ASRA - Australian Skateboard Racing Association

GROM RANKINGS

I have been following the discussions on the N.G.S Presents Noosa Hillclimb Clash and I guess I hadn't really been that interested in rankings or following them but hadn't really understood that there wasn't a seperate ranking for the Juniors.

I know it's way too late for this year's rankings, but what do you guys reckon about the idea of there being a seperate ranking for juniors and sub-juniors? I guess the age groups could be those used by IGSA of 8-13 for Sub Junior (Junior 1) and 14-17 for Junior (Junior 2).

My logic for this is that the Juniors could race against riders of similar age/size/ability for points and rankings. This would prevent issues where inexperienced riders have either held up or taken out more experienced riders they are drawn against and it would be a great training ground for the younger crew coming up. You don't see 14 year olds playing other sports against seniors (unless they are of exceptional ability) and if there were such a rider, and I can think of a couple, they could ride in a higher category if they wanted to and get a ranking in that category. It would be up to individual race organisers to decide if someone could race multiple categories at their event or just one.

I know this will mean extra collation for ASRA but I think it is definitely in the interest of the sport for us to start our younger riders in a more controlled and nuturing environment and develop their skills through a stepped progression rather than just "deep-ending" them as we tend to do now.

Please feel free to blow holes in this idea if you wish, but if you do please do it constructively and offer reasons and alternatives. If you think it is a good idea but have ideas to improve it or ways to help develop our younger riders please add them too.

Cheers

Ado

PS. I will be happy to coordinate the points if that is an issue for ASRA and then forward them to Robbo/Bugs for uploading.

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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Connor Ferguson on December 4, 2011 at 8:28

I think thats a great idea! good on you ado!


Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Adam on December 4, 2011 at 10:24
Me too, but I'm old and wrinkled.

Connor Ferguson said:

I think thats a great idea! good on you ado!


Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Benbro on December 4, 2011 at 10:52

yeh good idea Ado,it might get the groms keener to race,the only problem i can see is a very limited number of events that will count towards points for them.

this may change tho once the jnr rankings are in place and event organisers may cater for it a bit more,most outlaws dont have time for a grom division so they get put in with opens,and most groms dont want to attend races that arent held at either the pumpy or the hilclimb.

could a race that hasnt got an individual grom division still count for them?,..ie..highest placed grom gets points for first,2nd highest placed gets points for 2nd and so on.

this would allow groms to earn points at standard outlaw events without the organisers having to run a groms section for the handful of groms that might be there.

other than that,it would become a hilclimb,pump station series,wich is lame coz the better groms that do race proper hills would be brought down to a more level playing field,in a series were their entire skills are not needed or utilised.

the groms that race real hills definetly deserve the added points..........

 

altho,even after the 3 or so legit events that have a groms division,plus a couple of hilclimb races is enough to get a result i spose,...


Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Christopher Hardy on December 4, 2011 at 11:33

brilliant idea

Permalink Reply by Adrian Alderson on December 4, 2011 at 16:23

Yea, I can see it would be a hassle for organisers, but if there are going to be say 20 groms turn out at a race then rather than spreading them through the field, set them against each other and work their tree that way, could work.

My vision was to try to stop having inexperienced racers riding against guys like yourself, Ben, with the risk that brings to you if one takes you out due to inexperience, and also stops them being disheartened if they go to races and get knocked out in the first round each time.

Maybe if this was instituted there might end up being races run just for Groms with some of the senior riders running the events and sharing their experience and techniques with the kids, this could only help these kids improve and become better riders, it would also be an opportunity for the senior riders to explain race etiquet and rules (such as who has right of way when fighting for the line in a corner, etc) which are also extremely important.

There seem to be races happening almost every weekend somewhere around the traps and they are in all sorts of different places, but between Pumpy, Hill Climb, G5, Collingrove, and a couple of other spots where grom races could occur there might be enough for a serious circuit and with the input and assistance of the seniors this could end up being the development school for our next generation of Arse Kickin' Aussies.

