Defining the terms Event, Competition, Discipline, ...
Comments about this discussion:
Started
In another discussion, we noted that some key terms in the rules are not clearly defined, which can lead to confusion.
As an example, if the rules state that there is a disqualification for that event - but if it is not clearly defined what is meant by event, this can lead to problems.
The goal of this discussion is to collect the terms used in the track rules and to define what is meant by each term.
Afterwards the terms should be defined and accordingly clear designations should be used at the respective places in the rulebook.
My personal understanding is the following:
- Under "event" I understand the superordinate event, thus e.g. the Unicon. Probably also because there is actually only Event as translation for the German word "Veranstaltung".
- Under "Competition" I understand a smaller unit, so e.g. all 100 m races. In German, the term "Wettbewerb" would be appropriate for this, which refers to a part of something large. For me, therefore, several "Competitions" form an "Event".
- Under "discipline" I understand for example the 100 m. Competitions can be held in any Discipline. But to me, the discipline is first of all not a competition related term, but a more general term.
The collection of occurrences of "event" in chapter 2:
2A.1, 2A.2 - The smaller units are probably meant here.
2B.2, 2B.3 - The smaller units are probably meant here.
2B.4 - Here the large, superordinate is probably meant (Unicon is explicitly mentioned)
2B.6.6 - Here both could be meant, but probably the smaller unit is meant
2B.6.7 - Here probably the smaller units are meant
2B.7.3 - Here the smaller unit is meant - I think one could also use "for this race" here
2B.7.8 - Here also the smaller unit is meant ("rave/event")
2B.7.11 - Here I think "discipline" is meant rather
2B.8.2, 2B.8.5 - Here probably the smaller units are meant
2C.1 - Here I think the smaller units are meant
2D Heading - Here I would rather understand the large, superordinate one
2D.1, 2D.3, 2D.5, 2D.6 - Here the smaller units might be meant
2D.8 - Here both could be meant
2D.10 - The smaller units are probably meant here.
The collection of occurrences of "Competition" in Chapter 2:
2B.7.11 - Here competition is used as an umbrella term for all age group races/evaluations
2B.8.1, 2B.8.5.3 - Here is likely to mean the largest unit, e.g. Unicon or another championship
2B.8.7 - This is likely to mean the smaller units, i.e. something more commonly referred to as an "event".
2C.2 - Here both could be meant, but probably the smaller unit is meant
2C.3 - Here both could be meant, but probably the larger unit is meant
2D.5 - Here it is used as an umbrella term, but in my opinion it does not fit into the previous cases, it is rather something in the direction of valuation
2D.6 - Here both could be meant, but probably the smaller unit is meant
2D.7, 2D.9 - Here probably the largest unit is meant
Comment
I have not checked any of your occurrences. But my personal understanding of Event, Competition and Discipline is the same as yours.
In addition, we may want to define "race", if only because it often occurs in the Rulebook. In my opinion, in most cases, a race is the "unit" where several riders share the same space. So it could be a heat in track racing. In Road Racing, it becomes tricky if e.g. Standard and Unlimited marathon riders share the same course at the same time. To me, they are not in the same race. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure if Standard and Unlimited marathon should be considered as separate disciplines or competitions, or the same.
Comment
I see two dominant definitions of "race". One is each individual heat; each set of riders that starts off on the track (not waves in a Road race). The other is the overall collection of races that lead to medals, such as the Female 17-18 100m race. All of the 100m Races; the age groups and Finals, are the 100m "Event".
For Road, or anything done in waves (Muni), it would seem that the waves of a single timed race/event would count as a single race. But "race" is not the best word, perhaps, because riders are not actually racing each other, unless they're from the same wave. I guess I would call that a wave of a race.
In the example of Standard and Unlimited, even if it's a mass start (no waves), it's still like a wave, where not all riders are competing directly with each other, but they are sharing the same space and racing to the same finish line.
Comment
>I see two dominant definitions of "race".
