It was suggested we have a guide for promoters to follow when setting up events. There are a number of details that should be written down and would be helpful - especially to new or occasional promoters. I am asking for someone who would help put this together. I can supply many points and we will look to David Beasley for information on paperwork and Ron Milam for flyer and results guidelines.
You don't have to supply the information - just assemble and format the inputs.
Anyone?

I wrote a series of posts on setting an event as I was doing it, it is on TC on the US board, may help to provide some insight into what I experienced if another promoter was interested.

Here is a document, cut and pasted below I called Trials Tips.

Feel free to shoot holes in it, the good parts come from others, the bad from me.

Trials Tips

A rule of thumb I try to use is that you can't make the beginner sections too easy.
In all of the classes, if you have any doubt at all that an obstacle in a section may be too hard for a particular class...IT IS!! Change it! Listen to yourself!
A good goal is to try to set a section so that there are possibly three places where a rider may get a point, but only one place that will probably get a point for sure. That usually makes the winning rider have less than twenty points. That keeps the last place guy out of the triple digit scores.

If you know the riders in the class, set the sections with the lower half of the class in mind. DON'T set the sections with the best rider in the class in mind. That way you won't have winning scores of 60 with the last place rider getting 145. If riders in the upper half of the class thinks it's too easy they can move up. That's why we have lots of classes.

