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I'll adjust the style to match the original third-person phrasing, focusing on how "the system" operates while ensuring the latest ranking and seeding logic is included. Start Time Allocation Guide (Updated 21 February 2026) This guide explains how the system automatically assigns start times. It uses three main methods: 1. Normal British Orienteering events (taking account of block preferences, family proximity, parent/child splits, and helper requests). 2. Elite classes at non-WREs (Strict fractional grouping following BO rules A3.2.1 – A3.2.6). 3. World Ranking Events (WRE) (Strict reverse-ranking for all ranked athletes). Both follow national fairness rules and international guidelines where relevant. Course Settings The following settings determine the allocation parameters: • Excluded time ranges — No starts allowed in these windows (format: HH:MM–HH:MM). • First start — The earliest allowed start time. • Last start — The latest allowed start time (defaults to the event-wide setting if left blank). • Allocation Rule Set — Options include “Normal” or “Elite”. • Preferred gap (mins) — Minimum time between most starters. • Seeded gap (mins) — Minimum time between seeded starters (must be a multiple of the preferred gap). • Bib start number — The first bib number used for the course. How Normal Allocation Works 1. Creating time slots The system creates slots every minute (e.g., 10:00, 10:01, 10:02), skipping any excluded time ranges and staying strictly within first/last start limits. Each slot records the exact time, the minute of the day for precise grid calculations, the course link, and current availability. 2. Dividing into start blocks Slots are grouped into five blocks: Very Early, Early, Middle, Late, Very Late. Block sizes roughly match the number of competitors who requested each time window. Every block receives at least 5% of slots (or minimum 4 slots). Leftover slots are shared fairly using the largest-remainder method. 3. Sorting runners (Safe for Late Entries & Auditing) The system ignores any competitor who already has a start time (idempotent design). Remaining runners fall into three groups: • Manual/special cases: Helpers, open starts, parent/child pairs. • Seeded runners: Top 10 ranked athletes on the course. • Standard (unseeded) runners. Both seeded and unseeded lists are randomly shuffled (Fisher-Yates) before assignment. • Seeded Audit Trail: The system automatically marks the top 10 ranked athletes as "Seeded" in the database. If a top 10 athlete is an "Open Starter," they are moved to the manual group but retain their "Seeded" status for audit records. 4. Placing seeded runners (Strict Integrity) The system attempts to place each runner exactly at the Seeded Gap interval inside their requested block. If the block is full, it searches fallback blocks in closest-first order. If no exact seeded interval is free anywhere on the course, the system halts and throws a hard error to protect competitive integrity. 5. Placing unseeded runners (Scoring Engine / Soft Fallback) The system aims to spread runners evenly inside their requested block, prioritising slots that match the Preferred Gap interval. If those are unavailable, it considers all remaining free slots (1-minute intervals). If a course is 100% full, the runner remains unassigned and is flagged for manual review. 6. Keeping families & groups close Groups sharing a Session ID and requested block are linked. The system prioritises slots near existing group members, optimally targeting a placement of exactly two Seeded Gaps apart to balance proximity with course spread. British Orienteering Elite Allocation (A3.2 Rules) Used for Elite classes at non-WREs (including M/W18E and M/W20E). 1. Group Fractions (A3.2.1 & A3.2.4) Ranked competitors are sorted worst-to-best. The total count ($C$) is divided by 4 to find $n$. Athletes are divided into 5 fractional buckets based on rank. Unranked athletes start first. Group 5 (lowest ranks) follows, and Group 1 (highest ranks) starts last. 2. Requesting a Lower Group (A3.2.5) The system checks the athlete's standard block preference. If an athlete entitled to a late start requests an earlier block (e.g., "Early" instead of "Very Late"), the system honours the downward shift. Athletes are strictly prevented from moving up to a higher-ranked group. 3. Shuffling (A3.2.2) Once final buckets are established, the starting order within each fractional bucket is drawn at random. 4. Consecutive Packing & Buffer Gaps (A3.2.3 & A3.2.6) Athletes are strictly assigned to the Seeded Gap grid and packed consecutively to ensure no one runs alone. If capacity permits, the system drops a 1-slot spare buffer between groups. Anti-isolation logic ensures an athlete never has a blank start time both before and after them. World Ranking Event (WRE) Elite Allocation Used strictly for elite classes at official World Ranking Events. 1. Strict Reverse Ranking Ranked runners are sorted worst to best. Unranked athletes are shuffled randomly and placed into the earliest slots. Ranked athletes follow in strict reverse-rank order; the highest-ranked athlete always receives the final start slot. 2. Competition Integrity To meet international WRE standards, the system ignores block preferences, family proximity, and helper requests. A strict Seeded Gap is enforced between all runners. After Allocation – The Organiser Dashboard The system writes a diagnostic summary. Normal Mode Dashboard:Processed: 150 runners | Allocated: 145 (Seeded: 10, Unseeded: 135) | Family Matches: 42 | 1-Min Gaps: 8 | Manual Review: 5 | Free Slots: 20 Elite Mode Dashboard:[ELITE MODE] Processed: 49 | Allocated: 49 | Spare Buffer Intervals Inserted: 5 | Free Slots Remaining: 130