But is something like the Female 17-18 100m "race" referred to in the Rulebook at all? I haven't checked that. But reserving the word "race" for "(the waves of) a single timed race/event" looks good for the rulebook. It's not yet a good definition though, because it contains the word race itself.
>riders are not actually racing each other, unless they're from the same wave
I disagree, but maybe my understanding of "race" is off. As an example: a rider from wave 2 may catch up with a rider from wave 1. They may then well start racing each other (at least in my understanding of the word), even though if they would finish together, the rider from wave 2 has a faster time.
It may seem an unimportant detail, but you mentioned it as an argument against calling the collective waves of e.g. the 10k unlimited a "race". If this argument vanishes, we can call all of 10k unlimited a "race".
As to standard and unlimited happening at the same time and the same course (even if there would be two mass starts with say 10 minutes in between), I consider that as two races.
Maybe a race can be defined as "the competitive entity where riders ride on a specific course at the same time, and for a single set of awards". This seems to apply for both track and road races.
Comment
We still need a word for Unicon (or some other "Veranstaltung"). "Event" seems to be understood quite differently by different people, so much so that it is hardly usable. What about "Convention" for something like Unicon?
Comment
Female 17-18 100m is a race. Whether one or many heats, it's a race. One way to determine this is, at the end there are awards. Same works for the combined multiple waves of a larger event; there are awards. For definition purposes, the mention of awards, or at least recorded results of who did what, may help.
I agree with your disagree on riders racing each other when on the course at the same time, but not in the same category. They can still use each other for pacing, possibly for drafting, etc. The difference is, they will not be directly compared to each other based on when they cross the finish. So technically they are not in a race with each other, they have to share the space and can use each other as reference points if you know what waves you started in.
But the collected waves of the Unlimited 10k are a race. A mass start is not required, what defines (or helps define) it is the fact that the results will be recorded and finishers will be ranked. The 10k consists of many races, for different age groups, genders and equipment types.
Standard and Unlimited 10k are two races, whether they are held at the same time or not. So yes, I think we agree on how to define that. :-)
Event:
While this word may be fine in English, if it's too generic in other languages we need to find something different because translated Rulebooks will all be derived from the English version (at least that's the current model). Perhaps using it in combination with a second word? Competition Event perhaps? This would separate it from non-competitive events like ceremonies, workshops, etc. Contest? Shorter than event but still kind of generic. I also like Jan's idea of Competition, as long as it's used with the label of the competition, such as the Trials competition or Stillstand competition. It would encompass all the smaller parts of each of those "events". In fact, I think that's a great use of "competition" within the context of a big event like Unicon.
Unicon stand for Unicycle Convention. About as generic as it gets! Technically it can be used for any unicycle convention or competition, the IUF has no ownership of it. But if other people use it I think it would piss a lot of people off! We use that name because it works, it's simple, and (after 32 years) several hundred people chanted it very loudly at the opening ceremonies (Spain). :-) Meryl Shaffer, the partner of JeanPaul Jenack (son of Bill Jenack) get the credit for that name. Also, without her the first two Unicons a: Might not even have happened, and b: Might have been disasters. She is an organizer supreme, and is one of the important IUF founders. A non-unicyclist BTW.
So for me, a "Race" = something with awards or the recording of results at the end. I like "Competition" as a label for categories of our competitive events, such as the list of categories we have for this rulemaking process. Urban, for example, consists of several different competitions, but could also be labeled "The Urban Competitions".
If "Unicon" needs a definition, we should call it World Unicycling Championships" before someone else claims it. Within the unicycling community we know what Unicon is, but to grow the sport, all of our labels should be defined and easy to understand. For years, I've been trying to convince the Unicycling Society of America that NAUCC is a lousy name, and hoping to get a conversation going about coming up with a new one. That conversation is finally starting to happen! Maybe we should call it USA Unicon! :-D No, I will not propose that, though I may mention it as part of a discussion of words that sound good or are easier to remember...
Comment
So Female 17-18 100m is a race, because there are awards at the end that potentially can go to any of the participants.
