GP Predictions Game Year 2 :)

[CaroLiza_fan]

(Sorry for posting 2 comments in a row, but this one is on a totally different subject to the previous one!)


The GP Predictions Game was a great success, and great fun for us players. And, I was thinking about it this morning, and this thought came into my head.

How having 2 more Predictions Games this season – a National Championships Prediction Game, and a Major Championships Prediction Game?

National Championships Game

Round 1: Japanese Nationals (21[SUP]st[/SUP] – 24[SUP]th[/SUP] December 2013)
Round 2: Russian Nationals (24[SUP]th[/SUP] – 26[SUP]th[/SUP] December 2013)
Round 3: Chinese Nationals (28[SUP]th[/SUP] – 29[SUP]th[/SUP] December 2013)*
Round 4: American Nationals (5[SUP]th[/SUP] – 12[SUP]th[/SUP] January 2014)
Round 5: Canadian Nationals (9[SUP]th[/SUP] – 15[SUP]th[/SUP] January 2014)

* If we can find anywhere that gives information on the Chinese Championships, such as entry lists and results!

Major Championships Game

Round 1: European Championships (13[SUP]th[/SUP] –19[SUP]th[/SUP] January 2014)
Round 2: Four Continents (20[SUP]th[/SUP] –26[SUP]th[/SUP] January 2014)
Round 3: Winter Olympics (6[SUP]th[/SUP] – 22[SUP]nd[/SUP] February 2014)
Round 4: World Championships (24[SUP]th[/SUP] – 30[SUP]th[/SUP] March 2014)


As you know, I didn’t like the “all-or-nothing” points format used for the GP Final. So, if we were to have more Predictions Games, I would recommend us reverting to the rules that were used for the regular rounds of the GP Game, i.e.:

15 points for guessing right;
10 points for 1 place out;
5 points for 2 places out.

But, given how significant the Olympics and Worlds are, perhaps the should have double points for these 2 rounds, i.e.:

30 points for guessing right;
20 points for 1 place out;
10 points for 2 places out.


So, what do the players and organisers of the GP Game think of these ideas?

And, if it does go down well, would the organisers of the GP Game be willing to do it all over again?

CaroLiza_fan

 

[FSGMT]

I would love to keep this game going for the rest of the season! If someone's too busy or tired to do the scoring, I can help :yes:

 

[dorispulaski]

If you don't do Chinese Nationals, Italian Nationals is coming up very soon!

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

If you don't do Chinese Nationals, Italian Nationals is coming up very soon!

If I am totally honest, I had toyed with suggesting having the Italian Championships as the first round. But with them starting on Thursday, I thought it would be too short notice.

Plus, I have had a look around the FISG website, and I can't seem to find any entry lists or even news about the Championships (all the latest news stories are to do with the Universiade).

Maybe it's my lack of Italian, but I can't find any obvious links on the site to info about the Italian Championships.

Although we are in the same boat with the Chinese Championships, I decided to suggest using them because, when you look through the results of the past few years, there are a lot more entries in the Chinese Championships than there are the Italian Championships.

Although there are normally a respectable number of entries in the Singles skating categories of the Italian Championships, there are not normally too many entries in the Pairs or in Dance.

2013: 2 in Pairs; 4 in Dance
2012: 3 in Pairs (of which 1 withdrew); 4 in Dance (of which 1 withdrew)
2011: 1 in Pairs; 5 in Dance (of which 2 withdrew)
2010: 3 in Pairs; 3 in Dance
2009: 3 in Pairs (of which 1 withdrew); 4 in Dance (of which 1 withdrew)
2008: 3 in Pairs; 3 in Dance
2007: 1 in Pairs; 2 in Dance
2006: 0 in Pairs; 3 in Dance

You get the drift.

Having competitions with such small entries included in the Predictions Game would make the scoring system meaningless. EVERYBODY playing would be scoring big points regardless of what order they put the couples in.

At least with the Chinese Championships there are always a decent amount of entries in all categories. Since 2008, the lowest in Pairs was 8 (of which one withdrew) last year; and the lowest in Dance was 6 in 2008.

So, what do the other players of the Game think?

• Italy
• China
• Both
• Neither

I would love to keep this game going for the rest of the season!

Ah good! I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one that enjoyed the Predictions Game so much that they want to continue on playing!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Bea]

This problem in the Ice dance and Pairs events also occurs in the case of Japanese Nationals, maybe even more so.

