We should all register as our forum names for one meet. heehee
FISH runs a meet like that once a year. It's called the Derby meet and everyone picks a horse name to appear in the heat sheet and on the scoreboard. Confusing for the spectators (and I'm sure the coaches) but the kids get a kick out of it. I believe they also hand out heat winner trinkets so it's just a little different and breaks up the monotony of a regular age group meet. (Mollie they use the preferred name field for the horse name so your real name is still in hy-tek.)
FISH runs a meet like that once a year. It's called the Derby meet and everyone picks a horse name to appear in the heat sheet and on the scoreboard. Confusing for the spectators (and I'm sure the coaches) but the kids get a kick out of it. I believe they also hand out heat winner trinkets so it's just a little different and breaks up the monotony of a regular age group meet. (Mollie they use the preferred name field for the horse name so your real name is still in hy-tek.)
I have actually done this at a meet using "wookiee" as my first name. I think it was a pv meet. I can't remember who, either Muppet or King Roddin, changed it back to my birth name before the meet started. For several days leading up to the meet, it stayed on the list of registered swimmers.
Another meet that I attended, it was printed in the heat sheet.
Unfortunately for USMS Top Ten Recorders, the way that the Club Assistant software is coded causes issues if anything other than the swimmer's first name (the one they've registered for USMS with) is in the preferred name field (i.e. that field supersedes the first name field when the meet file is being created). Which means, for every person who puts a true nickname or shorter version of their first name given at that year's registration, they're causes additional time in processing every meet. Thankfully, our IT crew at the national office has developed a suite of tools that makes it much easier to correct, but it's still a hassle to go through and fix the swimmers who use the preferred nickname field, every meet.
The long and the short of it is- if you've registered with your full, given first name, and you'd rather be called by a shorter nickname in heat/psych sheets and results, please, please, please register for 2015 with your nickname- that's totally allowed!
That would be funny. And, Mollie, the event results web tools would fix it automatically for you. :bighug:
Has Jim updated the tools since this spring? I know names in a case like this would be flagged, but I still would have to manually accept the correct names, correct?
The long and the short of it is- if you've registered with your full, given first name, and you'd rather be called by a shorter nickname in heat/psych sheets and results, please, please, please register for 2015 with your nickname- that's totally allowed!
I've been registering with my stage name for years :)
Former Member
We should all register as our forum names for one meet. heehee
That would be funny. And, Mollie, the event results web tools would fix it automatically for you. :bighug:
Former Member
If you do that, please make sure it's NOT at a PV meet. You'll make my life miserable trying to process the meet if you're not entered with your name as it appears on your USMS registration card!
I have actually done this at a meet using "wookiee" as my first name. I think it was a pv meet. I can't remember who, either Muppet or King Roddin, changed it back to my birth name before the meet started. For several days leading up to the meet, it stayed on the list of registered swimmers.
Another meet that I attended, it was printed in the heat sheet.
Unfortunately for USMS Top Ten Recorders, the way that the Club Assistant software is coded causes issues if anything other than the swimmer's first name (the one they've registered for USMS with) is in the preferred name field (i.e. that field supersedes the first name field when the meet file is being created). Which means, for every person who puts a true nickname or shorter version of their first name given at that year's registration, they're causes additional time in processing every meet. Thankfully, our IT crew at the national office has developed a suite of tools that makes it much easier to correct, but it's still a hassle to go through and fix the swimmers who use the preferred nickname field, every meet.
The long and the short of it is- if you've registered with your full, given first name, and you'd rather be called by a shorter nickname in heat/psych sheets and results, please, please, please register for 2015 with your nickname- that's totally allowed!
I'm 99% sure the "preferred" name is the only field that passes through. The nickname indeed could get printed in the heat sheet and results, but the actual first name is all that gets sent through to USMS.
Technically the heat sheets are supposed to only display the actual first name, so Mollie is still right that you shouldn't have your nickname printed there. And if the meet director doesn't notice or know to change to the actual first name it is true that Club Assistant will pass on the nickname to Hytek. But even if it slips through to Hytek and is never changed, it won't be sent to USMS for Top Ten.
Jeff
