Enhancement: Allow Single Style Competitions with Judges as Entrants

[AdrienM76]

Is your enhancement or feature request related to a problem? Please describe. The core problem is not being able to split up a single style (or sub-style) across just about anything but into multiple flights. Therefore, a single award category (table) based on a single style or sub-style can't be managed with this comp - at least as far as assigning judges is concerned.

It seems that not being able to split styles/sub-styles across 'tables' is part of the problem. Let's re-word that: 'across PHYSICAL tables', it makes perfect sense that they are all in the same 'award category' because they are, but that brings up the next set of problems:

Another part is treating the 'table' (entire award category) as the restriction for assigning a judge, and not the actual flight of beers.

A third part, is that we can't have multiple rounds with only one award category. ('table') This may not be necessary if the above issue is resolved.

A fourth is that we can't have more than one judging session with only one award category. (the entire competition in this case has to be in one session) The particular competition I'm trying to set up so far is done in one day, but I can see this being an issue if for some reason they need multiple sessions.

I've tested with both queued judging and with flights. With queued judging, the system won't let me assign any judge with an entry at all.

With flights, I can't even assign them to a flight that doesn't have their beer. (so still not at all)

I don't see the point of the restriction that a judge can't be assigned to a Table (award category) in a different flight (at a physically different table) so they aren't judging their own beer.

I suppose we could use queued judging and manage this outside the software, using it just for managing entries, scores, and results, but that seems like quite a hole to fill 'on paper'. (and manage judging points separately as a result)

None of these restrictions seem to correspond to BJCP competition guidelines.

Describe the solution you'd like If using flights, I need to be able to assign a judge to a flight that doesn't contain their own entries, even though it is in the same style/sub-style.

If using queued judging, I need a modeling of a physical 'table' (not award category) so we can avoid giving judges their own entry yet still be able to assign them to the award category.

I'm assisting a neighboring club with determining if they can use this system to run their competition. It is a single style competition. Some years, they take the entire BJCP category, but quite often they limit it to just a single sub-style.

We're considering queued judging as a possibility, but we'd like to pre-assign beers in flights if possible.

Describe alternatives you've considered Is their some trick I'm missing in arranging competition preferences?

I understand some of the above restrictions on splitting tables/flights/sessions/rounds amongst styles/sub-styles might be in consideration for version 3.0. If there is working code I can test, I'd be happy to do so. If there is no working code, but the possibility exists for me to comment out the current restrictions, I'd be happy to test that as well. (or please at least point me to where the restrictions are and I'll see what I can figure out on my own)

[AdrienM76]

We've decide to roll with it using the following workaround:

We've created a custom style called "Judges Entries" that is turned off initially.

After the entry closing window, we will turn it on, and re-assign all entries from registered judges to that custom style.

Judges without entries will get assigned to the custom style award category. ('table')

Judges with entries and extra judges without them will get assigned to the regular style award category. ('table')

We'll used queued judging for both 'tables'.

We will have to manually manage a second round.

We will have to make our own BOS placemats so the custom "Judges Style" doesn't show up.

If there are any Judges Entries in the second or BOS round, we won't use those judges, again, managed manually.

We hope (haven't tried yet) to be able to move all of the Judges Entries back to the regular style so they aren't separated on the results page after scoring is done. (we're not using electronic judging this year)

I'll report back in a few weeks on how this worked out.

[AdrienM76]

Post Competition Update:

This mostly worked, with the caveat that unsurprising user error caused some havoc with entrants planning to judge not actually clicking the "yes" radio button indicating they wanted to judge, thus we had to scurry to sort their beer out the morning of the competition. (I put that here not that it can be solved in software, but for anyone else attempting this—special attention needs to be paid to communications to prospective judges to not just create an account, but actually indicate they wish to judge)

We did as planned and had 2 'tables' of beers, both using queued judging, one for entries that came from judges, being judged by those who had no entries, and the other with all other entries. All judges were blind to who was in which group.

Initial scoring entries went fine. We use a 'second round' where each of the initial sets of judges pushes 3 beers to 'Round 2'. Since the software doesn't allow for this usage, I treated this second round as 'mini BOS' and marked those entries as such. There was no scoring in Round 2, just head-to-head 4-5 beers each amongst separate sets of judges, who each pushed 2 of those beers to BOS.

Here's where that broke down. I suppose technically, the final round this comp calls BOS, is really just a second miniBOS round as it seems you have to be awarded a 'place' or 'medal' for the software to put that entry into BOS at all. This comp only awards 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 2 Honorable Mentions for the entire competition. (it is only ONE substyle)

There is also the issue that I don't want the results display to split according to the 'virtual tables' I had to use to facilitate assigning judges noted above. (or for entrants to see that their beer was in a separate 'custom style' when viewing their scores) For this, I figured out I had to first delete their scores, then re-assign them to the main style category, then re-enter their scores. (we had already put the scores in during the comp) This however booted any judges with entries from their assignments to the original main 'table'. (which mucks up our points report)

To work around these two issues I plan to:

1. 'Award' a place to each of the beers that were pushed from Round 2 to BOS so they show up there, and so I can assign the judges to that round so they can get their points, then print the points report for submission.
2. Delete all scores for the judges entries, reassign those entries to the main sub-style, re-enter their scores, award only the final 'BOS' places as the places from that now single table.

I've turned off 'BOS' awards display as now it would be redundant, but it would be nice to optionally keep that and turn off the display of the 'table awards'.

I tried creating a custom award category, which somewhat works, but doesn't allow Honorable Mentions. (and I still can't turn off the main table winners display)

[AdrienM76]

I had to modify the above plan by simply skipping the comp's "BOS" round designation entirely along with its respective judge assignments and just go straight to awarding final places. (but only 1 HM allowed for some reason, so one of them was designated as '4th place'). I exported the list of assigned judges. (which included judges in the pool, but not assigned) and we simply did the points report manually.

Final result: You can run a single-style comp with judges having entries, avoid having those judges evaluate their own beers, and still get some type of award display and track who gets points, but doing so involves very careful steps and workarounds and you lose some functionality in the process.