The Low Point scoring system

The low point scoring system used by the Frozen Few is one of the simplest scoring systems used in sailboat racing. Skippers are assigned points according to their place at the finish line. (1 point for first, 2 for second, etc.) Skippers who do not finish a race, retire, or are disqualified score the number of boats in the race plus one. The skipper with the lowest total score wins.

In order for this scoring system to make sense, all skippers must be scored on the same number of races. Since the Frozen Few races over several months and not every skipper can attend each day of racing, we set a scoring threshold of 60% of the races. Skippers who attend fewer than 60% of the races do not "qualify" and are not scored for the season. Skippers who attend more than 60% of the races have their highest scores thrown out and are only scored on their best races.

One consequence of this system is that you are never penalized for missing races, unless you miss so many races that you do not qualify to be scored for the season. On the other hand, skippers who participate in more than the minimum number of races are rewarded by being able to throw out more of their worst scores. The system is designed to encourage participation.

The scoring software that we use on our web site automatically throws out the highest scores up to the 60% qualification limit. Thrown-out scores are displayed in strikeout text. Since we don't know in advance how many races there will be in the season, the number of throwouts is based on the number of races sailed so far, which grows as the season progresses. This means that the particular scores that are thrown out for any particular skipper may change during the course of the season. Scores posted on the web site are preliminary until the season is complete and the race committee has had the opportunity to review the scores and resolve any protests.

Throwouts are only allowed in the season scoring. Daily results are computed without throwouts. Again, the idea is to encourage skippers to arrive on time and participate in all of the day's races.