An experienced rider should be able to ride the Beginner (Novice) sections sitting down on the bike, no clutch and no front brake. You won't be able to use the rear brake too much sitting down either.
The next class (our Sportsman) you should be able to ride standing up, no clutch. Make sure there are dabs on both sides. Probably nothing where they would hit the skid plate too hard.
The Intermediate class sections should be set so that both front and rear brakes and clutch are required to ride the section. The Intermediate riders should be able to use techniques such as unloading. There should always be a good dab on at least one side of the bike, and usually on both. Be careful of scary stuff that could get a guy hurt. Intermediate riders can usually control the front wheel pretty well, but don't have much of an idea of what the rear is doing. They concentrate on the front end and just hope the rear end keeps up.
The Advanced sections should be set so that they can be ridden without trick riding, but so that they are probably easier if the rider can trick ride a little. This can be the hardest class to set as the obstacles start getting big and possibly dangerous. Obstacles will be bigger with the possibility that the bike or rider could get severely damaged in a fall, so use common sense. The sections here should be similar to what you'd see in the support classes at a National. Technical is always better than big. Leave the really big stuff for the Experts and the Champs.
Experts and Champs, you just have to throw ribbon at the rocks. Again, technical is better than dangerous. They can usually ride anything that you can imagine riding. It's hard to know what to set. Again, think common sense.
It's always hard for a lower class rider to set the sections from Advanced on up because they just have no clue what those guys can safely ride. On the other hand it's just as hard for an upper class rider to set sections for the lower classes as they have forgotten what it's like to be a Novice or a Sportmsan rider and can ride those sections with one hand tied behind their back, so they tend to set harder sections thinking if they don't the riders will be bored.
You are best to have two guys setting the meet, one a lower class rider and one an uppper.
Remember that as soon as you put the ribbon on the section that it changes the dynamics of the obstacle and makes it at least 50% harder than it was before the ribbon was down. Make sure the obstacles can be ridden inside the ribbons. Often they are rideable before the ribbon is set, but the ribbon changes the approach or the landing, making them much more difficult.
Do test ride the sections you set that you are capable of riding to see if they work, but don't test ride the sections alone. I've seen more guys get hurt test riding sections alone, to see if they work, than get hurt in all the meets I've ridden combined.
You will get a lot less complaints from an easy Trials than you will from one that is too hard all around. You WILL get lots of complaints if the meet is too hard. I've been setting meets for twelve years, and still don't get it right all the time, but I'm learning. Remember that the guys who bitch the loudest are the guys who have never set a meet, so let that crap roll off your back. You have to be a little thick skinned, but be open to guys who are trying to help you gain better understanding. The more meets you set the better you'll get at it. My first meet was unrideable.
In any case, it can be fun setting a meet, so have fun setting the sections and set stuff that you think would be fun if you were riding it.
Good luck!
[This message has been edited by Ridgrunr (edited 12 April 2002).]
I have never been the "trialmaster" before, so take my comments with a grain of salt. I have helped set many though and have been watching closely and trying to learn. Ridge made a bunch of great points that I will try and follow and here are a couple more thoughts. Some folks will agree, and some will disagree if these are valid or not.
Make the loop easy! Folks are not there to do the loop. This is not the Scottish. Plan for rain! Can your loop still be easily navigated in the pouring rain? If it is a local event, can the interested wife ride the loop on an XR80? Safely?
Dont get folks hurt! especially below the top two classes (who are on their own in my opinion) Most folks in these classes need to go to work Monday.
The follow on to that is, Plan on someone getting hurt. Have a good first aid kit at the sign up area. Have the person at the sign up area knowledgeable of where a hospital is, how to get help, what medical facilities are available etc. etc. If nothing else a simple sign saying who to contact that knows the area etc. would help.
Have CLEAN porta potties or facilities. It makes it a lot easier to convince my wife and others to come back if she can do the necessities of life in relative comfort. When ladies would rather go in the woods than in your facilities something is amiss.
Have a route chart / map / walking map, something. Best if it can be handed out, especially to spectators. Which leads to the follow on, IF POSSIBLE, have sections where spectators do not have to be qualified for a solo ascent on everest to get to the sections. A spectator loop is great, depending on the size of the event, keeps from having those near misses on the trails that lead to the need of the first aid kit.
Mark your loop turns clearly, especially if you want folks to turn off a main trail, do not put the arrows ten foot down the trail you wanted them to turn onto. Be careful that if a section is to the side of your loop there are enough arrows marking the way there and the person does not ride by the section seeing the next loop arrow.
If possible, make a cheater trail around the section and back to the loop. Try and avoid the situation where a novice cannot make the section and someone has to ride their bike for them to get them too the loop.
I have heard several comments that people like it where everyone gets door prizes.
Announce your kids awards before the adult awards, that way there is someone there to watch them and a bit of clapping, the kids really like that, and the adults will wait.
Lay your sections so that as much as possible lines follow natural terrain, if you have a bunch of splits on a bunch of trees and folks are wanting a route chart or co-driver to remember left, right, right, left, etc. etc. it gets confusing. Nothing makes folks madder than to do a great ride then have the observer say "5" you missed that left turn around the tree in the corner with the marker on the back side.
This is probably controversial but we talked about it last night.
Have an observers meeting in camp or somewhere with obstacles. Have an expert or so do some demonstrations, explain to the observers where the line is drawn if you will. invite all the riders, Not mandatory, but try your best to have all the observers making fairly consistent calls.
My thoughts, for what they are worth. As I said I am not a trialmaster so guys that are carrying the load know best.
Al Bechard

Big event thoughts by Alan Bechard
Look for ways to bring the spectators to the sections.
Cloverleaf the loops possibly? A wagon or vehicle of some type, going around a shortened loop to carry spectators to where the action is?

Just a note to trialsmasters setting up beginner sections. I was going to ride an event yesterday when at the rider's meeting a parent came up and asked me to review the beginner sections because she and her husband thought they were a bit out of line. In New England beginners are usually taken around a beginner loop with separate beginner sections by an experianced rider who scores and acts as a teacher. It has worked out very well for us over the years. I noticed the guy taking them around this time was on an enduro bike so I went out on the first loop with them.
A big problem I noticed in the beginner sections was not only the difficulty level but the consequences of a mistake. Beginners don't have anything but the most rudimentary control over their bikes. It's very important to look at a section and say what if? When clutches had cables my criteria for expert sections was to ask what the consequences would be if a clutch cable broke at any point in the section. If the result could be a trip over a cliff the section would be changed. The same understanding must be applied to beginner sections. What happens if a rider gets wobbly in a corner and grabs too much throttle. Where will they end up?
For example, one section required an uphill off camber turn after going over a little log. Across 3/4 of the section leading into the turn was an 8" log. They could go to the inside of the log which made the corner much harder. They could go over the log which was beyond all of them. If they got out of shape in the corner before the log they stood a good chance of stuffing the front end into the log or worse bouncing over it out of control. The log added nothing to the section and was removed. Plenty of points were dropped in the corner. But fewer each loop as the riders learned.
There's a lot of discussion on growing trials. Essential to that idea is understanding the needs of new riders. New riders don't only quit because the sections are too difficult they quit because they feel they will never live up to the expectations of the other riders. Beginners have no conception of how difficult trials is or how quickly they'll improve so difficult sections seem to many an insurmountable obstacle.
Beginners make more mistakes per linear measure then experienced riders. This should be an important consideration to laying out any section. What is the consequence of a mistake? Beginner sections teach by allowing riders their mistakes and giving them the space to survive and correct them.
There'll be plenty of hard sections in their future providing we don't scare them off.
Dan