 

[Li'Kitsu]

Sounds good to me! I have exams coming up at the start of february, so I don't know if I could still help scoring the last national events or the major comps. But I would help as far as I can

 

[sky_fly20]

wait the cruise ship prize is for real ?
I should have taken this more sriously

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

This problem in the Ice dance and Pairs events also occurs in the case of Japanese Nationals, maybe even more so.

Good point, Bea. Never thought of that!

And there is no way that Japanese Nationals can be left out, as that is THE Championship we have been speculating about since the LAST Olympics!!! (well, it seems like that anyway!)

Yeah, let's do the Italians as well!

REVISED PROPOSAL:

National Championships Game

Round 1: Italian Nationals (19[SUP]th[/SUP] – 21[SUP]st[/SUP] December 2013)*
Round 2: Japanese Nationals (21[SUP]st[/SUP] – 24[SUP]th[/SUP] December 2013)
Round 3: Russian Nationals (24[SUP]th[/SUP] – 26[SUP]th[/SUP] December 2013)
Round 4: Chinese Nationals (28[SUP]th[/SUP] – 29[SUP]th[/SUP] December 2013)*
Round 5: American Nationals (5[SUP]th[/SUP] – 12[SUP]th[/SUP] January 2014)
Round 6: Canadian Nationals (9[SUP]th[/SUP] – 15[SUP]th[/SUP] January 2014)

*If we can find the full entry lists in time to submit predictions.


Hang on, I just had a scary thought. I hope that just because I made the suggestion, that that doesn't necessarily mean that I am running any new Game.

I wouldn't have a clue about how to do it!!! And I would be scared of ruining it for everybody with my incompetance. :

On a more practical note, I don't have a Google account, so I wouldn't be able to sort out the spreadsheet!

And, most important of all, I wouldn't want to stamp on tulosai's toes after the brilliant job she has done with this year's GP Game.

WE ARE IN AWE OF YOU AND YOUR WORK, tulosai!!!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[dorispulaski]

Just don't include any section of a championships that has fewer than 8 competitors, maybe???

 

[Mrs. P]

If someone wants to run it, that would be great! I think I will have to sit out during the nationals game (if we do it) as I have a ton of stuff on my plate right now (not to mention that I'll be going to Nationals this year. ). But I'd be glad to help out for the ISU Championship edition.

That said, I think the National Championships game might be a bit murky since some of the scores may be hard to access. We may be better off doing ISU Championship since the scores are easily accessible.

 

[Li'Kitsu]

But japanese, american, canadian and russian nats should be doable. If we do it, it would be better to start it soon though, since the japanese nats are just around the corner

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Just don't include any section of a championships that has fewer than 8 competitors, maybe???

Mmmm. Not sure whether I like the thought of excluding certain categories in certain events. Sure, wasn't that why tulosai came up with the rules that she did - so that certain categories wouldn't carry more weight than others.

I think it would be better to just include all categories of all the National Championships that are being covered by the Game, and just hope that there aren't too low entry competitions!

But japanese, american, canadian and russian nats should be doable. If we do it, it would be better to start it soon though, since the japanese nats are just around the corner

That's probably the best idea.

And you're right about needing to start soon. I have just sent a PM to you and the other organisers of the GP Game.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[tulosai]

If someone wants to run it, that would be great! I think I will have to sit out during the nationals game (if we do it) as I have a ton of stuff on my plate right now (not to mention that I'll be going to Nationals this year. ). But I'd be glad to help out for the ISU Championship edition.

That said, I think the National Championships game might be a bit murky since some of the scores may be hard to access. We may be better off doing ISU Championship since the scores are easily accessible.

Hi all! I leave the board for a weekend and come back to massive excitement.

I think the Nationals game is a great idea but unfortunately I cannot score it/ help organize it (though I'd definitely be interested in guessing if you guys do it!). Work is crazy for me this week and then I get to leave for a 2 week winter break of sorts. The problem is my break means my parents house, and my parents house has dial up internet. So I can't commit to help score or to 'organize' this round. I definitely WOULD be interested in helping score (or organize) the 'Championships series' that is proposed though.

