Continuous club records

[Pete Benson]

4th February 2006

Is it practical to keep electronically, continuous club records? By this I mean when someone is looking at say 100 metres the log will show everyone who has held the record and the times etc rather than just the current holder. I think this would be meaningful and certainly help any future archivist.
When I was Chairman I received a few emails from ex record holders who when viewing their event just saw the current record etc.

Best wishes

Pete

[bob shepherd]

That is what I'd like to set up. (With Rick's help).
Then all the events could be given a page each. Livewire Chris might like to do it on .net, or I'll start it on .com? We need advice from Rick. Really it should come off this message board & back onto the web site. I like what Chris has done on the front page of .net for the Harrier Mag. Something like that would be great. Bob

[rick]

I think it's of interest to members to show the progression of club records as they are improved.
There will be huge gaps.

For example. Carl Dickinson took Ian Whiteside's 100m senior men's record in 2004. That had stood since 1968 or thereabouts. Ian is probably the only person who knows who held it before he did.

Andy Holden Holds the 3000m Steeplechase record at 9.26.4 (1972). It's highly likely that he broke the record several times before he set the current mark.

The junior records coculd eb even more difficult to sort out

It's a worthwhile project. We need someone to dig through all the Harriers from the 60s and 70s.

I suggest starting threads for the different age groups rather than go by event.

[Peter Benson]

Hi Rick

Yes there would be gaps but if it was started now we woulb be ensuring that the club would not be in the same position in years to come. We could back fill as and when we can.

Best wishes

Pete

[bobshepherd]

Pete & I tend to be doers. Not discussion types.
Let's start something. Let's do both suggestions so far.
I can get a list of events from Pete Hancock & stick them on a new page of the web site. Then I can put the present record holders against the events. We can then invite anyone to offer previous holders names.
In additon, Maurice is probably in control of past records. We need to ask him.
So, shall I create a Record Page? Or is there one already on Chris's website? I don't like the idea of duplicating effort.

[Pete H]

I agree that this would be a nice idea, but I am not sure how practical it would be.
I first started keeping some records when I first took over the u13/u15 session at London Road in 1990. After keeping annual pb's for four years I started keeping a 'post 1990' record, and added age groups - first u17 then seniors. About 1996 I guess, we published what we knew and asked for blanks to be filled. The record now looks fairly representative, but there are 207 events if you include all ages and sexes. We need to start an indoor one, and to record heptathlon, pentathlon etc scores. we also need road, and the response to the website has not been strong in that area. Paul Brooke records Sportshall (another 54 events).
If anyone wants to go through the stuff, I have annual records back to 1998 for T&F, and further for youngsters (1990) Bear in mind that some records(javelin u17 last year) can be broken more than once a season, and I have no record of that. Each young athletes match has about 150 performances to record, there are 5 a year, plus 5 junior, 5 senior, 5 mid lancs, opens, championships. If there is a volunteer out there to keep track of all time lists, let me know! I am not going to volunteer, although I am thinking of starting recording indoors and combined events.

[Pete Benson]

Why say yes when you can say no, the power of negative thought.

[rick]

Club records might have had to be ratified at one point by the committee - I'm thinking of years ago. I can't remember that happening during my most recent stint on the committee.

Pete H. Are you saying that you have various age group records that show progression from end-of -season to end-of-season (assuming the record is broken) but not if a record was broken on more than one occasion during a season e.g. u17 javelin last year.

To take care of the future. The respective club records are published on the website with a link to update any record. Therefore it's up to the athlete concerned to register any improvement.

The past is more difficult unless, as you say, we find someone who is interested in number crunching to go through the past results.

I see the senior records as an easier task to update because they tend to get broken less frequently. The problem here is to get the progressive records from 1881 to say, the late 1970s.

Roy Swinbank during his active period with the club produced a very informative newsletter and chronicled nearly all results from before I joined the club in 1966 until around 1973. Things were a little easier then. The MLL XC had only boys and senior men and there were less T&F age groups. U13s weren't catered for. Theold harriers aould be a great mine of information from that era.

[Pete H]

Rick
Yes, the reason for me keeping the records was originally to encourage the youngsters, and then to assist team selection. I have tried to keep seasons bests for everyone (some missed, I expect).
It would therefore be reasonably easy to do an all-time rankings list, but because I have not recorded dates of performances, it is not clear which ones were records.
In the Javelin example, Adam Worthington broke the record, and maybe more than once, and Stephen beat it in September. Looking at my data you could not tell that Adam ever held the record, although he would be second on our all time list. Would that be worth doing?
I would like both that and the progression of records, but would not take on the latter myself. Coaching six sessions a week, managing teams and keeping performance records in their present format is quite enough.
I do already have someone looking at a way of 'flagging up' record performances when entered in my database, and if I can get that functionality, I would do it from here on.
Pete H