As 2018 comes to a close, it’s good to reflect on the year and look forward to what’s next to come. This year at Lynx, there was a continued focus on adding quality and robust support materials across many mediums – from quick start guides to tutorial videos. Read about our past year below and we wish you a very happy new year. 

03/2018 | Lynx International Conference (Orlando, FL) — Members of the Lynx team headed down south to Orlando, Florida to host the 2018 International Resellers Symposium at the Coronado Springs Resort. We hosted Lynx partners and resellers from many countries all over the world who all came together to learn new skills and network with fellow operators. We had an impressive turnout with 60+ attendees from 29 partner countries around the world. See more pictures

06/2018 | Lynx RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) Portal — Lynx has been testing a new RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) portal to streamline our hardware return, repair, and upgrade process. As of June 2018, the RMA portal is live and ready to use. You can now submit repair requests and track your hardware status online. Have you used the RMA portal yet? View the features and quick-start guide here: Read More

07/2018 | Barranquilla Games (Barranquilla, Columbia) — Flash Results and two Lynx technical support members traveled to Barranquilla, Columbia for the Central American and Caribbean Games. Head to our Facebook page to see more pictures form the event.

09/2018 | Lynx Company Retreat — Lynx employees and their families visited Migis Lodge on Sebago Lake in the beautiful state of Maine for a long weekend together on the lake. Everyone enjoyed delicious meals, a wide range of outdoor activities, and some quality time together. Another great company outing in the books!

12/2018 | National Athletic Directors Conference (San Antonio, TX) — Each year, two members of the Lynx team travel to the National Athletic Directors Conference. This year, we joined thousands of other exhibitors and Athletic Directors in San Antonio, TX. Attendees were able to stop by our booth to ask questions, learn more about Lynx, or just say hello. Next year’s conference will be held in National Harbor, Maryland. We hope to see you there!

12/2018 | Lynx Holiday Luncheon — The Lynx holiday luncheon had a particular focus on team-building this year as we solved puzzles to work our ways out of escape rooms at Escapology in Tewksbury, MA. After working our way through the various rooms, we enjoyed a delicious lunch together. 

2018 Technical Support Overview

Released FinishLynx 10.10 — A new FinishLynx software version was released on 10/16/2018. Is your software up to date? The main features of the latest version include:

• Vision-Series Camera Firmware
• Internal RadioLynx
• Camera Network Selection
• Video Display Module
• Additional Scoreboard Scripts
• Advanced Other Settings

Download 10.10 here

Group Training — In addition to providing excellent phone and email assistance to Lynx operators, our technical support team is sometimes booked to give training sessions for new users. This past year, our tech guys traveled to Oklahoma twice, Texas twice, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama to work hands-on ensuring users have the best possible understanding of the Lynx line of products and software. Think group training would be beneficial to your program? Fill out a form to learn more.

Support Videos — This year, the Lynx team created and added 8 new tutorial videos to our YouTube Channel as well as on our Support Videos page. Have a suggestion for a new software tutorial or hardware setup video? Let us know!

Social Media By the Numbers — We’re always trying to expand our network of FinishLynx users online and social media is a great place to connect with everyone. As of 2018, we currently have 2,300+ Twitter followers and 1,900+ Facebook page likes. In 2017, we started the FinishLynx Sports Timers Group on Facebook as a resource for timers and operators to connect and share insights. The group has now grown to 684 members with 194 posts and 1,492 comments on those posts. Very impressive! 

Looking Forward

Another year has passed with many exciting changes and forward progress at Lynx. In the coming year, we look forward to producing even more support videos and blog posts. In November 2019, we will be attending the always enjoyed FSB Cologne trade show in Germany where we can connect with international partners and friends. As always, we encourage you to reach out with any questions or suggestions and we thank you for another excellent year. 

Connect with us on Social Media

Facebook: Lynx Facebook Page

Twitter: Lynx Twitter Feed

Instagram: Lynx on Instagram

YouTube: Lynx YouTube Channel

Haverhill, MA – A quick note to the FinishLynx community that our Headquarters will be closed for an extended winter break during the 2018-19 holiday season for the chance to spend extra time with family and friends. Our Haverhill office will close on Friday, December 21^st at the end of the work day. The office will reopen at 9:00 AM (Eastern Standard Time) on Wednesday, January 2^nd.

