Published: 9 May, 2013
by STEVE BARNETT

ORGANISERS from the Camden Schools Sports Association (CSSA) are being urged to rethink a scoring change made to their biggest primary schools competition.

A new scoring system was introduced in the annual Cross-Country Championships at Parliament Hill Fields on Friday.

It meant that the top four athletes from each of the 28 primary schools that took part would all score points for their team.

It replaced the previous marker which saw the top 10 athletes across the finishing line all score, with first place earning 10 points and 10th place earning a point.

The Camden Schools Sports Association made the switch to bring the competition in line with national and international cross-country events, while giving all the children who take part the chance to feel as though they contributed.

For the first time all the young athletes also saw their final positions and times recorded, instead of just the top 10 in each race as had been the case in the past.

Camden parent Pete Goldsmith challenged the organisers over these changes and said they worked against the children, and played a part in Christ Church School in Hampstead missing out on a seventh successive title.

“Under the new scoring system schools are penalised for not having enough children to field a team instead of being rewarded for their hard training and excellence,” he said.

“On Friday schools entered varying numbers of runners. How can the scores be equal and valid in every race if there is not a set number of runners from each school?

“If a school only has one or two runners in a race they automatically receive the maximum minus points for the runners they could not field. How is that fair?

“I think to save face it can be called a transition year but, in all honesty, I think the old system is cherished by children from all schools. Everyone knows it is quite something to get tenth place, let alone first.

“One suggestion is to have two trophies from here on in,” said Mr Goldsmith, “the Four-Runners Cup, under the new system, and the Camden Schools Team Shield, under the old.

“The more ways to reward the children the better!”