Creating an event template in Position mode (short track)

What a template is for

A template is the rules of a circuit, written once and for all. In Position mode it mainly says how a race unfolds: how many qualification heats for so many entries, who goes through to the next round (the “X + Y” criterion), how the athletes are spread over the heats, what a penalty or an advance does, how many points each place is worth. The organiser who creates an event from this template only has to import the entries: the plan of the rounds, the heats and the standings follow.

• The federation usually prepares this template: it reaches every computer with the shared data (see Federation's common rule).
• You can build it in EVENT when your circuit has its own rules: that is what this page shows.

The reference for each tab: Event template. How an event in Position mode runs: Omnium Hollywood short track.

1. Open the template editor

The editor opens the template of the open event: so you build the template in a workshop event.

1. Create a workshop event in Position mode

   Computer context set to Speed skating › Short track (FileChange context…). FileOpen an event…, New…, type Position (the finishing place counts), template None (empty event) (or the short track example supplied with EVENT, to start from rules already made), name Atelier gabarit courte piste. Confirm.

2. Open the template

   The Template… button of the banner, or FileEvent template….

   The Event template window opens on the General tab. An empty template already receives the default officiating code table and the behaviour of the codes in the rounds.

Position mode and what it changes

The mode is the event's: Position, chosen in the event form. The General tab shows Event type: Position (fixed). This mode shows:

• race models made of rounds: heat sizes, X + Y criteria, semi-finals and quarter-finals, finals, distribution, start positions, and a progression table, with a plan preview;
• three more columns in the officiating codes: Qualifies (position), Qualifies (time), Advances;
• the Rounds and total tab; and level Groups.

It hides what only serves Time mode: formulas, performance (seeding), conversions. Entries are ordered by their reference time: the performance time of the entry, otherwise its entry time.

2. General: name, discipline, track, season

1. The tabs of Position mode: Rounds and total, no Formulas, Performance or Conversions.
2. The type, fixed, then the five fields.
3. The bottom commands.

Name, Description

What the organiser sees in the Template list of a new event in Position mode.

Discipline: “Courte piste”; Season: “2026-2027”

Reference information.

Track length (m): 111.12

The track of the races when the event's discipline does not give it (a point or a comma is accepted).

3. Categories: age and genders

Same tab as in Time mode (see step 3 of the Time guide): reference day 07-01, genders F “Femmes” and H “Hommes”, age groups Benjamin, Cadet, Junior, Senior.

4. Race types: the races the template creates

1. The race types, in the order of creation.
2. The finish line: in short track, at the zero of the track (0).
3. One race per allowed gender.
4. The model that links the rounds (step 5).
5. The point table (step 7).
6. The heat name pattern; empty: “1A”, “1B”…

No performance here: in Position mode, the form does not have that field. The three race types:

5. Race models: how the rounds follow one another

Create two models with Add: 500m (“500 m: heats of 6”) and 1000-1500 (“1000 and 1500 m: heats of 8”). The form is long: we go through it block by block, with the women's 500 m of stage 2 of the omnium, 23 entries (the 23 fastest women of the example file).

1. The models; their code is the one the race types quote.
2. The heat sizes.
3. Progression: X + Y criteria, reductions, nature of Y, tolerances.
4. Advanced athletes.
5. The rounds allowed: semi-finals, quarter-finals, direct finals, all in the semis, finals for all, safety semi-final.
6. The distribution into heats, the order of the entries and of the qualified, the start positions.
7. The progression table: one line per range of entries.
8. The plan preview for a number of entries.

These settings are the ones the engine applies in the Races tab: the Plan sub-tab shows the proposed plan, generation forms the heats.

Heat sizes

Qualification heat size: 6

At most 6 athletes per qualification (and preliminary) heat.

Round-of-16 heat size, quarter-final size, semi-final size: 0; Final size: 6

0: as in the qualification. Here everything is raced in sixes.

Minimum for the last heat: 4

No heat of fewer than 4: for heats of the same level, one heat fewer; for finals filled one after another, the last one is merged into the previous one (if they fit within the size), otherwise both are rebalanced.

Progression: the X + Y criterion

“2 + 4”: the first 2 of each heat go through (X), plus 4 others (Y). The settings below are used when the engine calculates the plan (no line of the table applies); a line of the table gives its own criteria.

