Races are held weekly on Sundays
Each week, up to 12 races are run across two distances — 50 metres and 30 metres.
Within each race, swimmers do not all start at the same time; faster swimmers start later,
with the time gap between them determined by their handicap.
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Up to 7 lanes per race per distance
Each race has up to 7 lanes. A swimmer occupies one lane.
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Handicaps are applied at the start
Faster swimmers start later than slower ones. The time difference between when the
slowest swimmer dives and when you dive is your Handicap. This levels the
field so that every swimmer in the race has a genuine chance of winning on clock time.
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Placing is by Clock Time (lowest wins)
The Clock Time is the raw elapsed time from the race start signal to when
you touch the wall. Because handicaps were already applied at the start, the swimmer
who finishes first on the clock wins — no post-race adjustment is needed.
⏱ The Handicap System — Step by Step
The handicap system is the heart of Mudcrabs racing. Its goal is simple:
give every swimmer — fast or slow, new or experienced — a fair chance of winning.
What is a Swim Estimate?
Your Swim Estimate (Swim Est.) is the system's best prediction of how long you
will take to complete the distance. It is calculated as the
average of all your past Actual Swim Times for that distance, rounded to the
nearest whole second — and it updates automatically after every meet you swim in.
Swim Est. = round( sum of all Actual Swim Times ÷ number of swims )
Because the average uses all your swims — not just recent ones — a single great or
poor result is gradually smoothed out over time, keeping the estimate stable and fair.
New members have no history on their first swim; their first result sets their estimate for the following week.
💡 Tip: Open any swimmer's Profile (click the 📈 button
next to their name on the Scoreboard page) to see the full step-by-step calculation,
including how their Swim Estimate has changed after every single swim.
How is the Race Handicap calculated?
Before the race, the app looks at the Swim Estimates of everyone entered in that race and finds the
highest (slowest) estimate. That swimmer gets a Handicap of 0 seconds
— they dive in immediately at the start signal. Every other swimmer's handicap is:
Your Handicap = Slowest Swim Estimate in the race − Your Swim Estimate
Example
Swimmer
Swim Est.
Handicap
Start delay
Alice (slowest)
52s
0s
Dives immediately 💥
Bob
46s
6s
Waits 6 seconds
Carol
40s
12s
Waits 12 seconds
Dan (fastest)
35s
17s
Waits 17 seconds
If Dan swims his exact estimate (35s) he touches at 17 + 35 = 52s on the clock — the same time
as Alice if she also swims her estimate. In a perfect world, they'd tie. In practice, whoever
swims better than their estimate on the day wins!
What is the Actual Swim Time?
The Actual Swim Time is your true, unassisted swimming speed — the time you would
have recorded if everyone had dived at the same moment. It is always:
Actual Swim Time = Clock Time − Handicap
This number is what the system uses to update your Swim Estimate for next week. The lower it is,
the faster you actually swam.
🏆 Points & Placing
How are places assigned?
Within each race, swimmers are ranked by Clock Time — lowest (fastest) to highest (slowest).
The swimmer with the lowest clock time finishes 1st, the next lowest is 2nd, and so on.
Because handicaps were already applied at the start, no adjustment is needed: clock time
is the fair result.
How are points awarded?
Points are awarded per race finish position. The default scheme is:
🥇 1st place = 4 points
🥈 2nd place = 3 points
🥉 3rd place = 2 points
4th and beyond = 1 point
Points from all 50m and 30m races across all meets accumulate into the Season Scoreboard.
What are DNF, DQ and DNS?
DNF
Did Not Finish
The swimmer started but did not complete the race (e.g. stopped mid-pool). They receive no placing, no points, and the swim is excluded from their HC calculation.
DQ
Disqualified
The swimmer completed the race but was disqualified for a rules infringement (e.g. false start, illegal stroke). No placing, no points, excluded from HC.
DNS
Did Not Start
The swimmer was entered but did not start the race (e.g. withdrew due to illness). No clock time is recorded. No placing, no points, excluded from HC.