This year, the employees of Lynx will be celebrating our holiday party on Wednesday, December 19^th. We’ll be heading to Escapology in Tewksbury, MA to test our teamwork by solving puzzles to escape different rooms before time runs out. Once we’ve all made it out successfully, we’ll celebrate with a team lunch. 

Limited technical support may be available by calling the office and following the prompts to leave a message: (978) 556-9780. You can also submit a tech support web form and may receive a response via email.

2018-19 Holiday Schedule

From everyone here at Lynx, we wish you and your family a very happy holiday and wonderful new year!

You’ve got your fully automatic timing system. You can set it up, time races, and capture accurate results down to the millisecond. 

So, what’s next? Maybe you want to expand your timing services to include new race formats (i.e. road races, XC, marathons), or add a new capture angle to your finish line. The IdentiLynx+ and IdentiLynx XR+ full-frame video cameras can do just that. In fact in past polls, FinishLynx operators rated the IdentiLynx full-frame video as one of the top upgrades to add to their timing systems. Take a look at the features listed below to see how an IdentiLynx video camera can add tremendous value to your repertoire. 

IdentiLynx Basic Features & Benefits

• Finish line video camera that runs on Power-over-Ethernet
• Remote controlled zoom/focus/iris
• Time-sync with chips & photo-finish images inside the software
• Save, share, and export video files for the web
• Capture the finish line from multiple angles (head-on, above, left/right of finish)
• See obscured hip numbers and competitor views
• Evaluate video feed in real-time while the race is still happening
• Have peace of mind with a backup for your chip system (missed chips can happen!)
• Run IdentiLynx video as a stand-alone or in conjunction with your photo-finish and/or chip timing system
• There are many advantages to using an IdentiLynx video camera over a basic video camera such as a security camera. When an IdentiLynx camera is used in conjunction with FinishLynx, each video is time-synced with the photo-finish image and the chip times.
  • The Automatic Capture plug-in can be activated within the IdentiLynx cameras.
  • The IdentiLynx cameras are the only video cameras that natively integrate with FinishLynx.
  • Once athletes are captured, control everything within the FinishLynx software. Click on the photo-finish image, the video will jump to the same location and vice versa (see below).

Get More Info Now

IdentiLynx+ & XR+ Features and Comparison

This past year, Lynx released two new IdentiLynx camera models that have phased out the older versions. Each of these new models offer superior quality and make a perfect addition to your current timing setup. The feature that truly makes the new IdentiLynx cameras shine is the addition of remote lens control. Gone are the days of needing to adjust the focus, iris, and zoom manually; now, just the click of a few buttons within the FinishLynx software will take care of that.  

• Standard 720p vs Variable quality/frame rates
• Remote lens control – Control and adjust the zoom and focus from within FinishLynx (vs old models)
• Two prices points offered
• Hard plastic housing protects lens in case the camera tips over…or is tackled by an athlete :) 

Cross Country/Triad

Anyone who has timed a large race can tell you that the finish line can (and will) become over-crowded with finishers. While chips alone are considered accurate, it’s not uncommon to have missed chip reads, runners wearing wrong tags, or incorrect finish orders during tight races (which is a nightmare for team scoring). In these instances, it’s essential to have a visual backup to certify the correct finish order and times of each athlete. Having head-on video proof of the finish line can be used to read bib numbers or identify athletes based on uniform or school colors. Combine photo-finish, video and RFID into a single interface to have the best possible timing solution for every race.  Read more about Cross Country and Chip Integration

Testimonials

[I] am providing the timing for a medium-sized college invitational in a few weeks. Used the IdentiLynx last year and saved the race after a person dropped the stringer with the tear off tags and they went everywhere. IdentiLynx was the only thing that saved it and it was rather fast to use to get the chest bib numbers of all finishers. The IdentiLynx camera is definitely worth its expense. Just ask the coaches.

– Trey Jackson

We at Ford Timing LOVE our new IdentiLynx – Don’t know how we’ve survived without it all these years!

– A. Ford

A chip timing system without cameras is like an electronic voting machine that doesn’t produce a paper receipt; you can still wonder whether the recorded result matches what actually occurred. But it is pretty hard to refute a photo record of every rider on every lap.

