If a member show up with aces on two iPads and iPhone for hubs

[Blackey Cole]

If member or shooter showed up with two fully charged iPads with aces loaded un them and iPhone to use as a hub for syncing them. Should you use them. This allows that you monthly only runs one or two posses normally. Should you use them over paper?

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

You should always have a paper record for back-up.

OLG

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

Club should have it's own source.

What if member after a few months doesn't show up for some reason?

[Grizzly Dave]

My short answer is no.

 

By 'shows up with' I am assuming that it was not asked for, expected, or planned for. There may or may not be people trained or familiar with running aces, and as the Lumpy one said, a paper back up is advisable, especially for folks trying something for the first time.

 

I think there are lots of clubs who have little or no interest in going to any sort of electronic scoring. Perhaps for the cost, or maybe just because paper works, why make things more complicated during the match.

 

Best option would be to contact match officials before hand and let them know you have it available if they'd like to try it out, but don't take it personally if they say no thanks. Just showing up on match day asking for a quick decision when the MD is attending to other details is likely to get a quick no in my mind.

 

That's my take on it.

Grizz

[Hoss]

We bought Kindles for our club. They are like $50. First couple of martches we used paper backup. this last match we went all ACES. At an annual match I think I would prefer to use a paper back-up. The Aces system is pretty simple to use.

 

Be sure they are charged up before the match!

[Marauder SASS #13056]

Which model of Kindle?

[Maddog McCoy SASS #5672]

I am not a fan of the electronic scoring. I realize that it can make the scoring process easy and faster for the computer junkies, but I have had problems with my score at several larger matches and if you don't have somebody that knows how to run it, it can a real pain for the posse. Also, a paper system allows a person to check their score without cause the scorekeeper to interrupt what there are doing to and search back thru the names to find it. Also, I prefer to initial my score on each stage to insure I don't get any surprises later. I was a state match that I was shooting clean and the next day found a procedural had been added to my score after I after had recorded it my personal book. It was in the I-pad and I questioned it and some after research, I found it was the correct call, but if they had recorded it on paper and electronic, I would have resolved at the stage and I did not know they had charged me with it. The fact is I had shot it wrong and I remember the order I shot the stage, but nobody said anything and it did not come up on the I-pad when I checked my score at the stage. When recording on paper, it there for everybody to see and a questions are answered before you sign it was correct.

 

At any match, my only real concern is the scores are correct at the end of the match, and the scoring system worked correctly.

[Slick McClade]

We have been running IPads with aces scoring for several years. The club owns 11 iPads and we haven't used paper backup for a couple years. So far we haven't had any issues and hope it stays this way. Love the system and it takes a load off the score keepers. Just to make sure everything runs properly the TO will show the score keeper the timer. The TO will verify the time entered into the iPad with the timer before calling up the next shooter.

[Totes Magoats]

Scoring on paper may be simple for the shooters and the scorekeeper, but it's a pain for the guy or gal that has to post the scores on the internet/email. Aces makes it easy. Export as HTML for the web page and paste into Excel for facebook. I can usually have our scores posted before most shooters get home from the match.

 

With that said, having a paper backup is good for clubs that are new to electronic scoring.

 

Like Hoss said, we use the $39 Kindle fires, we have 2 for the club and I have an additional one in case we ever get 3 posse's at a monthly.

 

Lessons we learned:

1. Know ACES inside and out, until then, use paper backups
2. Make sure the Kindles are about 75% battery or higher prior to the start of the match
   1. I just bought a USB charging brick that will charge on the go and also power my mini wifi router for syncing. no power needed at the range.
3. Have a small wifi router for syncing multiple tablets. I use the Hootoo mini travel router.
4. Build the stages in ACES before the match
5. Create a dummy match and input all your regular shooter info before using the tables for your first match. Speeds up registration of shooters the morning of the match. (Aces keeps the shooter info for future use).
6. Scorekeepers can use the tablet to take pics and videos for later use on club websites, facebook, social media.
7. Have backup Aces operators in case the main guy/gal can't make the match.

This sounds like a lot, but once it's up and running, it works great.

 

 

Totes

[Chili Pepper Jack]

I think you can have a problem with paper or computer. I haven't been shooting with SASS long but I have seen the paper get input into the computer wrong. Not a huge deal just local match but I seen it more then one time and I am sure it could happen at a big shoot also. I like the idea just to help speed things along at the end of the day. But with this I think the club should have a few people trained on the device then just do a train the trainer during the match each month. After a few months most will understand how to run and check the device.

[Straight Arrow Hombre]

We use aces only for all monthly matches and have done so since its introduction. Most of our shooters have aces on their phones so they sync after the match. We still print a couple of copies for those that want them. We started using aces on a members iPad and have since bought our own.

[Totes Magoats]

Most of our shooters have aces on their phones so they sync after the match.

^^^^

This is a great idea. Never considered it.

[Arcadia Outlaw, SASS 71385]

For those folks who think paper is the way , I would suggest volunteering to input scores in computer , we use aces no paper back up , it seemed posses do better given one thing .

[Rio Brazos Kid]

Really!!!! Just how much problem is the keeping of a paper copy, along with the electronic one???? Seriously.. I only takes maybe 1/2 a minute per shooter, to record the scores for back-up purposes. Are you saying that the scorekeeper doesn't have the time to do this.. I holler BULL SXXX.

 

Too often an electronic device will, (for whatever reason), fail. Now what do you do, when those scores are not retrievable?? Just use a WAG?

 

Don't get me wrong. Our Club uses ACES at every match. Paper copies are never used for anything, unless there is a failure on one of the devices. That seldom happens, but it's always a possibility.

 

IMNSHO, a paper copy is necessary insurance , whether is gets used very often, or not.

 

That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it. RBK

[Toranado, SASS # 58447]

Having been a match director for a large club for the past 10-12 years, imho, if you want accurate scoring move to ACES and don't look back. We did maybe 4 years ago and our error rate went to almost nothing. I can't actually remember the last time we had an issue. We've had a few rare issues with trouble with a pad that are easily remedied. Battery power,(cheap extra plug in battery portable power.) Had issue with overheating in sun, simple fix of taking out of holder and fanning a few times and all good. Never have lost a score yet because they use memory that doesn't lose data if you loose power or issue

 

Using PAPER is what will open you up to scoring issues. When using paper we almost always had some issue each week or two and the reason is PAPER add too many variable to allow errors. Issues in handwriting (was it a 4 or a 9?? Is that 5 seconds for 1 miss or 5 missed) it is entered once on paper that opens for issues , then must be retyped into a computer (roundup) and open issues for typing errors at a time you have no opportunity to review and fix as a shooter. With aces, a shooter can review the score that will be entered into the system at any time to confer

 

So if you want to provide you match with the most accurate scoring, go to electronic and don't look back.

 

Ps, if you disagree, please hand write a letter to the sass office, stamp it, mail it, wait for someone to open it, and maybe re-type your comments here. OR you can use you computer, phone, iPad or other and post a comment. (Yes being sarcastic) technology is here to improve this process and make it more accurate, if you care about your shooters getting accurate results, use it!