Does that make Female 100m (all ages combined) also a race? Because there are Expert medals to be gained. If so, we have a race consisting of several races.
Is IUF slalom male 0-10 a race? The participants don't "race" each other.
And it would be ridiculous to call Stillstand a race, let alone a freestyle routine.
I increasingly see how tricky it is to come up with unambiguous definitions. Oh well, one can probably create a set of clear and umambiguous definitions for Rulebook use, but some if not all would not coincide with how they are used colloquially. And that is a problem.
Comment
Female 100m (all ages) is a race; I don't see an issue with that, whether it's held as a single heat or has multiple heats. If there are Expert medals as well as age group medals, there are multiple races within the over 100m, uh, Competition/Event/whatever.
Yes, the naming gets tricky, and in different ways for the different types of sports we do at a Unicon. But in most cases, we compete by age group, and additionally determine overall winners across age groups, so perhaps it's not that tricky.
With Slalom and Stillstand you can (technically) go both ways on whether it's a race. Yes, you are racing the clock, even in the Stillstand! but you are not racing head-to-head. But you are also not racing head-to-head if it's a large race with multiple heats or waves. Then you may be racing someone who started many minutes before or after you.
I consider the Slalom to be a race, at least in terms of it's being part of the Track competition. While Stillstand is considered part of Track as well, it's more of a separate discipline, having nothing to do with speed. Same applies to the Slow Races. Both of those are more like "extreme balance skills". Side note: while Stillstand is easy to judge, the Slow Races, after 40+ years, do not have a workable method for objective judging. Those two competitions really aren't like the rest of Track. But they fit in the Track competition better than any other category. They should not be included in our definition of what a race is.
Also, outside of the races we have on the "Track," we also have Road racing, which uses most of the same rules, but has unique rules as well. In fact, changes we make in the Track section may affect the Road section; we should keep our eyes out for that. Those rules should be consistent for anything that doesn't need to be different in the Road environment. Something to consider.
Labels and Definitions: I agree we don't want to create definitions that aren't functional for normal conversation; whatever we come up with, they should easy to remember and make sense. Also when being translated to different languages, the same should apply, if the existing word doesn't work in that language.
Comment
>Female 100m (all ages) is a race; I don't see an issue with that, whether it's held as a single heat or has multiple heats.
My point is that (within Female 100m, as an example) if 0-10 is a race, 11-12 is a race, 13-14 is a race, 15-18 is a race, 29-29 is a race, 30-49 is a race and 50+ is a race, AND all of them together are a race, then you have multiple races within a single race. That doesn't amount to a good definition of "race".
>In fact, changes we make in the Track section may affect the Road section; we should keep our eyes out for that.
I've made that mental note as well. Besides, also Muni races are similar in many respects.
I am also in the Road committee, but not in Muni.
>Also when being translated to different languages, the same should apply, if the existing word doesn't work in that language.
In my opinion, we only need to consider the English version. Or rather, we are concerned with the IUF rulebook, which is exclusively in English. Everyone who translates it, is responsible for correct translation.
Comment
Yes to your first point. So we can optionally add a new word, or just have two possible definitions of "race", which I believe will be sufficient. If not, that is where I would use the word "event", though we may need a different word to replace that because it can mean so many things.
Your second point: Yes, Muni as well. I don't think any other areas though.
Also yes to your last point. Probably needs a conversation of some sort, though not necessarily in the Rulebook itself. Or add a rule to Section 1 offering suggestions for translations, including permission to use alternate words, and otherwise being careful to keep the meaning more than follow the text too exactly.
Comment
I think first of all we have to specify which things we want to distinguish at all. I think there are essentially three entities that should be defined in any case and, if necessary, an additional intermediate level:
1. The smallest entity as an attempt of a rider - this can either be in the form of a heat, a wave, an individual attempt/run. (Of course we can also define these separately, but I think they fall out of this scheme, because they are discipline specific. We need therefore first of all a generic term for this entity.)