Alan Bechard notes, after holding our Trial

The evening cookout did not work that well, people just wanted to get somewhere cool, like a restaurant. Not doing this next year. However, the burgers, drinks and hot dogs during the day went over really well and paid to keep the observers and workers fed pretty well.
Set the sections like you think, then drop them all about 1 level, I.e., Sportsman rides Intermediate lines, Expert Rides Advanced lines. Remember, get your points in technical stuff, not dangerous stuff.
2 observers per section are a good deal. This lets you have a rider in while someone is being punched, lets someone go pee or grab a bite to eat and keeps it from getting too boring and lonely out there. It also gives you two observers there to back each other up if there is a disagreement with the rider. Have an extra floating observer going around giving folks a break if needed, helping to punch through backlogs etc.
Having Tarps available to build a little tent if needed at each section was a good idea.
Careful that you have at least one mature person to observe at each section, so you do not go up to a section, you have nobody watching the rider in the section, and three people swearing that someone else should be watching.
Have a garbage trailer there that someone takes off daily. Make it easy for folks to do the right thing and they will do it.
The more you can have set / done, before the event, the better. Do not count on others to set a section that you showed them a month before, when trying to reset and change sections, the pressure is on. Do not plan on setting more than one or two sections the morning of the trial.
Do not agree to do something you are not familiar with. (vintage in my case) If someone else say’s they will do it, and does not, then just cancel it or something.
Make sure that your driveway will still be useable in a heavy rain.
The handout, walking map worked well. A walking trail would have been nice.
The gate fee did not work well, for the gate fee to work you need dedicated folks to run it, and some form of “funnel” or signage to force people to stop sign the releases and pay the gate fee. Dedicated people make the difference in this effort.
We did have an observers meeting and watched the NATC training video. I should have had a bigger TV that was louder. But, I think it helped. People still questioned some calls, but I think we made a best effort to have as standardized of scoring as possible.
Have a backup, parking plan in place. What do you do if turnout is better than expected and you need more parking?
Have your sections start and end at about the same place so that if it needs to be checked by one person, they are not killing themselves trying to do it. This also helps when you have two observers that they are close enough together to easily speak with each other. Just makes the day go a little faster for them.
The novices crashed even in places that I thought they could not possibly fall down.
Bite your tongue as the course safety marshal changes things. He is doing you a favor by being there and making the event consistent. Easier / safer is better, it is more likely to get people back to ride again, and they can always move up a class if it is too easy.
The windshield broke out on the car from people hitting it incorrectly, plan on this type of deal happening. It became a safety hazard (of course I was the one that ended up cut) and had to be pulled from the event. Do your best to insure that the obstacles will stay consistent throughout the day.
Do your best to have a rain line and a dry line mapped out in advance. At least on our terrain, what was an easy drive became miserable when it was damp. On Hill slide we picked up more novices than I care to count.
I liked that there was a set ending time when I could tell the observers to come out of the woods. I brought them out earlier, but, it was nice to give them a definite, you will be done at 4 timeframe, anything earlier was gravy.
Youth Event Thoughts

Just wanted to take a moment and write down some of my thoughts and observations about Youth Trials events.