Groms that are able to compete safely on the larger (senior) hills should be encouraged to do just that but they shouldn't be forced to just so they can get ranking points, the problems with kids getting hurt because they overestmated their ability are huge, from the stopping/disruption of the race right through to potential litigation from parents aimed at the organisers.

It is great that this is getting people thinking about the possibility of junior development, I'd love to see this sport prosper and grow and the best way to do that is to all work together to make sure the next generation of riders are better riders that this generation, and so on.

Cheers

Ado


ASRA AdminPermalink Reply by Bugs on December 5, 2011 at 14:03

Excellent idea and timing Ado, and well-thought through from Benbro. The rankings started almost exactly a year ago, and they've worked pretty smoothly, so it's a good time to add some complexity :)

So I propose we start a Grom Rankings from January 1, 2012. For a race to be included it must meet all the regular criteria, plus the following:

  • If a race has a Grom Division separate from the Open Division, only results from the Grom Division will be included in the Grom Rankings

  • If a race doesn't have a Grom Division and groms race in the Open Division:

    • The highest placed grom will receive points in the Grom Rankings as if they came 1st in the Grom Division, and the second-highest will receive points as if they came 2nd, and so on. If an outlaw, the race category will be determined by the number of riders in the Open Division according to the Open Division race categorisation system.
    • The results of groms will also be included in the Open Rankings as they are presently.

  • Race organisers must provide the race results for each division to me using this template. The results must include the date of birth in DD/MM/YYYY format of every rider in their race, regardless of whether it has a Grom Division.

I also think we should start a Women's Ranking. This would work in the exact same way as the Grom Ranking, but with reduced rider number requirements for the outlaw race categories (perhaps using the current numbers for luge).

If anybody can think of any potential problems or inconsistencies, or anything I've left out, have at it.

Permalink Reply by Adrian Alderson on December 5, 2011 at 14:13

Bugs,

that is great mate. I hope this will encourage some of our senior riders to run Grom Days and race training to bring these younger guys up to the point where they can safely and confidently race against the seniors.

If you need a hand with collating or anything, just let me know.

I am excited to see the sport maturing and starting to take care of our younger riders it will result in some exceptional competitors into the future. I can see Australia becoming a powerhouse in DH Skateboarding just as it did in surfing.

Cheers mate

Ado


Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Benbro on December 5, 2011 at 14:21

yeh great news,a womens rankings is also great for the sport.

with the success of the hopkin school of speed and the grom bomb,and now the rankings,we might run 2 grom bombs in 2012.


ASRA AdminPermalink Reply by Bugs on December 5, 2011 at 14:23

Thanks for the offer Ado, but I've got the ranking system semi-automated and It's fairly low maintenance as long as the results I get use people's real names with no spelling mistakes. Unfortunately that's rare, and so the real help I need is from race organisers to collect that data accurately. Dates of birth are gonna be even more difficult, and I might have to be a nazi about this point:

Use the results template and use DD/MM/YYY or else your results won't be included!

Permalink Reply by Davin Gemmell on December 5, 2011 at 14:25

Bugs,  you may get asked this question or have already answered it but does the grom get to nominate which division they want the points to go into?  Say a grom like Kelly Carter, if there isn't enough groms to form their own race, can he nominate his points to go to opens only or do they automatically go to the grom division or cover across both?  Sorry if i didn't read the posts that well but just wanted to clarify


ASRA AdminPermalink Reply by Bugs on December 5, 2011 at 14:53
  • If they're racing in the Grom Division only, their points go to Grom Rankings.
  • If they're racing in the Open Division only, their points go to both.
  • If they're racing in both divisions, their Grom Division points go to Grom Rankings, and their Open Division points go to Open  Rankings.

Clear as mud eh?

Permalink Reply by Matt Ryan on December 5, 2011 at 15:28
Colin this is awesome, i know allot of groms wil be stoked about being able to get points without having to race opens.

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