Check out the most updated version here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Vmntf-usFWoAojqQfyXC3Jj5HpmxX1gmUZVZvo4c6QE/edit?usp=sharing

Welcome to version 4.4 of the Rovak Routine!!!

This method of hosting freestyle prelims to get a seeded Top 16 bracket is accurate up to 60 dancers

Based on Massey's Method, strength of schedule and number of votes are what matter

Advantages: not as subjective as other prelim methods, gives newer dancers experience with battling

Round 1 gives all dancers 2 battles, Round 1 results cut list down to the First 24 dancers

Round 2 is optional, but is recommended to produce accurate dancer ranking:

4-Battles involves another chain of battles in a specified order

3-Battles involves an extra battle that is not done as a chain of battles

Custom allowes for any number of custom battles to occur, can be used alongside previous options

Timing: Round 1 has battles that match the number of dancers, Round 2 4-Battles features 24 battles

Example) if 60 dancers participate, are given 35s per battle

Round 1 will take 75min to 80min with a 5s to 10s turnover between battles

R2 4-Battles will take 34min to 36min with a 15s to 20s turnover time between battles

Judges will vote on each battle using a 5-point judging system (Strong Left, Left, Tie, Right, Strong Right)

strong votes used when a dancer dominates their battle. 3 to 5 judges must be used.

MAKE SURE YOUR JUDGES KNOW raising 2 arms to the left or right counts as a strong vote

Dancers are assigned numbers when they check in at the event, have numbers printed in order

Ask dancers to self-categorize themselves as: Seasoned, Experienced, Novice

Seasoned: dancers that regularly qualified in the battle events for the Big3 cons

Experienced: dancers that have competed in multiple tourneys outside the Big3

Novice: dancers new to battle events and/or haven't won an official battle before

Categories are loose definitions, but assist in the accuracy in the routine

Step 1) ask Seasoned dancers to gather, check-in all of them

NOTE: the 1st Seasoned dancer is the Anchor for Round 1, inform the dancers

that the Anchor is the first and last battle of Round 1, and make sure you have

Step 2) ask Experienced dancers to gather, check-in half of them now (the rest check-in after Novices)

Step 3) ask Novices to gather and check-in all of them

Step 4) check-in the other half of the Experienced dancers

This method is used to ensure dancers will get 2 opponents roughly the same skill level

Dancers will battle in numerical order

Each dancer will get 2 battles in Round 1, forming a chain of battles that starts and ends with the Anchor

Judges will vote after each battle, votes are recorded on "Judges Votes" columns

Strong Left (SL), Left (L), Tie (x), Right (R), Strong Right (SR)

Dancer on the left moves to the right, and a new dancer will take the left side

The dancer that is new on the floor is always goes first in the battle

Dancers that are not present for their battles are cut, no exceptions

Write anything in the "Drop?" column and move onto the next dancer

At the end of Round 1: dancers in cyan made the cut to First 24, dancers in orange are standbys

ROUND 2, 4-Battles:

Dancers that make the First 24 will battle in order that appears in the "R2 4-Battles" sheet

Same as Round 1, dancers each get 2 battles forming a chain of battles

After every battle, call out who is currently up on the floor followed by who is on deck

If a dancer is not present for their battle they are cut from the First 24, no exceptions

Write anything in the "Drop?" column, spreadsheet automatically handles dancer order

ROUND 2, 3-Battles:

Dancers that make the First 24 will battle in order that appears in the "R2 3-Battles" sheet

Dancers will get 1 more battle, with a total of 12 battles in this version of the 2nd round

After every battle, call out who is currently up on the floor followed by who is on deck

If a dancer is not present for their battle they are cut from the First 24, no exceptions

Write anything in the "Drop?" column, spreadsheet automatically handles dancer order

ROUND 2, Custom Battles:

Dancers that make the First 24 will battle in order that appears in the "R2 Custom" sheet

Allows event organizers to score any extra battles that happen during prelims that occur

Make sure to use dancer numbers to label who is involved in each battle on the custom sheet

Results & Bracket:

Once all prelim battles have been recorded, the "Results" sheet displays Top 16 in green plus 4 standbys in yellow in Dancer Number order.

The "Bracket" sheet displays the Top 16 in seeded order along with the finals bracket.

NOTE: avoid revealing bracket seeding to the judges until after finals to reduce confirmation bias

A dancer's bracket position is based on their seed and aggrigate rating of the dancers on their bracket line.

Example: the #1 & #16 seeds will always face each other in the 1st round, but their added

rating will determine if they are above or below the #8 & #9 seeds in the bracket order

Should I use this routine even if my event has less than 24 dancers signed up?

Yes! Using seeded brackets will always be better than a randomly generated one. This method is

very accurate at determining a dancer's relative rating when there's a lower number of dancers.

The system is even able to handle uneven brackets when less than 16 people sign up.

Should I use this routine if my event has more than 60 dancers signed up?

In theory you could use this method using 5 judges and be accurate up to 80 dancers.

However, you would definitely need more than 2 hours to have over 60 dancers tryout using this method.

(Currently working on testing if time saving strategies like parallel battles could still produce accurate results)

Why do you call it "First 24" and not "Top 24"?

Partly because the First 24 is still part of prelims, partly because "Top 24" isn't the most accurate term.

Wouldn't making all the expert dancers battle each other in Round 1 eliminate them?

Actually, the opposite happens. From a dancer's perspective, you want to go against strong opponents in prelims