– Lennard Zinn, Velo News

First XC event using the “Triad”. Used bib tags and had ZERO misses. Even got the close finishers in the correct order. Amazing that as soon as the last runner crosses the finish line, we’re DONE! Well done on the integration.

– R. Berryman

IdentiLynx: For More Than Just XC

Orlando, Florida – Last week, members of the Lynx team traveled south to Orlando, Florida to host the 2018 International Resellers Symposium at the Coronado Springs Resort. We had the chance to invite Lynx partners and resellers from all over the world to come together to learn new skills and network with fellow operators. We had an impressive turnout with 60+ attendees from 29 partner countries around the world. 

Symposium Overview

Over two very packed days, attendees listened to presentations by Lynx employees and partners including a range of topics like FinishLynx Technology & Taking Better Photos, Tips for Planning a Local Training Seminar, Falcon Racing, and many more. Along with the presentations, guests were also given the opportunity to test out the latest Lynx products hands-on. Some of the fan-favorites included the Vision PRO Camera, LED Scoreboard, and the IdentiLynx XR+ Video Camera.

While the main focus of the conference was to learn, the secondary goal was to build and create new relationships. It’s not too often people from 29 countries get to mingle in the same room; so when that does happen, we want to take full advantage of it. New friendships and connections were made while existing ones were strengthened. 

Other Highlights

Aside from listening to lectures and networking with colleagues, guests attended a nice outdoor Welcome Dinner held on one of the patios of the resort. Here, initial introductions were made while enjoying a variety of foods. At the completion of the symposium, the group boarded the coach buses and traveled to Epcot for the Farewell Dinner and fireworks display. All-in-all, we hope that everyone found a good balance of work and fun. It was a fast-paced couple of days, and we look forward to what’s in store for next time.

We’d like to give a special thanks to our guest presenters who took the time to deliver presentations for this conference. You can find the videos on our YouTube channel.

• Wilson Morales – Tiempo de Llegada
• Roger Jennings – Flash Results
• Jason Moody – Regatta Timing
• Bruno Cordier – Matsport
• Federico Gori – Microgate
• Greg Lipinski – Domtel-Sport
• Dennis Dirks – SplitTime B.V.

Head to our Lynx Facebook page to see the full collection of pictures from the Symposium.

April 1, 2018 – Orlando, Florida

Lynx resellers from around the world descended on Disney World this past week for the 2018 Lynx International Partner Symposium. We were honored to have 60+ partners from 26 countries join us for two days of Lynx-inspired presentations dedicated to timing, selling, and expanding FinishLynx products outside the US.

The event just concluded, so we’re still waiting to collect photos, videos, and marketing materials from the event. But in the meantime, it’s clear that the symposium, held at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, had a very strong impact on employees and partners alike. As a result, Lynx will be looking to update its logo to make the brand more international, recognizable, and user-friendly.

Special thanks to everyone who made the trip to join us down in Florida. It was a pleasure to spend time with you and your families.

To rest of the Lynx community, please review a few of the possible logo updates and let us know your favorite. We are also open to other suggestions you may have. We will be announcing our final decision in the coming weeks :)

Possible Logo Redesign Ideas

April Fools! Please share with other members of the Lynx community.

This has been an exciting year at Lynx System Developers. As the holiday season rolls in, we wanted to take a look back to reflect on some highlights from 2017. 

03/2017 | Celebrated 25th Anniversary — On March 24, 2017, Lynx celebrated 25 years since it was first incorporated in 1992. What began as a grad school project has since grown into a world-class brand. With innovation and dedication, Lynx technology changed the landscape of race timing. The fascinating story of Lynx can be found on our blog where you can learn about the first camera prototype, and the journey that led to today’s success. We look forward to many years to come. 

03/2017 | FinishLynx Online Help Manual — With software that is constantly being updated, we needed to find an efficient way to also provide documentation that stays up-to-date. Our solution was to build the online FinishLynx Help Manual. Months of work and many changes went into designing and building what is now a searchable, up-to-date, and mobile-friendly version of our software manual. 

04/2017 | April Fools Products — April Fools is a day that we get to explore our creative sides each year trying to design the next joke Lynx products to add to our April Fools Catalog. This year’s products included the HoloLynx Virtual Display Board and the High-Tech Disposable Camera Covers (not to be confused with regular trash bags :) ). 

