posted Jan 26th, 2012 - The current results of the NSL Poll related to the IPC rules (see story on 22 January 2012) for judging are still overwhelmingly supporting the application of slower speed reviewing. More visitors than before are now favoring the option of additional point deductions.

One visitor brought up an interesting question regarding the difference of the outcome if different rules with the point deductions of 2004 and earlier were applied to current leaderboards. The last rules for scoring before the change in 2005 read as follows:

A team will score one point for each visually judgeable correctly completed scoring formation performed in the sequence within the allotted working time of each round. Teams may continue scoring by continually repeating the sequence. Credit will only be given for formations, inters or total separation if the video image is visually judgeable. One point will be deducted for each infringement occurring within working time from the total points awarded for that round except in the case of an omitted formation where two points will be deducted for each omission. The minimum score for any round is zero points.

Interestingly, the penalty for an omission was increased when the scoring rules changed after the World Meet 2004 in Croatia. The omission was a 3-point deduction from then on, while the point deduction for an infringement has been removed from the rules ever since. The current rules have only formations that count or not.

The omission, which received even more negative attention in 2005, is a very rare occasion. In fact, the NSL News is not aware of any situation where this part of the rules had to be applied at a major event, and the IPC rules are specifically defined for FAI World/Continental Parachuting Championships or FAI World Cups of Formation Skydiving.

World Cup 2011		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Round 8	Round 9	Round 10	Total	Avg
Rank	4way Open Class	C,22,19	E,M,1,2	12,9,16	O,8,10	Q,14,5	P,17,K,18	21,L,J,13	3,11,B	20,G,H,4	N,F,A,7	Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Aerokart	22	27	23 (-1)	22	26	25 (-1)	25	24	24	37	255	25.5
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	22	27	23	21 (-1)	24	25 (-3)	21 (-4)	23	24 (-1)	39	249	24.9
3	Paratec-Saar	16 (-2)	23	19	15 (-2)	19	18 (-1)	16 (-2)	19	20	31 (-3)	196	19.6
4	Sky Panthers Barkli	18	21	19	16 (-2)	19 (-1)	16 (-3)	15 (-4)	19	19 (-3)	33 (-1)	195	19.5

The NSL News took a closer look at this topic with the scores of the World Cup 2011. The first leaderboard shows the scores as they were posted in Germany last year, including the point deductions for formations that did not count due to infringements.

The second leaderboard shows the same scores based on the rules before the change in 2004/2005.

The outcome is exactly the same, only the point differences between the teams after ten rounds are bigger, as the winners of the two duels, Aerodyne Aerokart and Paratec-Saar, had fewer penalties.

World Cup 2011		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Round 8	Round 9	Round 10	Total	Avg
Rank	4way Open Class	C,22,19	E,M,1,2	12,9,16	O,8,10	Q,14,5	P,17,K,18	21,L,J,13	3,11,B	20,G,H,4	N,F,A,7	Total	Avg
1	Aerodyne Aerokart	22	27	23 (-2)	22	26	25 (-2)	25	24	24	37	253	25.3
2	NMP-PCH Hayabusa	22	27	23	21 (-2)	24	25 (-6)	21 (-8)	23	24 (-2)	39	240	24.0
3	Paratec-Saar	16 (-4)	23	19	15 (-4)	19	18 (-2)	16 (-4)	19	20	31 (-6)	186	18.6
4	Sky Panthers Barkli	18	21	19	16 (-4)	19 (-2)	16 (-6)	15 (-8)	19	19 (-6)	33 (-2)	181	18.1

The second part of the question was related to the scoring average of the top teams. The visitor was wondering what the impact on the scoring level would be like with the additional point deductions. The world's best teams would still be far beyond the 20-average level with 2-point deductions. Even the combination of additional penalty points and slower reviewing would probably not hurt them too much.

There was a more significant impact for Paratec-Saar and Sky Panthers Barkli. Both teams were close to the 20-average level at the World Cup last year and ended up far away from this magic goal for amateur teams. Germany would have lost 20 points, the damage for the Russian team would have been 28 points.