X of the qualification: 2; Reduction of X to avoid a semi-final: 1

X is 2, but may drop by 1 if that avoids a round of semi-finals.

Reduction of X so as not to exceed the maximum number of semi-finals: 0; X of the qualification to the quarter-finals: 2; Reduction… the quarter-finals: 0; X of the quarter-finals: 2; Y of the quarter-finals: 0

The same rules towards the semi-finals and the quarter-finals.

X of the semi-finals: 2; Reduction of X in the semi-finals: 0

The first 2 of each semi-final go to final A (Y completes the final).

Nature of Y: By rank, then by time

The Y places go first to all the 3rds (X + 1), separated by time, then to the 4ths… By time: the Y best times among all the non-qualified, whatever their rank.

Exit by time only: not ticked

Ticked: “0 + Y” criteria, only time counts.

Final A tolerance: 1; Final A tolerance with advanced athletes: 2; Cap on ties: empty

A final A of 7 (6 + 1) is accepted rather than adding a round; up to 8 (6 + 2) when advanced athletes or ties make it overflow. Ties at the last time retained: empty, all go through; a number: at most that many more.

Advanced athletes

An advanced athlete takes the place of the last qualified by time: ticked

An athlete advanced by the referee (code AV1, or ADV) goes through to the next round and takes the place of the slowest of those qualified by time. Unticked: they are always added. With an “X + 0” criterion, they are added anyway.

Place left by an advanced athlete: Left vacant

In the lower final where the advanced athlete would have raced, their place stays empty. Taken by the next one: the next athlete takes it.

The rounds allowed

Semi-finals allowed, Quarter-finals allowed: ticked; Maximum number of semi-finals: 2; Number of quarter-finals: 4

Beyond 2 semi-finals, the engine uses 4 quarter-finals. Without semi-finals allowed: an “X − k” criterion (the k slowest of the first X drop to final B).

Direct final: no; Direct final up to: 6

Up to 6 entries, no qualification. Ticked, Direct final always removes the qualification.

All in the semis: no; Subgroup 2 from: 1

Ticked: the non-qualified of the qualification also race a semi-final (a “subgroup 2”, with its own final), if there are at least that many.

Finals for all: ticked

Everyone races a final (A, B, C…), including those eliminated in the qualification.

Safety semi-final if final A overflows: ticked

When final A exceeds 6 + 2 (advanced athletes, ties), the proposal offers a safety semi-final.

Distribution, order and start positions

Distribution in the first round: Linear (A B C A B C)

The entries, in their entry order, go into A, B, C, D, A, B…

Distribution in the following rounds: Serpentine (A B C C B A)

A, B, B, A, A, B… to balance heats of the same level. Also: Serpentine, then reverse passes (A B C D, then D C B A, D C B A…).

Order of the entries: Reference time

Before the first round: the fastest first (without a time: at the end, drawn among themselves). Also: Draw; Draw, clubs kept apart (two athletes of the same club in different heats as far as possible; the first round is then linear).

Order of the qualified: Rank in the heat, then time

Before the distribution of the next round: the heat winners by time, then the runners-up, then the others. Also: Time in the previous round, Entry order of the previous round.

Start positions: Draw, then time in the previous round

Positions drawn in the first round, then the fastest of the previous round in position 1.

Codes in the final ranking

Codes in the final ranking: Last of their heat

An athlete penalised in a final is ranked last of their final and takes the points of that place. After all ranked athletes: they come after all the ranked athletes of the race.

The progression table

The table says, for a number of entries, which rounds the race has. The first line whose range contains the number of entries wins; if none applies, the engine calculates the plan with the settings above. For each line, tick the rounds it has (Own settings: qualification, …: round of 16, …: quarter-finals, …: semi-finals) and give their number of heats and their criterion.

Number of heats; X + Y criterion; Maximum size

0 heats: depending on the athletes expected and the size; “2+4”, or “1-2” (the first ones, minus the 2 slowest); 0: the model's size.

Final size; Final A tolerance; Finals for all

0, empty, undetermined: as in the model.

Stages (full form)

For formats the short form cannot express: each stage with its identifier (“Q”, “SF”, “FA”), its round, its filling (Distribution (same level) or Sequential (finals A, B…)), its criterion and its sources (“Q”: The qualified, The non-qualified…). Example: a single stage “F”, Final, Sequential, size 6, source The entries: direct finals filled in entry order.

