Skyleague

The NSL Handicap System

The NSL handicap system was developed in 1999 by Dr. Joel Shugar and revised by Joe O'Connor in 2002. It is designed to make the whole season and each competition more interesting and exciting for all involved. It will aid in making all teams compete at approximately the same level with each other. Each team of the same division will always have the chance to win - no matter how much the actual point average is. It just takes a top performance on the specific team level that day.

The handicap will be determined by the point average of each team. The team with the highest point average will set the benchmark and will compete without a handicap. All other teams of the same league will have a handicap. Each team's handicap for the first meet will be determined after the first three rounds of the team's first season meet retroactively.

**Example: Meet 1 - Score Board**
Team	1	2	3	Average	Handicap	4	5	Total	Average	Score	League Points
Team A	12	15	11	12.7	1.00	13	10	61	12.2	61.00	4
Team B	11	12	12	11.7	1.08	11	10	56	11.2	60.48	2
Team C	9	8	8	8.3	1.45	7	10	42	8.4	60.90	3
Team D	5	4	6	5.0	1.91	6	7	28	5.6	53.48	1

After the first meet, the team's season average will determine the handicap for each subsequent meet. The team with the highest season average will set the benchmark and compete without a handicap. All other teams will receive their handicap by applying the NSL handicap formula.

**Example: Handicap Calculation for Meet 2**
Team	Average	Calculation	Handicap Factor
Team A	12.2	n.a.	1.00
Team B	11.2	(12.2+(12.2/11.2))/(11.2+(12.2/11.2))	1.08
Team C	8.4	(12.2+(12.2/8.4))/(8.4+(12.2/8.4))	1.39
Team D	5.6	(12.2+(12.2/5.6))/(5.6+(12.2/5.6))	1.85

Download the spreadsheet for this meet
(to save and keep the spreadsheet: right-click on the link > Save Target As)

The handicapped score at the next meet can be posted after each round by multiplying the raw score of each round with the handicap factor, or at the end of the meet by multiplying the total number of points with the same handicap factor.

**Example: Meet 2 - Score Board**
Team	Handicap	1	Score	2	Score	3	Score	4	Score	5	Score	Total	Average	Score	League Points
Team A	1.00	12	12.00	12	12.00	14	14.00	10	10.00	14	14.00	62	12.4	62.00	2
Team B	1.08	11	11.88	10	10.80	11	11.88	12	12.96	13	14.04	57	11.4	61.56	1
Team C	1.39	8	11.12	9	12.51	10	13.90	9	12.51	9	12.51	45	9.0	62.55	3
Team D	1.85	6	11.10	8	14.80	7	12.95	6	11.10	8	14.80	35	7.0	64.75	4

After the second season meet, the handicap factor will be recalculated, now based on each team's season average.

**Example: Handicap Calculation for Meet 3**
Team	Average Meet 1	Average Meet 2	Season Average	Calculation	Handicap Factor
Team A	12.2	12.4	12.3	n.a.	1.00
Team B	11.2	11.4	11.3	(12.3+(12.3/11.3))/(11.3+(12.3/11.3))	1.08
Team C	8.4	9.0	8.7	(12.3+(12.3/8.7))/(8.7+(12.3/8.7))	1.36
Team D	5.6	7.0	6.3	(12.3+(12.3/6.3))/(6.3+(12.3/6.3))	1.73

Download the spreadsheet for this meet
(to save and keep the spreadsheet: right-click on the link > Save Target As)

Each score of each round at the third season meet will be multiplied with the new handicap factor for each team. The same procedure continues for the rest of the season, no matter how many meets the season consists of. The team which accumulates the most league points out of the requested minimum meets will be the league champion.

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