So, how does it get narrowed from 83 teams down to 8? There are several factors that come into play. Qualification for the Mark is a process that has been under review for the last few years. Originally, the top 8 was determined by a computer ranking system, resume, and a panel of judges. However, in 2005, a Wild Card Weekend was added to the system so as to expand the number of teams involved in the championship from 8 to 16.
General Qualification Requirements
According to Section 2.d of the NESSA By-Laws, in order to qualify for consideration to the Mark, a school must sail at least 7 team scheduled meets or regattas, during the championship season, prior to the championship, and be a member in good standing. These schools must then submit their resume to the NESSA Vice President by the due date as specified in the NOR (notice of race).
The Selection Process and Ranking System
The selection process for teams to compete in the Mark is based upon a ranking system that has been developed and improved upon over several years. The current version combines a computer ranking with a coaches’ poll. This is the computer ranking system that comes into play when determining the official top 12 teams to be considered for the Mark, and calculates (1) overall winning percentage, (2) strength of schedule, as well as (3) the winning percentage against top 20 teams.
A few weeks prior to the NESSA Team Racing Championship, a panel of coaches selected by the NESSA President ranks the teams that have applied for consideration to a berth in the NESSA Team Racing Championship. The average ranking of the coaches’ panel is then averaged with the computer ranking so that the computer ranking and human polling have equal weight. This combined ranking is used to determine which teams are invited to compete in the preliminary Wild Card Weekend sail-off and then the Team Racing Championship.
Wild Card Weekend
The idea of having the Wild Card weekend evolved from discussion amongst coaches in 2004. This came from the desire to include more teams in the championship process. Essentially, the top 4 teams, as determined by the ranking system, automatically receive berths to the Mark. Teams 5-8 who have already qualified for the Mallory (fleet racing nationals), also receive automatic berths. The remaining teams ranked 5-12, sail off against each other in a Wild Card Weekend. This mini-championship determines teams 5-8 to compete the following weekend at the Mark against the pre-determined top 4.
For complete details, read the Wild Card Weekend NOR. (This will open a Word Document)
The Computer Rating System
The current computer rating system, in use since 2006 with one update, is based upon the following three factors: overall winning percentage, strength of schedule, and winning percentage against Top 20 teams, each expressed as 1000 times the decimal fraction. Once the computer rating is determined for all the teams in NESSA, they are given an ordinal computer ranking. The foundation of this system is that there are no preconceived or a priori assumptions and that all the computations are based on actual on-the-water results for the current season. (Information provided by Carl Zimba)
Click here for complete details about the Computer Rating System (again, thanks to Carl).
Specific Information for the 2009 Mark Trophy
- Scores from scheduled meets need to be reported to NESSA and posted on the NESSA website at http://www.taboracademy.net/nessa/all_results.asp. You can get full directions about how to properly post results at http://nessa-sailing.org/results/how_to_post_TR_results.doc
- Standings by winning percentage, with links to results by individual teams, are posted at http://www.taboracademy.net/nessa/standings.asp.
- The NOR for the Mark Trophy, with the due date to register for consideration, is posted to the NESSA website at http://nessa-sailing.org/nors/09mark.doc.
- Full details about Wild Card Weekend are also posted to the NESSA website at http://nessa-sailing.org/nors/09wildCard.doc.
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