Stopwatches are not to blame for all the problems in recruiting, but they certainly aren’t helping. Hand timing can both hurt and help an athlete given how much the time varies every time.
Let’s say Athlete 1 ran his 40-yd dash and was timed on a Stopwatch and FAT Timer.
- 40-yd dash (Hand Time) – 4.55 secs
- 40-yd dash (Fully Auto) – 4.75 secs
Athlete 2 is timed the same.
- 40-yd dash (Hand Time) – 4.45 secs
- 40-yd dash (Fully Auto) – 4.75 secs
If both athletes are reporting the hand times, Athlete 2 ‘appears to be faster’ than Athlete 1.
But fully automated times show that both athletes ran the same.
Unfortunately, by using hand times, these athletes are playing roulette with their future.
So athletes, Do you feel lucky?