Note

The title of the line in the list, and the reminder in the plan.

The plan preview

To the right of the models, type a number of Entries: the plan of the chosen model is shown, one line per stage (Q: qualification, SF: semi-finals, FA: final A, F-SF and F-Q: the finals of those eliminated in the semi-finals and in the qualification), with its problems. It is the way to check a table without creating an event: try 6, 9, 15, 23, 30 and 40.

The model “1000-1500”

Duplicate “500m”, code 1000-1500, then: qualification size 8, final size 8, and a three-line table: 1 to 8 (direct final), 9 to 16 (2 heats, 3 + 2), 17 to 24 (3 heats, 2 + 2). With 23 entries in the 1000 m: 3 heats of 8, 8, 7; the first 6 and the 2 best 3rds make final A of 8.

6. Officiating codes

The default table suits short track. In Position mode, three more columns say what a code does to progression to the next round.

1. The Position mode columns: Qualifies (position), Qualifies (time), Advances.

Qualifies (position)

The athlete can go through by their place (among the first X). NTMP (no time): yes.

Qualifies (time)

They can take one of the Y places by time. NTMP: no, for lack of a time.

Advances

A: advanced automatically to the next stage (AV1, also typed ADV); B: sent straight to final B (AV2); Aucune.

Effect, Scope, Sort rank, Reason required, No points, Time valid

As in Time mode (see step 6 of the Time guide).

7. Point tables: the points for each place

1. Name, points from 1st to 20th place, floor, sharing of ties.

8. Groups: the level groups

Level groups sort the entries of a race into group 1 (the strongest), group 2… They do not change the rounds: they are used for the total by group and for standings “by group”.

1. The rules for forming level groups.

Target group size: 15; Minimum for the last group: 8

Groups of 15; a last group of fewer than 8 joins the previous one.

Groups of equal size: not ticked

Ticked: groups of the same size within one (23 in 2: 12 + 11) instead of full groups and a remainder.

Special cases: from 20 to 25 athletes, “10, 0”

For this number of athletes, these sizes, from the first group to the last; 0: the rest.

Maximum number of imposed priorities: 0; Order of the athletes: Reference time

0: no limit. The order that sorts the athletes before the split.

9. Rounds and total

1. Time decimals: the precision of times and ties (3 = thousandth).
2. What a code does from one round to the next: one line per code (NDEP, DISC, DRC by default).
3. The event's points total.
4. The order of rounds within a block of the programme.

Codes in the rounds, NDEP: Last accessible final; Races the next round: no; Points in a final: no; Admitted to subgroup 2: no

An athlete who does not start is placed in the last accessible final, without racing it, and receives the points of that place; an NDEP in a final the athlete reached normally earns no points. Destination in the next round: also According to their rank or Nowhere.

DISC and DRC: Last accessible final, race the next round, points in a final

The penalised athlete races the last final and earns their points there. A code without a line follows the code table.

Points total: The N best races, N = 2; Keep the total after a yellow card: ticked

The two best distances out of three count (All races: the sum). After a yellow card, only the race of the card counts as 0; unticked, the athlete leaves the total.

Order of rounds within a block: By type of round

All first rounds, then all semi-finals, then all finals. Race by race: each race from start to finish.

10. Standings: the omnium standings

1. Own settings: method Points, separate standings by gender, the 2 best races.

11. Start colours

1. One colour per start position (the helmet cover): 6 for the 500 m heats, 8 for the 1000 and 1500 m.

12. Advanced (JSON)

Handy for copying a progression table from one model to another, or for setting the code aliases and the number of yellow cards before a red one. An error gives its line and column; unreadable JSON is not applied.

13. Check, save, keep

1. Check

   Check also checks the Position models: sizes, X within bounds, reductions, table ranges that overlap, unreadable criteria, stages of the full form.

