In between field trips this summer I dive into Olympics on TV. Has me wondering how they measure shot put throws? The results between throws are shown to the centimeter in precision, and its impossible to see the measuring technique. Tape or lasers? I would think the laser method on a pre-defined CS would be the method - a shot is made out of metal, so it would be easy to define the centroid.... Just wondering
I saw a total station off to the left and in front of the puter. Couldn't quite make out the brand, but I'm guessing something reflectorless and at a known location.
Almost everything distance related for sanctioned events is surveyed and certified. I had a gravy gig for a while certifying the bulkhead distance to the end of the of the pool at a prep school. Every time they moved the bulkhead for different match lengths, we would have to shoot its location and point out where adjustments were needed and I had to fill out and seal a certification form before the competitions began at each lane length. Great money, we got paid to be there all day, usually on weekend overtime rates and charged separately for each certification form completed.
If you pay attention enough to sporting events, quite often you will see a TS set up to measure, particularly at sanctioned golfing events.
I was just reading about the American who won the gold the other day. Not sure how they measure it but I remember the wikipedia saying they measure to the closest visible mark the shot made.
Where it lands is the point to measure to, not where it slides or bounces to.
You can see the total station off to the left, but when you watch the video, but I did not see anyone using a rod...but perhaps. Also, it would be a radial measurement, so I would hope they came from more than one point when measuring, if it is down to centimeter measurements and a gold medal is at stake.
I am pretty sure that I caught a guy with a very thin, meter longish rod with a "peanut" type prism on the bottom end during one of the field events. Very similar to the rods that are available from Leica that fold up in short sections so as to fit in the instrument case. I still have one somewhere around here.
The rod had a sharp tip on it and the prism was mounted a few inches from the bottom. The individual would run out after the shot put and/or discus would land and he would place the tip at or near the mark left in the grass landing area. I did not notice any level bubble.
The instrument in the picture provided appears to be a Leica.
My two cents.
JA, PLS, SoCal
I wonder if they are on grid or ground? Maybe measure from 3 locations in both D and R and then least square adjust?
That method would take too long in an Olympic or any other sanctioned event. The want the results in real time to move the competition on and I'm sure that the measurements are coming from a tightly constrained network. Grid or ground is not going to make a difference over relatively short distances that are not more than a few hundred feet. The same measurement methods are applied to every competitor, but, when a world record comes into play, a much deeper dive would have to be taken for QA/QC proofs of measurement verifications.
Ha, yea I was joking😂
I wonder if they are on grid or ground? Maybe measure from 3 locations in both D and R and then least square adjust?
The rod with the low prism is indeed what is used, I saw this on the discus competition.
We joke about this, but seeing the setup calls into question all sorts of things. Radial measurements for something so critical is interesting. I am surprised they do not have a permanent mount of some sort for the total station.
Also, I am dying to see a shot put thrown through that total station.
For heaven's sake, just use the drone, there are a dozen of them up there over the games all the time. Lidar, least squares, TBC, autocat and bingo!!! Perfect measurement.
I've had a few guys kill a new TS in stranger ways.
For a number of years I had a pro bono gig measuring the big boy tractor pulls at the county fair. My geodimeter had a "sports" program for all types of track and field measurements. I used a reference line routine which was basically SAS measurements. I had to certify the results as they competed for points over a total season. Many were within a tenth or less.
follow up:
I found my geodimeter athletics' manual and for javelin/hammer/discus/shotput you first locate the center of the circle then where it lands. The program stores the center point then subtracts out the radial offset for the allowed throwing area i.e. 8m, 1.068m, 1.25m. In essence you only have to shoot the landing location for each throw. Obviously you should try to setup 90° to the line of throw for a stronger angle
