Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> teri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> wrote:
> > I used the software once at a ride.  I would rather just do pen and pencil.   If you enter the information  as the entries come in before a ride you are bound to dislike the software.  Reason being.  People do not always stick with the mileage they sign up for, they do not always ride the same horse they sign up for.  To change this information during registration is tedious.  People do not want to wait in line for you to fix the info.  Then you have those that are not registered and have to sign them up.  
> >  
> > Then you have the in timer and out timer.  Nancy is fast with her system she has.  A computer would slow her down.  Not to mention where Nancy is usually put most like does not have electricity.  Then you have the problem of not having enough juice to run it all day.  


It IS a bit of a pain in the butt, especially with a slow laptop, or if it's too sunny to see the screen, etc...but I still think the program is worthwhile.  If riders are in the db, it's fairly easy to enter them--and when they change horses and distances (truman!) it's a PITA no matter WHAT system you're using...especially if you try to be REALLY efficient and make up the rider cards in advance.

For me, it more than pays for itself (well, it IS free...!) at the end of the ride.  All you have to do is enter the time (actual time) the rider finishes, or the pull code--and the program does all the rest (assuming you have entered the start and hold times accurately, of course--GIGO).  Sort by time, print, and you are ready for the awards.  Go to the BC form, click import top ten, type in the vets scores and weights, and you are done.  I have always found this the most stressful part of ride management--trying to calculate riding times, etc--trying to make sure the order of finishers is correct.  This program does that for you.

I always email directly from the program to the office. I have asked them REPEATEDLY if the results are 'usable' in this form, and they always say "yes, they're fine"--so I have to take their word for it that the weird excel file the program emails is valuable to them.

It DOES make life a lot simpler.  You can also print lists of riders to check off at the start, and for the timers, etc...  It really IS a pretty good program, just a little glitchy and out-of-date.  Haven't seen a better one yet!

terre