Unfortunately making the spreadsheet is also time consuming and not a simple matter of copy-pasting (at least for me, maybe someone more tech savvy could do a better job, and I don't say that from a place of false humility at all- I am not the most tech savvy). I could maybe set you guys up for Italian (or Japanese if we aren't doing Italian) nationals on a spreadsheet if absolutely necessary, but I really can't commit more than that. It took me pretty much a whole weekend to set up the GP game spreadsheet (though admittedly some of that was trial and error).

I TRULY do hope someone will step forward who is able to commit the time and energy necessary to this. Also CaroLiza_fan don't sell yourself short- I think you'd be a wonderful organizer!!!

 

[guenever]

I can do some scoring if you need someone.

Also, a heads-up-- I'm pretty sure Canada and USA Nationals are the same weekend. It looks different from the full schedules but Canada has seniors first and USA has seniors last. (I might not be able to score those since I'm going to be at CAN Nationals.)

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Hi all! I leave the board for a weekend and come back to massive excitement.

I think the Nationals game is a great idea but unfortunately I cannot score it/ help organize it (though I'd definitely be interested in guessing if you guys do it!). Work is crazy for me this week and then I get to leave for a 2 week winter break of sorts. The problem is my break means my parents house, and my parents house has dial up internet. So I can't commit to help score or to 'organize' this round. I definitely WOULD be interested in helping score (or organize) the 'Championships series' that is proposed though.

Unfortunately making the spreadsheet is also time consuming and not a simple matter of copy-pasting (at least for me, maybe someone more tech savvy could do a better job, and I don't say that from a place of false humility at all- I am not the most tech savvy). I could maybe set you guys up for Italian (or Japanese if we aren't doing Italian) nationals on a spreadsheet if absolutely necessary, but I really can't commit more than that. It took me pretty much a whole weekend to set up the GP game spreadsheet (though admittedly some of that was trial and error).

I TRULY do hope someone will step forward who is able to commit the time and energy necessary to this. Also CaroLiza_fan don't sell yourself short- I think you'd be a wonderful organizer!!!

Oh, don’t worry, tulosai – we all have real lives, so we can understand.

And I can totally relate to you about the dial-up! It was only a couple of years ago that we moved from dial-up to broadband, and now I cannot imagine what it would be like going back! Like, there would be no watching skating on Russian TV…

But, I really hope you enjoy your break. I am a great believer that Christmas is a time to be spent with family, so I hope you all have a great festive period together.

You saying you are not tech-savvy is actually very re-assuring, as I am not tech-savvy either. I was the only person in my class that didn’t do the typing exam in junior High School, largely because the computer I was working on broke in the middle of term, and I was so slow at typing (and I still am!) that I didn’t get caught up in time.

And, for the past few weeks I have been trying to doctor 3 photos (you’ll all see what they are when I’m finished), and I am finding it very hard. I only finished the first one yesterday, and still have 2 to go! (And considering that I MUST have them done well before Europeans, it’s not looking good!)

On the other hand, for the past couple of days, I have been making my first video slideshow (for a certain somebody’s birthday tomorrow…). And although it took a while to work out how to do it, I’m flying now. I’m absolutely dreading trying to upload it to YouTube, though!

As I said in the PM, whenever I have signed into YouTube lately, they have been pestering me to get a Google account. So, if I do have to create a Google account to post this video tomorrow, then I will try using the Google docs service as well to see if I can work the spreadsheet.

So, as long as the others involved are willing to show me the ropes and help me along, I'll give it a go.

If we can get everything organised in time, we could try the Italian Championships. But, failing that, the Japanese Championships is the definite aim. Everybody on the forum is following the run-up to it so closely, and trying to guess the results anyway, so we may as well put our cards on the table.

Thank you for being so supportive

CaroLiza_fan

I can do some scoring if you need someone.

Also, a heads-up-- I'm pretty sure Canada and USA Nationals are the same weekend. It looks different from the full schedules but Canada has seniors first and USA has seniors last. (I might not be able to score those since I'm going to be at CAN Nationals.)

Ah. I hate it when that happens, having more than one event scheduled for the same time! You would think the federations would discuss it. And it is even worse in this case, as I suspect there are lots of people who would like to go to both Championships!

Thanks for warning us.

And, thank you so much for your kind offer of scoring. I've still to hear back from one of the GP Game scorers, but even if you can't do the whole Game, your help will be greatly appreciated.

Caroliza_fan

 

[tulosai]

Oh, don’t worry, tulosai – we all have real lives, so we can understand.

