
Now, drop the low score and Team B is placed higher than Team A.
That is wonderful for Team B, but not so "peachy keen" for Team A.
Put another (perverted but true) way, Team A was unfortunate to land on a table with consistant judging and Team B actually benefited by getting the low judge.
As I said, this happens because for every place a team moves up, another team must move down.
One "is helped" and one "gets hurt".
I think I am like most teams...I look at a dramatically low score and get p**sed because I got hurt by that Bozo. :evil: :evil:
I fail to notice when the low score is real close to the 5th score and has little effect on my placing or may have moved me up one or more places.
I did a spreadsheet on an FBA comp from a couple of years ago.
This is the chicken catagory only--the other catagories and overall were similar.
FBA uses a scale from 5 to 10 in 1/2 point increments.
200 is a perfect score.
On our score sheets, we get all the judges numbers to inclode a "weighted" total from each judge.
Column 1 is the origonal placing.
Column 3 is the origonal score.
Column 4 is the "weighted" score from the lowest judge.
That makes it easy to "drop" it, as I did to get Column 5 which is the new score after dropping the low one.
Column 6 is the ranking when useing the new score,
Column 7 is the change in places by that team from using all 6 scores to using only the top 5.
NOTE: If you add all the "+" and "-" moves, the sum is ZERO, as it should be.
Several folks would have moved "in and out of the Money" if the low scores were dropped.
"Big Poppa" would have lost $200 by moving from 2nd to 4th.
"Mt. Dora" would have picked up $300 by moving from 7th to 3rd.
Lots of other place changes that had a real impact on $ and TOTY points(to include the overall).
I am not advocating anything here. Just passing on what I learned.
I certainly have a new perspective on the topic.
There is still the emotional thing that a judge "having a bad day" and giving low scores should not have that much influence on the overall score.
I still have that emotional response, but the reality is that there is a price to be paid by dropping the low score.
I have been recommending that FBA drop the low score for a long time---but that is a "two edged sword" and I think (know) I will leave it alone now.
Just some thoughts.
TIM
I am re-thinking my position on that.
It just dawned on me that for every place(s) a team goes up, other team(s) must go down an equal number of places.
Maybe everyone else knew this and I am just a slow learner :redface:
Using KCBS as an example:
We have two teams with similar scores.
Both teams has solid 8's for the high 4 scores.
Team A has a 6-8-8 for the 5th score and a 5-8-8 for the low score.
Team B has a 7-8-8 for the 5th score and a 6-6-6 for the low score.
(Actually, any score for Team B below approsimately 5-8-8 would have the same result).
At this point, before dropping the low score, Team A is placed higher than Team B (without even figuring the "weighting" thing)
Now, drop the low score and Team B is placed higher than Team A.
That is wonderful for Team B, but not so "peachy keen" for Team A.
Put another (perverted but true) way, Team A was unfortunate to land on a table with consistant judging and Team B actually benefited by getting the low judge.
As I said, this happens because for every place a team moves up, another team must move down.
One "is helped" and one "gets hurt".
I think I am like most teams...I look at a dramatically low score and get p**sed because I got hurt by that Bozo. :evil: :evil:
I fail to notice when the low score is real close to the 5th score and has little effect on my placing or may have moved me up one or more places.
I did a spreadsheet on an FBA comp from a couple of years ago.
This is the chicken catagory only--the other catagories and overall were similar.
FBA uses a scale from 5 to 10 in 1/2 point increments.
200 is a perfect score.
On our score sheets, we get all the judges numbers to inclode a "weighted" total from each judge.
Column 1 is the origonal placing.
Column 3 is the origonal score.
Column 4 is the "weighted" score from the lowest judge.
That makes it easy to "drop" it, as I did to get Column 5 which is the new score after dropping the low one.
Column 6 is the ranking when useing the new score,
Column 7 is the change in places by that team from using all 6 scores to using only the top 5.
NOTE: If you add all the "+" and "-" moves, the sum is ZERO, as it should be.
Several folks would have moved "in and out of the Money" if the low scores were dropped.
"Big Poppa" would have lost $200 by moving from 2nd to 4th.
"Mt. Dora" would have picked up $300 by moving from 7th to 3rd.
Lots of other place changes that had a real impact on $ and TOTY points(to include the overall).
I am not advocating anything here. Just passing on what I learned.
I certainly have a new perspective on the topic.
There is still the emotional thing that a judge "having a bad day" and giving low scores should not have that much influence on the overall score.
I still have that emotional response, but the reality is that there is a price to be paid by dropping the low score.
I have been recommending that FBA drop the low score for a long time---but that is a "two edged sword" and I think (know) I will leave it alone now.
Just some thoughts.
TIM