06/2017 | FinishLynx Timers Facebook Group — We know there is a lot of FinishLynx technical information out there and many different timing setups. We wanted to create a way to connect fellow FinishLynx operators to compare configurations, ask questions, and have access directly to Lynx Technical Support. Since its inception in July, the group has grown to 326 members (still growing weekly), and there have been 31 posts made with 119 comments on those posts. We really appreciate the support that the timing community provides to one another and hope this continues into the next year. 

06/2017 | New Tech Support — We welcomed Dave Dantino to the Lynx Technical Support team this past summer. 

11/2017 | FSB Cologne — Every other year, three Lynx employees attend the international conference in Cologne, Germany. This conference is always highly anticipated as it’s a wonderful opportunity to network and engage with international partners and customers in person. 

12/2017 | National Athletic Directors Conference — This year’s conference was held in Phoenix, AZ where more than 1,800 attendees graced the halls of the Phoenix Convention Center. This conference is always a great opportunity to meet customers face-to-face and answer any questions that those unfamiliar with Lynx may have.

12/2017 | IdentiLynx XR+ — Released the next generation of IdentiLynx cameras. This camera includes higher image resolution, variable frame rates, and more capture modes than previous versions. There is also a P-Iris motorized lens so the Zoom and Focus can be adjusted remotely within the FinishLynx software. 

Released two new software updates | As of December 2017, FinishLynx v. 10.04 is the latest version of the software. See some of the main features below:

12/2017 | Lynx Holiday Luncheon — This year’s Lynx holiday party was held at Board & Brush in Amesbury, MA where employees were able to challenge their creative sides and make homemade gifts/home decorations while enjoying lunch together. 

Produced and released 7 new support videos/tutorials:

• IdentiLynx Full-Frame Video Camera – Basic Setup
• Vision & Vision PRO – 2.8-10mm CS-Mount P-Iris Lens
• Optimize Image Quality & Time Resolution on the Vision PRO Camera
• FinishLynx 10.03 New Features – Video Release
• FinishLynx 10.04 New Features – Video Release
• FinishLynx Video Display Module (VDM)
• 1-Sided LED Display Setup Tutorial

Published 16 new blog posts, with an increased focus on diving deeper into technical support issues. In the next year, we’re looking to continue this trend and welcome any feedback or suggestions for common support issues that could benefit from a more in-depth explanation. 

• Highlights: Vision Camera Instant Upgrade Codes, DIY Remote Positioner Motor Repair, IdentiLynx Troubleshooting

Looking Forward

We at Lynx are always working to improve. Whether it’s releasing new software updates, producing tech support tutorial videos, or introducing new technology, there is always room to grow. In 2018, we will continue releasing new content, tools, and updates to enhance the FinishLynx experience. That includes new videos, QSGs, tips and tricks, and blog posts. We also hope to grow the Facebook FinishLynx Timers community to 1000 members so timers can connect and collaborate in real time. We’d also love to hear any ideas you have for videos, web content, or FAQs that could be beneficial to the timing community. If you have any suggestions, you can reach the marketing team directly by sending us an email. 

Thank you to the FinishLynx community for another fantastic year.

Happy New Year and see you in 2018!

Connect with us on Social Media

Facebook: Lynx Facebook Page

Twitter: Lynx Twitter Feed

Instagram: Lynx on Instagram

YouTube: Lynx YouTube Channel

Haverhill, MA –  A quick note to the FinishLynx community that our Headquarters will be closed for an extended winter break during the 2017-18 holiday season for the chance to spend extra time with family and friends. Our Haverhill office will close on Friday, December 22^nd at the end of the work day. The office will reopen at 9:00 AM (Eastern Standard Time) on Tuesday, January 2nd.

This year, the employees of Lynx will be celebrating our holiday party at Board & Brush. We’ll be testing our creativity to paint personalized signs to either give as gifts, or decorate our own homes. We’ll enjoy a nice lunch together while showing off our artistic abilities. 

Limited technical support may be available by calling the office and following the prompts to leave a message: (978) 556-9780. You can also submit a tech support web form and may receive a response via email.