As I said in the PM, whenever I have signed into YouTube lately, they have been pestering me to get a Google account. So, if I do have to create a Google account to post this video tomorrow, then I will try using the Google docs service as well to see if I can work the spreadsheet.

So, as long as the others involved are willing to show me the ropes and help me along, I'll give it a go.

If we can get everything organised in time, we could try the Italian Championships. But, failing that, the Japanese Championships is the definite aim. Everybody on the forum is following the run-up to it so closely, and trying to guess the results anyway, so we may as well put our cards on the table.

Thank you for being so supportive

CaroLiza_fan

At the very least I can make a blank google spreadsheet and give you 'editing powers' which would allow you to make it yourself without signing up for google if you want. Li'Kitsu (I think ) didn't have google either but she was able to help score fine. Let me know if this can be a help to you.

I also am happy to give you advice/help as much as I can. I am sure macassar88 will too- he made the original spreadsheet 1 year ago and I did use that for help when I was making mine.

 

[pitterpatter]

CaroLiza_fan, I'm proficient with spreadsheets and can likely can help with organizing/setting up for the Nationals competition at least. I'm at work right now, but will get back to this later. I may not have time to score though, so if people are willing to volunteer to help with that it'd be great.

 

[FSGMT]

Oh, don’t worry, tulosai – we all have real lives, so we can understand.

And I can totally relate to you about the dial-up! It was only a couple of years ago that we moved from dial-up to broadband, and now I cannot imagine what it would be like going back! Like, there would be no watching skating on Russian TV…

But, I really hope you enjoy your break. I am a great believer that Christmas is a time to be spent with family, so I hope you all have a great festive period together.

You saying you are not tech-savvy is actually very re-assuring, as I am not tech-savvy either. I was the only person in my class that didn’t do the typing exam in junior High School, largely because the computer I was working on broke in the middle of term, and I was so slow at typing (and I still am!) that I didn’t get caught up in time.

And, for the past few weeks I have been trying to doctor 3 photos (you’ll all see what they are when I’m finished), and I am finding it very hard. I only finished the first one yesterday, and still have 2 to go! (And considering that I MUST have them done well before Europeans, it’s not looking good!)

On the other hand, for the past couple of days, I have been making my first video slideshow (for a certain somebody’s birthday tomorrow…). And although it took a while to work out how to do it, I’m flying now. I’m absolutely dreading trying to upload it to YouTube, though!

As I said in the PM, whenever I have signed into YouTube lately, they have been pestering me to get a Google account. So, if I do have to create a Google account to post this video tomorrow, then I will try using the Google docs service as well to see if I can work the spreadsheet.

So, as long as the others involved are willing to show me the ropes and help me along, I'll give it a go.

If we can get everything organised in time, we could try the Italian Championships. But, failing that, the Japanese Championships is the definite aim. Everybody on the forum is following the run-up to it so closely, and trying to guess the results anyway, so we may as well put our cards on the table.

Thank you for being so supportive

CaroLiza_fan

Thank you for accepting to do that!! As I said, I can help you if you need

 

[Li'Kitsu]

Yepp, the one without google was me!
CaroLiza_fan, thanks for the PM and for getting this rolling
So I'm in the majority here when I say I have no idea how to do this spread sheet... and I think I won't have the time to do them. At least for the nationals game, I could still help with the scoring though, so I think we'd have enough scorers again?
Maybe Macassar88 will really have the time to help out a little and at least explain how you do the scoring sheets (I shouldn't tell anyone I'm an engineer, I'm so bad at technic stuff like this "xD)

Maybe we could open a thread already though, even if we're not completly sure about the organisation - everyone need some time to realize the game continues and come up with some predictions after all

 

[pitterpatter]

Yepp, the one without google was me!
CaroLiza_fan, thanks for the PM and for getting this rolling
So I'm in the majority here when I say I have no idea how to do this spread sheet... and I think I won't have the time to do them. At least for the nationals game, I could still help with the scoring though, so I think we'd have enough scorers again?
Maybe Macassar88 will really have the time to help out a little and at least explain how you do the scoring sheets (I shouldn't tell anyone I'm an engineer, I'm so bad at technic stuff like this "xD)

Maybe we could open a thread already though, even if we're not completly sure about the organisation - everyone need some time to realize the game continues and come up with some predictions after all

I posted above, but I can make the spreadsheet later tonight (am at work). I would prefer not to score though, so if we can get people to help with that, we'd be set to go!