2012 Special Olympic Preview Edition

y. It was to found the compan spinning off from HP onic timing n manufacturing electr ga be ed from 16 y tinu the con t — tha CK n BA the OK A LO ed change sport of swimming. establishment—it resist ms exclusively for the ste sy to believe esof pushback from the qu o als technology. It s in the sport, it’s hard an of y ter ilit ve iab ny rel ma r the d Fo ste first practiand distru since CTS offered the ology underwater. hn ars ye tec 40 ing en us be of it’s ety t saf tha s oard system tioned the ring the Rome Olympic , touchpad and scoreb du ing 60 19 tim in y d pla ge dis an ch cal s All thi n easy-to-read which Australia’s Joh rketplace. It featured in ma e can rac eri ial Am ers ov the ntr to e” display after a co medal in the 100 meter plus the first “split tim ld ys go pla the dis e ed tim ard al aw s fin Devitt wa er.

Lance Larson. available on a swim tim leap for freestyle over American er being tim ic on ctr of timing was a huge ele ion an rat s ne wa ge st re fir the is e, Th tim At the problems.

60 system. Results in 19 it didn’t solve all of the r, -up ve ck we ba ho a , as ort ly sp on the t ns still had es, used—bu who relied on their ey etitors’ times, so huma s mp ge co jud re ish sto fin n’t by did ed It n the system, were decid That reliance on huma nually and then reset s. ma lay es rep tim e us t ord no rec to did and they er. ympic controversy. losing those times forev timer eyesight began this Ol could he y wa ly S created a printing on CT the er, ew lat kn ars n ye rso La few t A tha ms It see ile r strip printer. wall underwater wh orated a built-in pape the orp inc for t ch tha rea m t ste jus sy s and final win wa ter. instantly printed split plain sight above wa er in tim ll wa ing int the pr ed is ch Th became an dDevitt tou each heat. This soon judges and three secon of ce d en pla stthe fir at ee es thr tim re re There we sport. A shift st-place judges, they we and a standard in the fir n ee tio op thr le the ab Of ord s. aff ge gsport versus place jud was occurring in the e three second-place jud on Th ati t. vit tom De au ng ard ori tow fav , split, 2-1 fore, the timers. for second, by 2-1. There human recorders and mpanies es also favored Devitt n. wo o wh of many other timing co ms e, ter tim in , s 3-3 thi g lit, sp rin re Du we s dozens of six judge lane ate timing systems for timers in 1960 for each cre al to ici off ing ee try thr re re we we There rching how nd. All three timers for r, CTS was busy resea ha ve by we ho ing s, tim ort sp all er r, me oth ee swimming. and swim its timing systems for at 55.2 seconds. The thr e ov him pr ed im tim uld 3, co y ne La the .1 Devitt, in ded an interrson at 55.0, 55.1 and 55 d generation timer ad La on ed sec tim o’s d ad ha lor 4 Co ne La n. timers for so meet orgaseemed to favor Larso created an audit trail ing ich tim wh the er, e, int for pr l ere na Th . seconds e times were -up actly what the real rac to the electronic back ex d ne see tur uld n co the s ers ge niz jud new feaThe n timers were used more, ctronic timing had Larso the ele e As Th . er. tie lat s the nth ak mo bre timer to ch as adding ferto meet the demand, su t in 55.16 seconds, a dif d vit de De ad d re an we ds es on tur sec in 55.10 lure, the timer times Using both the hand (in case of a power fai s s. rie he tte inc r ba fou up t ck ou ba ab data would ence of have ing accurately, and no Larson’s time should tim es, on tim ep ic ke on uld ctr wo ele and the ted to a nonS touchpads were upda vitt at 55.2.

De CT , th so wi Al .1, t).

55 los as be ted r been lis rsions added judge, Henry Runströme eviate slipping. Later ve ief all ch to the , ial lay ter de ma g p lon sli a After internally. vitt re thousands of races vote and declared De sto ing to cid ry de mo the me t re cas , mo en of Swed the ability to en a on of the timer added t Larson would be giv rsi tha ve xt led ne ru e He Th er. nn the wi a meet mannot an electronic signal to rules at that time did by the es r, ve tim t we mi Ho ns .2. tra 55 time of him ted all human to have a vote or give r. This advance elimina ge ute jud mp co ief t ch en the em ag for provide sed the speed broken times and greatly increa s were supposed to be of Tie on s. tie pti cri ak ns bre tra to ht the rig ults from an event. ing machine. getting out the full res of a re advanced by referring to the tim of f oo pr also using the nded to the need for mo d, po ale res pe o ap als S m CT tea S. U. The lete timing ed and launched a comp t they felt clearly show tha ms ste oto sy ph d ng ate ini str tra Illu g platforms Sports Jan al jury—headed by In 2002, relay judgin pe m. ap ste e sy Th . ng ing ini nn tra wi relay races Larson ion add more accuracy to esident of the Fédérat to Pr ed the uc o rod als int ), re ED we (N de Vries S launched a rejected the process. In 2004, CT ion (FINA) in 1960— ate tat tom Na au de to d ale an on ati y division to Intern r scoreboard and displa t the winner. olo vit l-c De ful e ing let ep mp ke co al, pe the ap ntrotheir timing systems. vitt the winner, this co work seamlessly with Because they ruled De cele of e us discussion about the versy sparked intense E FUTURE n of D PREDICTIONS FOR TH ly ended in the adoptio AN ate im CK ult BA d OK an LO ing A tim ists that has tronic imration of swimmers ex ic timing system for sw ne on ge ctr e tir ele en d ate An tom au a fullyelectronic tims. a swim meet without pic n ym ow Ol kn r 68 19 ve ne the in horns. It’s ming en electronic starting ing, touchpads and ev tory and how ember the sport’s his ONIC TIMING TR rem EC to EL nt OF rta N po TIO im OP THE AD into what it is today.

MPETITIVE SWIMMING swimming has evolved INTO ALL LEVELS OF CO the of ng is dependent gh ou thr after the break technology in swimmi s— of e 70 ur 19 fut ly e ear Th the g rin Du timing mpetitors and, of re a handful of sports of the coaches and co we s re ed ne the s— the pic on ym Ol iss shoulder-to1968 (Omega Timing and Sw anies willing to work rld mp co wo the the d se, un ur aro co s nie compa imthe sport as we complete focus on sw m in order to improve the the th th wi wi r ne lde no ou t sh bu ), Timing (CTS). years. ❖ Colorado Time Systems embark on the next 40 rs ming—except for one: ee gin en ard r Hewlett-Pack CTS began with fou 17 Olympic Preview