Best Running order for 2-ring trial

[Chris on Mushtown Road]

Hi all,
I am in search of advice. We host a 2-ring trial each summer and there are inevitably changes to the class order (meaning LEVEL, not the actual class. Although that can happen, too) midday, due to conflicts. It causes some angst, and although I know people can deal with it.......I am determined to at least TRY to come up with a running order that MIGHT prevent it.
I know that some of you have come up with ways to avoid it.

We plan to run jumping and non-jumping classes and will have two sets of contacts, although they are different (in compliance of course) I was thinking that if we ran the non-jumping classes, and then maybe jumpers, in one ring, we could run all the non-jumping classes without regard to level (we'd have all scribe pages and a complete running order, so people could run alphabetically by handler (with the multiples, of course, spaced out). We'd run (for example) Touch N Go during a set time (this will depend on entries, naturally) then Weavers, then Tunnelers....
And then Regular would be in the other ring, and Chances.

Your suggestions are most welcome.


Chris Mosley

[Linda W. Anderson]

Hi Chris,  Back in the days when we filled 2 rings, we assigned competitors to one ring or the other and switched judges from one day to the other.  It did mean moving contacts in and out but there were no conflicts for the exhibitors.  Linda

[dmadrid]

Hi Chris,

First, I understand how hard it is to come up with an ideal run order!  Even if you assign competitors to separate rings, you still have to worry about when your equipment (weaves and tunnels especially, it seems) is going to be needed, and it is not easy.

That being said, as a competitor, I have a strong preference for 2-ring shows that are run as a 2-ring, 2 trial format where you stay in the same ring all weekend.  It makes things SO much less stressful, not only for exhibitors, but for workers, gate stewards, and ring stewards.  I've also found that I, and a lot of the folks I trial with, are much more willing to volunteer in the ring when we know that the possibility of conflicts is gone. 

Whenever I've been to shows that run non-jumping classes as "come when you can, don't worry about level" classes, it has always, without exception, turned into chaos.  Some folks try to keep up the posted running order, but that only works for so long.  Others get worried about conflicts, and try to jump in line, or argue with the gate steward.  I've experienced lines of dogs at least 20 dogs long waiting for tunnelers... it's madness.  (Anymore, if I know or suspect that a class will be run that way, I get my husband to take out my dog before we start walking the course, get her warmed up, and then get in line so that I can be right at the start of the line, before the insanity sets in). 

[MoabDiane]

Look at Jumping Chollas premium for late Nov.  Been there several times for this one and it works GREAT!
Diane

[Becky Wolfe]

Look at Jumping Chollas premium for late Nov.  Been there several times for this one and it works GREAT!
Diane

Chris,

You can look at the Jumping Chollas premium (talk with Billie or Wendy)  or the Saguaro Scramblers premium ( both Arizona Clubs).  At first it seems confusing on how they run it,  but it works and seems to get rid of conflicts and long lines.  They have been doing it for several years this way.

[Chris on Mushtown Road]

Thanks. I do understand how this works, after looking---but it would require a LOT more equipment than what we have.

Other suggestions?


Chris

[James Bell]

The biggest help with the JCAC methodology is that it cuts down on course building time immensely, although the judge has to keep a lid on the extra walk-through time. Then if you balance which types of class runs against each other (no change classes between levels like TNG and Tunnelers, low change classes like Weavers and Chances, etc), and balance number of folks in each group, you're golden.

As a quick example of their format: Set both rings with Elite Regular. Run Group A in ring 1, group B in ring 2. Then the groups swap rings. You trade the number cone reversal time and potential course building angle changes for walk-thru time. Run group A in ring 2, and group B in ring 1. Course change to open in both rings. Continue. Later, set weavers and chances against each other. The course change for weavers matches the line change for chances, and for most levels (and if chances has any contacts) the running time is similar. I say most because weavers tends to be more obstacles than chances, and that really tells at the novice level unless chances has at least one contact.

[Chris on Mushtown Road]

I agree that there is a lot to like about this, but there's no way we can set two rings of Jumpers, or Weavers, at the same time.

And we could run into equipment issues with other courses, too.....

So I am looking for other ideas?

Chris

[Murrelet Halterman]

In the scenario James described, you actually only have one jumpers class going at a time, and one tunnel-heavy class going. It really works great! There are a few lags here and there, but I've run at their trials several times, and was impressed by how easy and efficient it was.

Murrelet

[dmadrid]

We tried the JCAC method at a show a couple of years ago.  I don't know if we were unable to run it well, or if it was just too different from what folks around here are used to... but I don't think anyone liked it...

[Billie Rosen]

The Arizona 2 ring format is really popular here, because it avoids all conflicts.  So the whole trial atmosphere is like a 1 ring show because you know who will only be in 1 ring at a time.  It maximizes our workers - we usually have to limit people to working only 3 or 4 classes a day so everyone has a chance to earn credits, since people can work any class they are not in.  If you don't have enough equipment to do 2 jumpers, for example, you can pair up the classes any way you want.  Just try to pair classes that take about the same amount of time to run.  In Regular, we always run Run 1 of the 2 sets of courses the last courses on Saturday, and so we run Run 2 of the 2 sets of courses first thing on Sunday.  So the only course building we have to do Saturday at the end of the day is to rebuild Elite Regular from the Novice Regular in each of the 2 rings.

When we split the classes between the 2 rings, we had conflicts galore, plus issues getting workers since so many people ended up having to walk or run in the 2nd ring when they were working.  And it caused a lot of stress on our exhibitors.  The format we came up with alleviates all that.