Issue 23                                                                                                                August 2016
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Please let me know what you think even if you have done so before. Understanding what you want is essential for how this site evolves and improves.  Many of you have provided the feedback by taking the survey but there are so many new people visiting this site and the site has already changed a lot. It is time to revisit and get everyone's opinions including the fresh perspective of those who are not too familiar with the site and the way it works. There were over 200,000 distinct users who viewed over 2.5 million pages on MastersRankings last year. There should be many more now and in the coming months since there are so many more athletes (28,246) and performances (321,456) since January 1st.

Improvements Made Weekly
This site is for Masters Athletes
That is partly why your feedback is so important. Regardless of whether you email, call, post on the contact us or take the survey, all your comments, requests and suggestions are welcome, considered and many times enacted as soon as possible. 

Improvements aren't always obvious
Photo by Craig Godwin
Navigating the  site q uickly and getting to the information you want to see plus making the forms easy and quick are two of the most important things you want. Registered Athletes who are logged in can easily jump to their profile by clicking on where the site greets them (above Dave & Buster's logo). You can access all of the lists affecting you from your profile with one mouse click.

Newsletter Improvements
We are working with companies and individuals that support and benefit Masters Athletes so we can include information you want like nutrition and training.  For example, there will be previews and links to selected features in National Masters News.  Other features we hope to have soon are training, fitness, hydration and nutritional information from experts and companies specializing in same.
Ranked Athlete Spotlight

Photo by Paul Osland
We, Masters Athletes, are blessed that so many people behind the scenes put together those meets so we can compete. Most of these people volunteer, do their part so well and quietly that it is easy to overlook. One cannot miss Doug "Shaggy" Smith though because he is everywhere (and also sports his legendary dreadlocks)! Whether it is mentoring & inspiring young volunteers, working the timing equipment, updating results in meet management program or taking spectacular pictures, Doug's impact on meets and Masters Athletics is huge. Doug started competing when he happened upon a Masters' Cross Country race at the last minute and was immediately hooked. He even set the Canadian M35 Steeplechase record in 1990. Doug feels his biggest accomplishment in Masters Athletics is his work to better the Masters movement in Canada for the last 25 years - says it all. Thank you for all you do Shaggy.

Want to be featured in future Spotlights? Have a compelling or motivating story? We'd love to feature you. Email me @ john.seto@mastersrankings.com with a little about you and your compelling story and I will send you a few questions to facilitate writing the article.
By the Numbers & Meet Results
Numbers since last newsletter:
  • 79,117 performances added (777 by athletes)
  • Representing 21,503 athletes from 88 countries
  • 3,071 new athletes listed
Complete Meet Results Added for (in order of number of perfomances):
Performance lists from Germany, Canada and the UK were also inserted. Sorry I haven't yet gotten to all the pdfs and results links you've sent.  For the moment, I prioritize results that can be inserted quickly so more athletes and performances are listed. Just like previous years' rankings, I plan on going back to insert all the results you've sent and that can be found so these lists are complete as possible. 
Doing Everything at Once
Depending on where you look, it may not seem like improvements are made every week.  Sometimes an error you report, a broken link, a form that doesn't work properly and finalizing rankings lists take longer than one thinks it should. This doesn't mean there isn't a lot going on - there is! Look at the info above to confirm that plus consider this is only a fraction of what is done every month. More gets done each month because the programs used to insert complete meet results and rankings lists, correct errors and manage rankings date are significantly improved plus more complete meet results and performances are sent to us as well as completely inserted than ever before. Let's keep it going:

Inaccuracies & Error Reporting
It's okay to let me know if there is an error or inaccurate mark. Many of you have told me that you are uncomfortable reporting someone but most of the errors you find on the site are caused by my programs (when complete meet results are inserted), errors I make with incorrect selections or typos in the results we are inserting.  Proportionally (only about 3%), very few results are inserted by athletes anyway. While errors are a small percentage of the almost 1 million performances listed, it is better to get them corrected so the site is more accurate. It is easy to do:
  • Performances on every page are now links to easily report inaccuracies and make it easier for us to address then reply to you.  
  • There is "Correct Meet Information" button on each meet results page - this makes it easy to address then reply to you too.
  • Click Contact here or on MastersRankings.com
  • Email (numberone@mastersrankings.org, mastersrankings@gmail.com or john.seto@mastersrankings.com)
  • Call (845) 635-9487
Send Complete Meet Results
Once you have logged in, you can paste or upload results easily by clicking on the appropriate button where ever it appears (registered athletes' menu, meets, meet results, paste results, upload results).  You can even proceed to insert most of these. Contact us if you want to help but need some guidance.

Support MastersRankings.com
MastersRankings is exclusively supported, for now, by memberships and additional contributions.  Click on one of these handy links to further support this great site.  It is okay if you have a membership, it will be extended and all your additional contribution will go to pay the expenses to run this site.  
Other Common / Helpful links
Preparing for Perth?
The site is an excellent resource to see how you compare to your competition. This is a factor when I am prioritizing what to do (insert as many results quickly). Help athletes are giving and more collaboration with national organizations further improves the lists. Hope this keeps increasing at the rapid pace it has this year.

Thank you all in advance for helping this site become a spectacular resource for Masters Athletes.

Sincerely,
John Seto
john.seto@mastersrankings.com
(845) 635-9487p
(845) 489-7818c
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