 2017-18 Holiday Schedule

Close: Friday, December 22nd at 5:00 PM (EST)

Re-Open: Tuesday, January 2nd at 9:00 AM (EST)

From everyone here at Lynx, we wish you and your family a very happy holiday and wonderful new year.

The topic of insurance has been brought up many times within the race timers’ community. What type of insurance is needed? Who is responsible for providing insurance at events? Is insurance needed at all? With so many questions in mind, it can be difficult to get a straight answer – especially with how complicated the general topic of insurance can be anyway. We spoke with Scott Sutter of Strategic Risk Transfers, an insurance company offering coverage specifically for Race Timers, to see if we could clarify some of the more common questions.

The first question that can be asked is, “Do we even need insurance?” While not all race timers choose to get insurance, the majority of events and venues putting on a race will require it. There is just so much that can possibly go wrong. When looking for insurance, be sure to read up on any exemptions listed on insurance policies if you are planning to host a mud run or bicycle race, for example, because some insurance policies won’t cover those.

So, who is responsible for providing insurance? Below is a handy breakdown from Scott to have a simple way of answering that exact question:

This Insurance Guide has been prepared specifically for Race Timing Providers. The timer’s insurance related responsibilities are dictated by the timing contract, as well as best practices and State Statute. This guide is designed to generally guide the Race Timer in their initial engagement with a Race Director.

Choosing Insurance Coverage for Race Directors and Timers

The options for race timing insurance can be fairly limited. For Race Directors who are hosting events, you may opt to just get single-event insurance for each one. Another option is to get a single, year-long event liability policy which covers all races. As for insurance on the race timing side, it could be a smart idea to have general liability insurance that would provide coverage if you are liable for non-race related bodily injury or property damage (ie; your inflatable arch falls on someone’s car, etc). It could also be a good idea to look for a policy that has professional liability coverage which would cover instances such as the timer releasing incorrect results, the wrong runners are then issued prize monies, and the RD cannot get those monies back – professional liability coverage could activate in this case.

According to Scott, “General liability policies specifically exclude ‘participation in and/or practice for athletic events.’ If you are a race timer, this exclusion isn’t a big deal, since the timer is only responsible for recording the performance of the participant. However, this exclusion is a huge deal to the race director, who is responsible for the runner – while that runner is in between the start/finish line, as well as at associated race exhibitions, post-parties, etc. This is why the race director must buy an event liability policy. The event liability policy will defend the race director if they are sued by a participant (or spectator or vendor) for bodily injury or property damage.”

Exploring Race Timing Insurance Options

Two of the more well-known options are offered by the USATF and the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA). One detail to note with these options is that membership may be required in order to get insurance from either organization. On another note, some race timers have found that the insurance providers they already use for Auto/Home are able to provide the adequate coverage needed. This is less common though, and unfortunately, a general insurance company typically won’t be as knowledgeable of the intricacies involved with race timing. 

This lack of race timing insurance options brings us to Scott Sutter. 

Scott Sutter has always been involved with the track and field world. Previously a Division I track athlete, he has since founded the race production company Southern New England Athletic Association (www.sneaa.org). Alongside the race production company, Scott also owns and operates Strategic Risk Transfers, a commercial liability insurance brokerage out of Worcester, MA. Scott shared with us his realization that there was a real need for race timing insurance:

A couple of years ago, the timing company that we historically hired to time our races asked me to quote their insurance. This is when I discovered that an insurance program for race timers did not exist on the market. The timer’s current insurance program did not insure their off-site exposure – essentially, they had zero coverage while timing a race on someone else’s property – which is every race! Crazy!

– Scott Sutter, Strategic Risk Transfers

Since Scott is deeply embedded within the race timing community, he fully understands the frustrations and complexities of the industry that many other insurance companies simply don’t have experience with. In talking with Scott, it’s clear that he holds a true passion for providing complete solutions as well as a better understanding for those who may not know where to start. Scott provided us with a list of deliverables from Strategic Risk Transfers which can be viewed here.

Please feel free to reach out to Scott with any questions you may have about your options: scott@srtins.com

If you operate a race timing company and regularly time, score, or host events, we recommend you explore all your insurance coverage options. They will vary by your needs, location, sport, and the nature of your events. But at the very least, you should be aware of your choices. Plans can start at as a little as a few hundred dollars annually. And that’s a small price to pay to protect your company, employees, and participants.