Photo Finish Roles

The ‘Capture’ position is there to record the start and finish of a race, giving the Reader team the images and data they need to determine athlete race times.

A capture team will usually be two people:

1. The Capture Operator, they upload the next race, capture the start signal, ensure the system is operational in a race, and capture the finish.

2. The Photo Finish Chief, oversees the operation of both Reader and Capture. They provide useful experience to the team, and particularly help in longer races when athletes may have been lapped. If a head on camera is not available, they should identify finishing orders.

Athlete Finishing

The CAPTURE laptop has a USB button to capture images as athletes cross the line. The button should be pressed and held to capture images. This is usually done for the last 5 meters of the athlete running towards the line, and 5 meters post athlete crossing the line. If multiple athletes are crossing, the button should be kept pressed down. If there is a large gap between athletes, it is best practice to release the button and then press again for the next athlete.

In longer races, a nominated member of the team should identify lapped athletes and operate a Tick / Cross as each athlete crosses the line. Every athlete should be captured crossing the line, however they should be recorded as a Tick if finishing, cross if continuing. This enables the Reader team to skip images of non-finishing athletes.

1500m Heat 1

150 ✔️

156 ❌

187 ✔️

134 ✔️

156 ✔️

Wind

In the table on the left, a 1500m race with four athletes was run. The tick cross list identifies the second athlete captured over the line was lapped (156). They will be ignored on the Reader process. It is helpful if possible, to add athlete bib numbers to finishers. If the number is obscured, club, colour / pattern of vest is also helpful.

The wind gauge feeds into the system and must be checked for its status pre and during a race. In some races, a wind reading must be triggered manually when the lead athlete gets to the start of the home straight.

100m
Wind in Automatic Mode, verify this pre-start and check a reading is captured prior to saving.

Sprint Hurdles
Wind in Automatic Mode, set to the correct time period for the race. Verify this pre-start and check a reading is captured prior to saving.

200m
Alt+W – this will trigger the Wind capture mode. A spotter should identify when the lead athlete is entering the home straight and the operator will take a wind reading.

400m+
No wind reading required. Leave in Manual Mode

File > Options > Wind can be used to disable the wind from Manual to Auto or Off

The ‘Reader’ position is there to identify the athlete finishing positions and times from the captured footage.

The READER laptop connects to the CAPTURE laptop to open race footage.

The process once setup is described in the Reader flow chart.

A reader team will usually be two people:

1. The Reader Operator, they drive the laptop and input all the data.

2. The Reader, will check the operator as they input data and times. They will also verify the finishing order against the Track Judges orders prior to saving.

Reader Tips When reading in lanes, place the cursor and click in the lane when marking the athletes time with the red line. This will input the lane that has been clicked in to the Number Entry box.