Consistency is the biggest thing I can suggest. If people automatically know that there will be a Youth Event at every trials, your “ridership” will grow. Nothing is more disappointing to the kids than to show up and there be nothing for them.

People will help, but you have to ask for it. Sometimes though, 5 people will say they will help and you will be there all alone setting sections 10 minutes before the event starts. Leave yourself enough time to do it yourself, then when the help shows, it is all gravy.

You will goof up and make the sections too hard and sometimes too easy. The kids enjoy the too easy ones quite a bit more than the too hard ones. I looked up at one point a couple of trials ago, and in 4 separate sections I had 4 separate riders laying on the ground. Yep, that one was too hard.

The Saturday afternoon trials will result in more tears and arguments than the Sunday morning ones. The kids have been running a mile a minute all day and are just wore out. Also the dads have been riding and probably pushing to get back in time to be with Jr. and their patience is not all that it should be.

The kids will listen far better to other kids slightly better than them, than they will ever listen to their parents.

If you have 5 or 6 kids riding, ride the sections in a group. The kids learn a lot from each other that way, and you can give them all personal attention and coaching and takes fewer resources to run. However, if you have more, I suggest having them do a “loop” with an observer at each section. You have to walk a fine line on the length of this “loop”. I swear if it goes around the corner and out of sight you will have to go chase down at least one child that has found his way to the adult loop and is headed out on the part marked “trail of Death”. Insure that you have ample room between sections to allow the kids to stage for the next section after leaving the first. Also, if you have 7 or 8 riders, one will be late, one bike will not run, one parent will have locked all the riding gear for their child in the car and be out on the loop still, then there will be the other children like mine, that just watched Ricky Carmichael tapes and is turning that log and dirt bump into a double and seeing if he can clear all the way to the exit gate and has made his first round before most the kids have finished walking section 1. When you force all these kids to ride together, at the same pace, it gets interesting to say the least.

Some observers will not punch the correct section # on the scorecard. Beats me, but I have not got them to do it yet. It really does not matter, and hold that thought with everything in the Youth Trials, it really should all be about fun and having a good time, and if you are worried about stuff, it will not be.

I love the bullhorn. A distracted kid sitting on a running bike will not hear you no matter how loud you scream. But he tunes up when he hears his name on the bullhorn.

I go around with the Bullhorn in the pits about 10 minutes before the event starts and let folks know it is coming. Dad’s will then suddenly remember to gas up Jr.’s bike and spectators will then be drawn to the area, which comes in real handy if you are short an observer or two.

No matter how many times you say on the bullhorn that there are 4 sections and each child will ride them in a loop 3 times, that would be 12 sections total, that is 4 sections ridden 3 times, the first person that comes up to you after you put down the bull horn will say “how many times do they ride a section?”

9 times out of 10 you can just run a section backwards if you are doing a 2-day event. Some clubs do not reverse the ribbons; I want the kids to see it the right way each time so I reverse the ribbon.

Keep it easy, lighthearted and fun and that is what the kids will have. Most kids out there will be taking it serious enough for the two of you. Make it easier rather than harder, try and give them multiple lines to challenge them, and make them make decisions.

Awards and recognition are important for ALL the riders. I chose trophies for the top 3 of each class (A and B) and T-shirts for everyone else. Then sold some T-shirts to raise funds to pay for the give aways. Also asked for Donations to help run it. There was / is money available from the club to run it, but you should be ready to explain yourself if you are going to take it and use it. I have never had this problem with my Trials club, but I have purposely avoided it because of experiences with other clubs. If I raise the money myself, as long as I am using it for the intended purpose, I do not get questioned on it. I am not sure that I would use the same format I have for awards (trophies / T-shirts) but it was the best I could think of at the time.

