A Note on Scoring

One of the most killer pics we’ve ever seen @ The Fittest Games by Sam Knowlton

We’ve had a few questions on what standard deviation scoring means and the method behind it. Below is the run down and why we chose to use it for the Fittest Games.

• Standard Deviation Explained

Your score is called a “Z score”, which is the number of STANDARD DEVIATIONS you were away from the AVERAGE score. Your Z score can be positive or negative depending on whether you were above average or below average for that event. The STANDARD DEVIATION is essentially the SCALE for that event.  This is what makes the method so great for CrossFit events, which cover “broad time and modal domains”. 

Using this method, allows us to establish a definite scale, based on all of the competitors scores, that translates directly across all workouts.  We don’t say, “okay 10# on the lift should be equivalent to 20 seconds on metcon one and 5 seconds on metcon two.”  We enter all of the scores, calculate the average and the standard deviation, then standardize each score based on the group average and standard deviation.  This literally allows us to add time, weight, reps, rounds, and any other score by establishing a scale. 

The mean is basically the average of all of the scores (controlling for “0” or DNF values).  One standard deviation is equal to a distance from the mean, positive or negative, that contains about 68% of the total data.  In other words, 68% of all of the scores fall within -1 standard deviation to +1 standard deviation.  Each Z Score is equal to how many standard deviations you are away from the Mean.  All values would typically fall between -3 and +3 unless there is somebody that really stood out.

This way, if all of the scores are very tightly grouped, you will be rewarded (or punished) more easily by being an outlier. On the other hand, if scores are all over the board, the standard deviation is bigger, and points are harder to get.  This allows you to view exactly how somebody scored against all of the competitors in the room that day. You could plug in a score from anybody that maybe does the same workout at home and tell them how they score against the field.

• So why use this scoring?

We whole heartedly believe that EVERY Second, Pound and Rep should count. Competitors should strive to outperform the field in each event. Below are a few points as to why we believe this method of scoring to be the most efficient

1. This scoring method will effectively judge your performance against all other competitors in the room on this day, rather than basing off of some arbitrary standard.

2. As a precursor to Sectionals, Regionals, and the Games, this scoring will allow you to accurately identify deficiencies in any of the energy pathways as well as any technical deficiencies in the movements.

3. The statistical probability of a tie is infinitesimal.

4. You are not jockeying for position such as 1st place or 33rd place. Instead you will be earning points based on the performance of all athletes in your division. Therefore, it will greatly benefit you to “Go All Out”. If you are in the lead, don’t slow down and conserve, speed up and earn points. If you are in the back, don’t give in to your placement in the group, speed up and earn a few extra points.

5. You will benefit from every single rep/pound/second! So go ALL OUT!