Uber. The ride-sharing mobile application that aims to disrupt the entrenched Taxi monopoly. Through the app people can hire a private driver to take them to their destination. Due to their lack of regulation the pricing compared to traditional Taxis has been shown to be consistently cheaper. People are obviously drawn to that, and with the service being used in over 200 cities it is clear that Uber is poised to change transportation, for better or worse.
One of the more controversial features of Uber is the concept of “Surge Pricing. » Surge Pricing is simply a form of dynamic pricing in which the price is based on the demand. So for example, on a Tuesday mid-afternoon the prices will be cheaper then when the bars close on a Saturday night. If demand is low, Uber won’t go below their lowest rates. However, in exceptional circumstances, like a freak snowstorm in New York City last year, fares rose up to 8.25 times the normal rate. So that fare home that’s normally $15 is now upwards of $120.
Using Uber and surge pricing as an example, it can be shown that there could be an innovative solution to the way the ITU awards points to races.
Currently, the ITU awards a maximum amount of points in a race to the first-placed athlete listed below:
- 1000 for the ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Final
- 750 for the ITU World Triathlon Series events
- 500 for the ITU Triathlon World Cup events
- 400 for the ITU Triathlon Continental Championships Standard Distance
- 300 for the ITU Triathlon Continental Championships Sprint Distance
- 200 for the ITU Triathlon U23 World Championships
- 200 for the ITU Triathlon Continental Cup and ITU Triathlon Premium Continental Cup events
In the current scenario, all races are created equal in terms of points. However, it is clear that not all the races contain equal quality in their fields.
2014 Mooloolaba/New Plymouth World Cups
Due to the manner in which the ITU calendar is set, these races both saw WTS-quality fields but in a World Cup level race. Using the ITU points list from December 2014, it shows that in the top-40 of the overall results there were 18 (Mooloolaba) and 14 (New Plymouth) athletes respectively who were ranked in the top 50 of the December points list.
2014 Jiayguan/Huatulco ITU World Cups
In comparison, the World Cup races in Jiayuguan and Huatuclo contained 4 (Jiayuguan) and 6 (Huatulco) athletes who were ranked in the top 50 of the December 2014 ITU points list. A significant difference from the Mooloolaba and New Plymouth races.
2014 Clermont/Holten Continental Cups
Another example of a beyond-standard quality of field were the Clermont and Holten Continental Cups. In both races there were 3 athletes who were ranked in the top 50 of the December ITU points list.
When the information is presented, it is clear that there is a disparity between certain races. Perhaps if there was a method of “dynamic points” distribution it would better reflect the quality of field in races, and would encourage athletes to compete in more competitive races and discourage the “cherry-picking” of less competitive events, allowing for a development opportunity which is how the World Cup races should be viewed.
Of course in saying all this, the ITU does indeed have a rule similar to this,
“Every athlete ranked in the top 20 of the current ITU Points list who starts the race will increase the value of the race by 2% up to a maximum of 20% per event.”
This means that in a World Cup event, in the case that there are 10 athletes who are ranked in the top 20 of the ITU Points list there is 100 extra points for the first placed athlete. Arguably this does not reflect the quality of field if there is also another 10 people who are also ranked in the top 40 of the ITU points list. This needs to be changed.
Using the idea of a “Dynamic Points” distribution along with a few simple regulations the current method of scoring could be improved.
In the proposal above there is an increase in the maximum points to 700. This can do a better job of reflecting the quality of field in a strong race. On the flip side, this allows for the points to drop in the case of a weaker field. The floor allows the race to keep the maximum awarded points to at least 300.
Similar premise for a Continental Cup event. A ceiling of 300 points and a floor of 100 awarded to the first placed athlete. As an addition, the maximum number of athletes who should be awarded points should be augmented from the current number, 20, to a larger number, 30 at Continental Cup events.
As surely as there is in the Uber application, there must be an algorithm or formula that can be used to implement this innovative method. But unlike the controversial company, the hope is that “Dynamic Points” will be universally acclaimed.