As we begin a new season on MoMileSplit we are dedicating this Top 10 List to things you might not have known aboutMoMileSplit.com
1. Results - We realize many of our site visitors are looking for race results. I thought this would be a good place to provide a quick summary of how we post results and why the format is so important. First of all we are not a timing company. We are dependent on timing companies, meet directors and coaches to either post or send us results. While you may find results to races on many different sites, MoMileSplit consolidates these results often by reformatting them so they can be stored in a database that is used to enable many of the features on the site. I could write thousands of words on the topic of results but I’ll try to keep this to the basics. First we ask meet directors and coaches email any files with results to peverett@milesplit.com Many of you know we post results pretty much immediately after we receive them. Sometimes the format of the results are a problem (we hate pdf files!) and it will take additional time to post the results. If you are not using a timing company or hytek we encourage you to use RaceTab as an easy way to record and score your meet. The software is free and can be downloaded here and ensures results are in an easy format for us to use. The reason the format is so important is after the results are posted we have to run an additional process to link them in our database. In order to do this we must have an athlete’s first and last name, the school they run for and the time they ran. This process of linking results to the database is almost always complete within 24 hours after results are posted on our site.
2. Athlete Profiles – During the off-season there were a number of new features added to the athlete profile pages. Every athlete with a result in our database has their own page. Search for an athlete in the search box on the right side of the menu bar and you should find your athlete profile. We encourage athletes and parents to claim your profile and add photos (profile and cover)
3. Stats – Rankings & Advanced Features – MoMileSplit is about more than results and profile pages. Our Stats Tab allows you to view and sort rankings using multiple criteria including Conference, District, Sectional, Class & Grade. Virtual Meets allow you create what if scenarios by forecasting a meet result using criteria like what if every runner matched their personal record or ran their average time? We also know athletes like to know how they match up against the competition. Our Athlete Compare tool is great for that
4. We have no full time staff – While we usually work on the site well more than 40 hours a week during the season, everyone who works on the site has full time job or is a full time student athlete . This is my 5th year as websmaster. When my sons and I took on the role we had zero prior expeirence in journalism, photography or managing a website but we had a desire to use technology to provide high school athletes, coaches and fans with a website they could enjoy. We are thankful for many who have chipped in as regular contributors to the content you see on here and for so many coaches and parents who have encouraged us in the work we do. Everyone involved shares in common a passion to serve the running community and grow our sport.
5. National network – MoMileSplit is part of a network of states that link together to provide results and coverage across the US, Canada, The British Virgin Islands and Jamaica. Each site is managed independently by local webmasters so you will see varying degrees of coverage. (we think Missouri stacks up pretty well against other states) The Milesplit National team assists local states with programming, national advertisement contracts and support for such features as on-line meet registration. Other states also provide coverage when a meet is held outside of Missouri.
6. Subscriptions – It takes a lot of hours and resources to provide the level of coverage that we do at MoMileSplit. A number of families and coaches have supported this site financially through the years and they deserve much of the credit for what you see. As our subscription base increases, we are able to hire more resources and equipment and expand coverage. As a benefit to those who subscribe, access is granted to subscriber only features such as our database and advanced stats. While some states require subscriptions for articles and photo albums, these continue to be open to everyone in Missouri. This season subscribers will also be able to view and download higher resolution photos posted in our photo albums than non-subscribers. We recently introduced the ability to subscribe by month allowing families of athletes who just participate in cross country or track the ability to access the features for a shorter timeframe. You can support the site and access these features by subscribing here.
7. Social Media – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Vine – You can also find us on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/MoMileSplit Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoMileSplit Instagram: http://instagram.com/momilesplit as well as Vine. Our twitter feed is very active during the year and often is updated befofe the website by us and other fans who are tweeting from meets.
8. We are growing – Although we cover both track and field and cross country, MoMileSplit had traditionally been a “distance” site attracting more traffic during cross country season. This past track season that changed as over 26,000 visitors viewing almost 1.2 million pages of content visited MoMilesplit.Com during the month of May, a new personal record for our site.
9. Community Involvement – We need you to help make MoMileSplit even better. Email, Post and Tag Photos – Tweet using #MOMILESPLIT and tell your friends and teammates about the site.
10. Mistakes happen Sometimes you will find a name misspelled or an athlete with two or even more profiles in our database. The good news is mistakes are easily fixed in an online world, just send an email to peverett@milesplit.com