The following are suggested procedures for conducting a one-day shootout. This is written to spark new tournament directors with some ideas and provide some answers to questions that sometimes come up during the planning and running of tournaments.
Over the last four or five years, one-day shootouts have become very popular. Although they are called “one day”, they are not necessarily completed in one day. Depending on the total number of participants and available courts, some games may need to be held on Friday night or Sunday to accommodate all divisions. If this is a possibility, it must be clearly indicated on the registration form. The game format is round robin. All matches are played consecutively and self-referred. For that reason, and in the interest of time, each match usually consists of two games to 11 with a 7-point tiebreaker. This is called a mini-match. The winner of the most matches wins. The new rules for ties can be found in the USAR Rulebook under A.6 Scoring Round-Robin, page 22. This format appeals to many players because they play a lot of matches and don’t have to put in the whole weekend. Also, the entry fee is usually lower because there is less hospitality to provide and there may or may not be a tournament jersey and no referee fee.
Programming is a bit difficult but very important. Time and time again, surveys have shown that not being on time is the biggest player complaint about tournaments. Overbooking of pitches is often the reason for tournament delays and this is often due to late registrations being accepted after the tournament has been scheduled. It is usually impossible to add another match after the schedule is set because in a well-scheduled tournament there are no unused pitches available. Late entries can always be accepted on hold and this often satisfies the would-be entrant.
Prepare a game schedule by completing a grid (court sheet) containing times and courts according to the number of participants in each division. The most important and most difficult part is the programming. It’s like doing a puzzle. You keep trying different pieces until it fits and sometimes you have to start over. In scheduling, you can use the following rule of thumb: 3 players need 1 court for 2 hours, 4 players – 2 courts for 2 hours, 5 players – 2 courts for 3 hours, 6 players – 3 courts for 3 hours. Try to avoid 3 player round robins by combining splits or just recruiting people to play. One suggestion for the inevitable 3-player splits is to allow them to play 15-point games with an 11-point tiebreaker. For more than 6 players (some skill divisions can have up to 20) form two or more groups and then place the winner of each group in a single elimination playoff. Offer at least all age and ability divisions, but count on mixing small divisions. Players from the smaller divisions know that they can be placed in a combined division, but still prefer to enter their own division. The total number of players that a club can reasonably accommodate in this type of tournament is 12 players per field. This takes into consideration that the game will start at 8:00 am and the last match will start at 9:00 pm and the tournament will be completed in a single day. It also allows playoff games and approximately 50% of the participants that will play two divisions. If any of these factors change, obviously the number of participants accommodated changes.
The entire tournament can be run from the court sheet using white pins at the top with the court numbers written on them. You need a round robin form (who plays who in each round) for all group sizes that needs to be filled out when players sign up. Players can be assigned courts, given their form and a pencil, and told to play their matches in the order designated on the form. They must enter their own scores on the form and return it to the tournament desk when they have completed all their games. Or, they can be asked to report their scores to the tournament desk after each match and then told who will play the next round on which court. Either way works well depending on the layout of the facilities, but in all cases play must be controlled so that matches take place on time. There is a tendency for players to take more time than necessary between matches or not to report the score in a timely manner after the game is over. This delay adds up and can throw off the schedule very quickly. Insist that players check in at least 30 minutes before game time so you can take advantage of early starts if you get ahead. Usually you cannot start a split until all of the player’s players in a group are present, however in the case of a group of 5 you can start by assigning the absent player to “bye” in the first round. If that player doesn’t show up, you can change that group to a group of 4 and continue.
In general, this type of tournament requires careful scheduling and firm time management, but creates a very enjoyable experience for both the player and the tournament staff. It’s also a way to run a tournament without as much work, planning and commitment as is required for a three day single elimination tournament. Good luck.
