Timer Tip Tuesday: RaceDay Scoring – Cross Country Refresher

Event Information

WHEN

ON DEMAND

Join us for this special edition of Timer Tip Tuesday as we dive into a focused refresher on RaceDay Scoring for Cross Country events. Whether you’re preparing for the upcoming high school and collegiate season or just want to brush up on the unique aspects of cross country scoring, this session is designed to help timers get the most out of RaceDay Scoring.

During this session, we’ll cover:

  • How to set up cross country-style team scoring in RaceDay Scoring
  • Managing multiple divisions and team assignments
  • Configuring tiebreakers and point thresholds
  • Best practices for importing rosters and handling last-minute changes
  • Live scoring tips and post-race reporting for team results

This webinar is perfect for both new and experienced timers looking to sharpen their skills ahead of a busy cross country season. Bring your questions and scenarios — we’ll leave time for live Q&A.

View Slides

Summary of Webinar 

Overview

This annual Cross Country refresher provides a comprehensive walkthrough of how to properly set up, score, report, and publish cross country results using RaceDay Scoring. The session emphasizes correct order of operations—from creating scored events and team types to configuring reports and exports—so timers can avoid common pitfalls during the season. While advanced data actions and data checks are intentionally deferred to a follow-up webinar, this session covers everything needed to confidently score standard cross country meets and deliver clean results to third-party platforms.

What You’ll Learn

  • How to structure races and scored events for cross country

  • When to group vs. separate categories (boys/girls, varsity/JV)

  • How team types work and when multiple team types are required

  • Proper configuration of cross country team scoring rules

  • How reporting works, including default vs. custom reports

  • Publishing results to RunSignup and exporting to:

    • TFRRS

    • MileSplit

    • Athletic.net

  • Best practices for streams, timing locations, and imports

Key Setup Principles

1. Create Scored Events First

  • Typically one scored event per distinct start time

  • Categories can be split later in reporting

  • Boys and girls running together can share a scored event if desired

2. Team Types Come Next

  • At least one team type is required for team scoring

  • Most meets only need one team type (e.g., “Teams”)

  • Multiple team types are only needed for special scoring scenarios (e.g., Open vs. Masters)

3. Enable Team Scoring Early

  • Team scoring must be enabled at the scored event level

  • Changing scoring rules later will:

    • Rebuild default reports

    • Delete custom reports

  • Finish all scored event and team scoring setup before touching reports

Cross Country Team Scoring Rules (Common Setup)

For most meets:

  • Team scoring type: Aggregate

  • Use cross country scoring: Yes

  • Scoring depth: Score 5, displace through 7

  • Tiebreaker: Match your governing body (NFHS, NCAA, etc.)

Optional Settings (Use Carefully)

  • Separate report sections by gender

    • Only if boys and girls run together in one scored event

  • Allow under-minimum teams

  • Ghosted runners

  • Qualifier depth (championship-style events only)

  • Tier 2 scoring (auto Varsity/JV based on finish order)

Reporting & Results Publishing

Default Reports

  • Each scored event automatically gets a Team Finisher List

  • This report:

    • Drives RunSignup online results

    • Supports exports to Athletic.net

    • Can be customized to include unattached runners

Supplemental Reports You Can Add

  • Team rosters (great for packet pickup)

  • Team detail reports

  • Team summary reports

  • Dual meet summaries/details

  • Close finish reports (for photo review)

Tip: Once set up, reports carry forward year-over-year.

Publishing & Exports

RunSignup

  • Use Autosave to push results live

  • Supports individual and team result views

  • Easy navigation between runners and teams

TFRRS (TFRS)

  • Full integration supported

  • Requires:

    • TFRRS ID mapped during import

    • A dedicated TFRRS report

  • Results are manually published once read

MileSplit

  • Requires athlete ID and team ID

  • IDs must be mapped correctly on import

  • Uses a dedicated MileSplit export report

Athletic.net

  • No special report needed

  • Export directly from the Team Finisher List

  • AthleticLIVE integration is not yet supported

Timing & Streams Best Practices

  • FinishLynx should be the Main stream

  • Chips should be the Backup

  • Main stream always takes priority, even if reads arrive later

  • FinishLynx start times must be set correctly

  • Gunshot markers can auto-set start times

  • FinishLynx data updates automatically—no replay required

Participant & Team Imports

  • Always include:

    • Event

    • Team name

  • Map required external IDs (TFRRS, MileSplit, etc.)

  • Team types can be:

    • Created before import

    • Or created during the import flow

  • “Do Not Score” can be applied:

    • At the team level

    • Or per individual (useful for alumni/open teams)

Final Tips & What’s Next

Best Practices Recap

  • Set up scored events and team scoring before importing rosters

  • Avoid changing scoring rules after reports are built

  • Spot-check imports to confirm IDs mapped correctly

  • Dual-score early-season meets to build confidence

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