   Event template

   GeneralCategoriesRace typesRace modelsOfficiating codesPoint tablesGroupsRounds and totalStandingsStart coloursAdvanced (JSON)

   (the open tab)

   500m, ligne 3 : plage 12-18 qui chevauche la ligne 2.500m : X de qualification hors de 1..6.1

   Import…Export…Keep in my templates(supplied example)Start again from the example2 problem(s) in the template.CheckSaveClose

   1. A line 12 to 18 overlaps the line 7 to 12 (12 entries: which one?); a qualification X of 7 exceeds the heat size (6).
2. Save, then Keep in my templates

   Save writes the template into the workshop event; Keep in my templates puts it in the computer's library: “Kept in this computer's templates: “Omnium Hollywood — courte piste”.”. The form of a new event in Position mode offers it, marked “Local”.

3. Share it

   Export… writes a JSON file to import elsewhere (into an event in Position mode), or to send to your federation so that it publishes it to everyone.

What FINISH receives from this template

No G1… groups or quartets in Position mode: each heat is alone on the track, and the file's chronometrage block asks for one race at a time ("gestion": "uneCourse", "motif": "uneParUne"); if the FINISH session is set differently, FINISH offers to apply it. The template sets nothing else of the timing: decoder, loops and starts stay with the computer. FINISH shows the “2+4” criterion of each heat; its results come back into the Results tab, where the criterion decides who goes through.

The women's 500 m from start to finish

Here, figure by figure, is what the template produces for the 23 entries of the omnium's women's 500 m. We assume that the six races have a qualification, semi-finals and finals, with Order of rounds within a block “By type of round”: the qualifications are numbered 1 to 6, the semi-finals 7 to 12, the finals 13 to 18 (step 9). The women's 500 m, the first race, therefore races 1A–1D, then 7A–7B, then 13A–13D.

Round 1 — Qualification: line 4 of the table

23 entries: line 4 (19 to 24) applies, 4 heats in “2 + 4”, linear distribution on the order of entry times, positions drawn. The results (FINISH or entered by hand), with two incidents in 1C: Saskia Brouwers penalised (DISC, reason P-INTER), Jitske Hoogeveen advanced (AV1).

Round 2 — Semi-finals: serpentine on 12

The 12 qualified are ordered by Rank in the heat, then time (the four winners by time, then the four runners-up, then the three qualified by time, then the advanced athlete), distributed in serpentine order, and placed on the line by their qualification time.

Results in “2 + 2”: 7A — Duquerroy 45.20, Ellingsen 45.45, Dvořáková 45.50, Vauquelin 46.10, Pelletreau 46.30, Hoogeveen 46.80; 7B — Lebrasseur 45.10, Verhaegen 45.30, De Smedt 45.70, Nowicka 46.20, Quintanilla 46.60, Maud Lefébure NDEP (did not start).

Round 3 — Finals for all

The finals are filled one after another (sequential): A, then B (eliminated in the semi-finals), then C and D (eliminated in the qualification; the vacant place counts in D, which also receives Brouwers).

1. Qualification: positions drawn (first round); the colour of each position comes from the Start colours tab.
2. Semi-final: positions follow the qualification time (Duquerroy 45.80 in 1, Dvořáková 46.05 in 2…).
3. Final A: positions follow the semi-final time (Lebrasseur 45.10 in 1).

Apply and test the template

1. Try the plans without an event

   Race models tab, Plan preview: 6, 9, 15, 23, 30, 40 entries. Each plan must be the one your rules provide.

2. Create a test event from the template

   Type Position, template Omnium Hollywood — courte piste (“Local”), Create the races of the template, then the import of the file inscriptions-omnium-hollywood.csv (step 2 of the short track scenario).

3. Read the plan, generate, enter test results

   Races tab: Plan sub-tab (the table line retained), Groups and entry (the groups), Line-up: Generate races, the proposal and its explanations. Enter a few results and codes in the Results tab, make the round official, generate the next one: see who goes through and why.

4. Correct and start again

   A saved plan and the generated rounds stay as they are: after correcting the template, delete the rounds of the test race (Delete the rounds…, without results) or create a new test event. Finally delete the workshop and test events; the template stays in the computer's library.

Summary

Going further

• Event template

  The reference for each tab and each command of the editor.

• Omnium Hollywood short track

  An event in Position mode from start to finish: plan, qualifications, advanced athlete, semi-finals, finals, points.

• Template in Time mode

  The same step-by-step guide for long track: groups, pairs, quartets, mass start.

• Federation's common rule

  Start from the common template, adapt it, keep it.