📚 Glossary — Terms A to Z
Achievement Badges
Small icons displayed next to a swimmer's name on the Scoreboard, earned automatically
based on their performance. Each badge can be hovered on desktop to see its meaning:
🎯 10 Swims Club — has recorded 10 or more total swims
🥈 25 Swims Club — has recorded 25 or more total swims
🏆 50 Swims Club — has recorded 50 or more total swims
🥇 Race Winner — has won at least 1 race
⭐ 5 Race Wins — has won 5 or more races
👑 10 Race Wins — has won 10 or more races
🔱 Season Leader — currently ranked #1 on the Scoreboard
📈 Most Improved — recent 50m times are more than 2 seconds faster than early ones
💪 Iron Attendance — has attended 10 or more meets
Actual Swim Time
Your true swimming speed for the race, stripped of any handicap advantage.
= Clock Time − Handicap
This is the number the system uses to update your Swim Estimate for the following week.
A lower Actual Swim Time means you swam faster.
Attendance / Meets
The number of distinct meet dates on which a member has at least one recorded result.
Displayed on the Scoreboard and in each member's Profile.
Clock Time
The raw elapsed time recorded by the official timekeeper from the race start signal to the
moment you touch the wall. This is the number entered into the Entry Form. Placings are
determined purely by Clock Time — lowest wins.
Division
Members are classified as either Senior or Junior.
The Scoreboard can be filtered by division.
DNF — Did Not Finish
Swimmer started but did not complete the race. No points or placing awarded;
the result is excluded from HC calculation.
DNS — Did Not Start
Swimmer was entered but withdrew before the race began. No clock time, placing, points
or HC update recorded.
DQ — Disqualified
Swimmer finished but was penalised for a rules breach. No placing or points awarded;
excluded from HC calculation.
Handicap (HC)
The number of seconds by which a swimmer's start is delayed relative to the
slowest swimmer in the race. A higher handicap means you are expected to be faster.
= Slowest Swim Estimate in the race − Your Swim Estimate
The slowest swimmer always has HC = 0 (they dive first).
Lane
The numbered lane (1–7) in the pool assigned to a swimmer for a particular race.
Lane assignment does not affect timing or handicaps.
Meet
A single weekly competition event. Each meet consists of multiple races (typically 12)
contested at both 50m and 30m. All results for a meet share the same date.
Member Number (No.)
A unique numeric ID assigned to each club member.
Swim Est.
The Handicap that will be applied to this swimmer at their next race for a given
distance. It is the rounded average of all their Actual Swim Times for that distance.
= round( sum of all Actual Swim Times ÷ number of swims )
It updates automatically after every meet is saved.
Personal Best (PB)
The lowest (fastest) Actual Swim Time ever recorded by a member for a given distance
across all meets and all seasons. PBs are displayed in the HC table and the swimmer's
Profile, with the date they were set. A ⭐ PB badge appears next to any result where a
new personal best was recorded at the time of entry.
Placing
The finishing position within a single race, determined by Clock Time (lowest = 1st).
Placing determines Points. Placings are per-race — a swimmer can finish 1st in Race 3
and 4th in Race 7 on the same night.
Points
Points awarded for a race placing. Default: 1st = 4 pts, 2nd = 3 pts, 3rd = 2 pts,
4th+ = 1 pt. Points from every race across the entire season accumulate to form the
Season Scoreboard ranking.
Race
A numbered heat within a meet (Race 1 through Race 12). A swimmer competes in a specific race and distance
in a specific lane.
Season / Year
Results are grouped by calendar year (the year portion of the meet date). The Scoreboard
can be filtered to show only a specific season's points and swims, or "All seasons"
combined.
Swim Estimate
The system's prediction of how long you will take to swim the distance in your next race.
It equals your Swim Est. value, and used
to calculate Handicaps for the race.
Trend / Improvement
A metric shown on the Scoreboard indicating whether a swimmer is getting faster or slower
over time. Calculated by comparing the average Actual Swim Time of the swimmer's first 3
results (50m) against their most recent 3 results. A negative (green ↘) value means
recent swims are faster — the swimmer is improving.
💻 Using This App
🏆
Scoreboard
Shows the season standings, filterable by year and division. Click any column header to sort.
The Swim Est and PB tab shows each member's current Swim Est. and Personal Best for both distances.
Click 📈 Profile on any row for that swimmer's full history and charts.
📊
Results
The complete record of every individual lane result. Filter by date, distance or status.
Click Edit to correct a clock time, placing, points or status after submission.
🥊
Compare
Pick any two members to see a full Head-to-Head breakdown — overall race win count,
season stats side-by-side, and a race-by-race log of every meet where both competed.
📅
Calendar
Navigate by month. Days with recorded results show a blue dot — click them to open the
Meet Report. Upcoming meets are listed in the sidebar.