I firmly believe that every kid that participates should take home SOMETHING to remember it by. It gives them, and the parents, something to reference back too.
I have a podium that was built from ¾” plywood by Brian Robison to use for the youth awards. It is just too heavy and bulky and an extra thing to haul around. However! I would enthusiastically recommend that we come up with a podium that works for the kids. My original thought, and I think we should get back too it, was like a milk crate, a cooler and maybe a storage box for my camping stuff or maybe one of the bike stands, then take a piece of ¼” plywood and make a “front” with a big 1/2/3 on it and zip tie it too the front of those items that you are already carrying to the events. Maybe one milk crate, two milk crates and a bike stand? It needs to be light, and something that you are pretty much carrying already.
Kids really like being on the podium, give the 4th and below kids silly string to spray the upper three kids with. Makes for a great photo opportunity as well, and kids will want to see their picture on the top of the podium in Trials Comp. This is one of the things I wish I had done better.
I like the “staged” or progressive awards for year-end accomplishments. Some people were for it and some against. I think it gives the kids a visual as to why they should ride more.
I would suggest re-using trophies. I know we will take a bunch of Dean and Christina’s stuff, pull the name plates off and make them a nice plaque to display them on, then use the trophies for something else at some point.


Stolen from PA on the Trials Central BB
The rule of three. I try to ensure that each level has three challanges appropriate to the level of thate class.

Size is important. Ensure you have good length to your sections. Don't make a one or two long sections and the rest shorter as ques will form at those longer sections.

Options. Try to give the riders options don't make too much one line.

Wear and Tear. Be aware of how a section may last if it is to be ridden by lots of people. That log may break up or the puddle become a bottomless pit.

The poor Observer. Try to imagine where the observer will stand to see the riders. If like most clubs you have a limited number of observers you may only be able to allocate one per section so don't make it so the observer has to run back and forth to see and mark the cards. I often put a loop at the end of the section to point the rider back towards the observer so the observer can stay in one place.

The Front Axle. I try to make the last 10 feet or so easy going. How many times have you seen someone try to get the front axle out of the section before they crash to the ground? I like to know the rider is in control of their machine when they cross the line.

Technical vs. Size. Keep a mixture of technical and large obstacles in the section but remember that when lesser riders fail they usually do not fail with control. On the lower grades keep them away from potential big crashes if they fail that simple line.

To back up what Alan said "You have 2 ears and 1 mouth, use them in that ratio." Listen to what the riders are saying when they are out there.

Peter
Stolen from Ishy on TC board
I have laid out the odd trial or two myself, and it isn't easy getting it close enough to keep the majority happy, but a few things that may help are! if in doubt don't use it, keep ribbon and markers out of the way, (e.g.) if a rock slopes to one end many will go to the lowest end to try and get up it even if it's only a foot or two high, putting a marker in the middle just causes problems as the lowest point is next to the marker, better off giving them the whole rock and setting the marker off to the side where it is less likely to be knocked over.

Ribbon, don't make the ribbon the obstacle again keep it out of the way.

Never set a trial for the best rider there, but keep them in mind and give them the odd challenge now and again, at club level most are there for a fun ride round and it's back to work on Monday, if a trial is on the easy side you will have less complaints and more people come to it again than if it was a world round.

Try and use natural boundaries and as few split markers as possible.

A section may look easy but when the flags/ribbon is up and riders are riding it for a score they start dabbing.

A good section can take many points, but few fives.

Keep in mind the people who whine the most often do the least for trials, so don't take their moans personally, some you just can't please.

And for people who don't work setting out events observing or taking entries etc, just thank those that do, it's costs nothing and goes a long way.

The way this sport will survive best is by getting more club riders having a fun days trialing, making killer trials to find that one or two that may go to WR level will kill it, 99% of riders are the average lad just out for a bit of fun, but they are the ones that pay for the bikes and spares.

Odd thoughts from Al B

Do not make the markers for the End gates too far from each other. When they are over 10 or 12 feet from each other, it is hard for the rider to determine exactly when they are “out” of the section. Couple that with an observer standing inside the section, the rider rides too the observer, stops at his feet and puts a foot down, then gets told he is not yet out of the section. That is aggravating to the riders every time.

Thanks Alan,
Very confidence inspiring.
Paul

Your welcome.

If I remember right, Glen McNeal wrote a book or pamphlet on this as well. When I was starting to set events, I tried to lay hands on one, and could not, but as Glen and sons are more active at this point, someone could contact him as well.