2. Next, the entity that contains all attempts of all riders competing in a common ranking - this would be e.g. the 100m Female 17-18
X. If necessary, as an intermediate level, the entity that summarizes all attempts of all riders of all rankings of one discipline - as e.g. the 100m. However, I'm not sure if a separate term is really needed for this, or if you can just say "all 100m entities according to 2." - if you understand what I mean?
(Assuming that 2. is defined as "competition", one could also talk about all 100m competitions and it would be clear which group is meant).
3. The biggest entity, which contains all the entities according to 2. of all disciplines and all rankings - e.g. the Unicon.
Regarding the definition of race:
The proposed definition would target entity 2. I can understand the definition, even if my personal impression is that the riders in track racing use the term "Race" rather as a synonym for the individual heats (i.e. entity 1), which I can also understand very well and also seems a bit more logical to me. This could definitely lead to confusion among the riders.
In the road disciplines, however, my impression is that the proposed definition also corresponds to what is used by the riders, because usually, even if the riders start in different waves, they are still on the course at the same time and thus ride more or less directly against each other - here entity 1 and 2 usually coincide to a certain extent.
All in all, the definition "the competitive entity where riders ride on a specific course at the same time, and for a single set of awards" seems to me to apply to what I would always have called "competition". More generally, it would also apply to disciplines like Standstill or Slow Balance Riding or the Freestyle disciplines, so it is definitely a definition for entity 2.
The question that comes to my mind is, would the term "Competition" with a corresponding definition for entity 2 also be comprehensible and logical in English?
Regarding translations:
These are of course always a challenge, but I think as long as the terms are clearly defined in the rulebook, a translation is no problem, because then you can find a suitable term for the definition in the corresponding language and use it. It is only critical if there is no clear definition and therefore a term is misunderstood when translating.
Comment
>Yes, Muni as well. I don't think any other areas though.
Maybe Speed Trials is also in the form of a race?
As to translations of the Rulebook, I still think this is not the business of the Rulebook committee. So I disagree with John's suggestions on this.
>I think first of all we have to specify which things we want to distinguish at all. I think there are essentially three entities that should be defined in any case and, if necessary, an additional intermediate level
Yes to your first sentence. But before jumping to conclusions, would it be useful to see which entities are referred in the rulebook, and with which words?
Comment
> But before jumping to conclusions, would it be useful to see which entities are referred in the rulebook, and with which words?
I don't know if this is really necessary - the current rulebook is very inconsistent and ambiguous in its terminology. If we look at all the terms that are used, I think we end up with the question, which entities do we really need and which entities should be distinguished? And basically this question can be discussed independently of the current set of rules (because we all know our sport and know which entities should be distinguished in a reasonable way).
And if we are clear about it we can go through the rulebook and see at which point which entity is meant or makes sense and use the appropriate term. (And for the track chapter we already have a collection of the main occurrences at the beginning of this discussion; of course we can add the occurrences of "race" here, but here the entity 1 is almost always meant more clearly than with the other terms).
Comment
What Jan says. Since this idea would affect the entire Rulebook, it would need a multidisciplinary group to work it out, and have to start with a survey of the current text to see all the various implied definitions of things. For this round of Rulebook edits we should be able to do the survey part, but it's unlikely we could get through a full-book edit within the timeframe of this round of proposals.
Comment
>What Jan says.
Unclear to me what you mean. I was suggesting a kind of survey of the current rulebook text to see what entities are referred to, and you seem to agree, but Jan doubts it is useful.
Then again, even such a survey would take quite a bit of time, as the rulebook is hundreds of pages. It would be more manageable to survey only the Track chapter.
Comment
I did a quick search for the word "event/events". This resulted in at least 300 matches. That word gets used freely as a label for the Unicon as a whole, large sections of competition (like Track), individual Track events, non-competition events and probably other things. Yes, that would be a project.
"Race" generated probably more than event/events.
That does not include the word "racing" occurs 73 times.
"Competition/competitions" appears well over 100 times.
Yah, that's a lot.