NOTES FROM THE EDITORNora Courtney - Customer Service Co-ordinatorI am happy to write that I have just returned from my first Short Track Speed Skating event, the European Championships, held in Bormio, Italy. I came home just in time to enter the latest information on Lynx and Short Track into this issue of the newsletter. Hundreds will receive this newsletter in the mail, and many hundreds more by email. Anyone who is not already receiving the newsletter and e-news updates over the Internet, please send your email address to me at nora@finishlynx.com. I will be happy to add you to the list of electronic subscribers. Nora |
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Lynx will cover all the action at this summer’s Track and Field Trials. |
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REACTIME PATENT ISSUEDWe are very, very close to 6,000,000.ReacTime was issued US patent number 6,002,336 on December 14th. “The present invention provides a reaction time measurement system that includes a hard-wired or battery-powered sensor module attached to a starting block or platform to detect acceleration when a contestant moves.” This product is, of course, far more exciting than the description supplied to the U.S. Patent Office! For full details you can visit the ReacTime area of our web site, or the Patent Office at http://www.uspto.gov/patft/. |
BENOIT DE CHASSEY JOINS LYNXA new member in the global Lynx team.Benoît de Chassey, VP of International Business Development, was founder and CEO of the Promatec Group, an IT services company which he grew to 160 staff members and 10 offices before selling the company. Following this, he was Information Systems Director for the 1992 Olympics Games in Albertville and more recently the Executive Director of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. Benoit will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with major clients in the international sports community. |
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The Lynx On-Line Store is open for business. Not only does it carry the new Lynx clothing line, banners and a cuddly toy Lynx(!), you can also find software, hardware, cabling, and more. The on-line store is a secure site. Once you have selected your item(s) proceed to our Secure Check Out Area to enter shipping and credit card information. Worried about ordering over the web? Just call and we will be happy to process your credit card order over the phone. |
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EXTENDED WARRANTIESLynx now offers Extended Warranties to its customers.Would you like the ease of repairs and “hot swaps” to continue past the one year warranty period on your original purchase? You can now purchase an extended warranty for your Lynx manufactured products. One, two or three year extended warranties are now available. No more waiting for a Purchase Order or a reimbursement for a repair. The cost? Call us and we will calculate the price of a warranty for your equipment. What is it worth to you for continuing 24 hour a day, 7 day a week, toll free technical support? Whenever and wherever you need us, we can be there for you. |
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Mobile Event Expert Wanted.We are once again looking for a Mobile Event Expert to join our staff. Simon Goldschmidt has recently returned to Australia after a year and a half with Lynx, and is now training for the Olympic Trials in swimming. Many of you know Simon from speaking with him on tech support calls and seeing him in the field at events around the globe. He contributed much to the company and will be missed. A full description of the position follows: |
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MOBILE EVENT EXPERT Responsibilities: This individual will be responsible for the setup, operation, and maintenance of Lynx data collection, organization and distribution technology at various events in the field, as well as training of others to perform these tasks. Involves a large amount of international travel. Also involves in-house organization and testing of all field equipment to assure readiness of the equipment when it is required in the field. To include backup support of our in-house computer network and servers. A more technical (EE or CS) person could be involved in software development when not on the road, but it should be understood that this is NOT primarily a development position. Qualifications: Must be an "event person" as well as a team player; this means a person who is generally cool headed and capable of performing under stress without negatively affecting those around them. Must have a thorough understanding of all forms of 32-bit Windows operating systems. Prior experience with FinishLynx an obvious plus. Rabid interest in sports or any foreign language proficiencies are a bonus and should be noted by the applicant. Schedule: Position will involve significant weekend travel. Depending on applicant's requirements and work load, this may mean taking certain weekdays off or being paid a flat daily rate for weekend event days. Compensation: Competitive salary with full benefits. Location: Woburn, MA, an industrial suburb about 10 miles north of Boston. Contact: Doug DeAngelis at (781) 935-6959 or recruitment@finishlynx.com |
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Good Start: From Roger Jennings of Flash Results, Inc. Attach the sound of your voice saying “Good Start” to the action of FinishLynx receiving a start signal from the Gun Sensor. One thing to note before you do this. You will be replacing the sound you normally hear for any error you make while using FinishLynx. If you click on a dialog box incorrectly, you will hear “Good Start”.
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Exchange, a new software tool from Lynx, allows a meet manager program to send text files from a computer to FieldLynx and results back to the computer. Exchange adds the functionality that has always been available to FinishLynx users – the ability to write your own athlete listing. Using a database program, or even a standard text editor, such as Notepad, you create lynx.evt files. These files can be uploaded to your FieldLynx unit via the standard Palm cradle supplied with FieldLynx and attached to an available Com port on your computer. When you send the data back after competition is complete, Exchange will upload back to your computer the *.lff file, or result file, for each field event. All FieldLynx units sold after Jan. 31,
2000 will include the software. For existing FieldLynx customers, Exchange is
available at no cost on our web site. |
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How far can Lynx take you? Sue Belger of UNM went all the way to Nigeria in West Africa for the Nigerian National Games.“Earlier this summer, Tony Osheku was at our track working with wife Fali Ogunkoya. In conversation, he mentioned that he would be returning to Nigeria and using the FinishLynx system. I teased a bit and said I'd go run it for him. He took me seriously and said he would pay my expenses if I did! Next thing I knew, I was running around obtaining my passport, application for visa, etc. “I made an extra effort to train the crew on set-up, operation, and troubleshooting. By the finals, they had it all down! I merely sat and observed them, and actually got to watch most of the races! They did an excellent job! “The officials were impressed with the beautiful color finishes! Because there is often confusion and several protests with hand timing, there were no questions as to who finished where and with what times. My experience was awesome.” |
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LYNX TECH SUPPORT – 24/7Our technical support team continues to bring in rave reviews.Ray MacNeil sent this via email. “The technician was not only knowledgeable, but patient, polite and all the other things a person in that position needs to be. I would say that he provided probably the best technical support I have ever had from a hardware/software company. I really can't say enough about how helpful he was.” |
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After talking to Doug at the USATF convention, we are happy to write of his amazing comeback from the terrible injuries he sustained when he was hit by a car.“I am now employed at BYU as an administrator with the Women's Track team. It has been great. My main responsibilities are for our events, both cross country and track, though there are many other things. As for my health, the fixator was removed on Oct. 27! I spent the next 6 weeks on crutches and was cleared to walk on Dec. 14th. Dr. Scott is pleased with the progress and I can start to jog on Feb. 1…I'm kind of excited about that! “I am not sure when I will be able to take full advantage of your generous offer to cover my entry fee for Mt. Sac. soon-to-be-created Gimp 5000, but I will let you know!! My plans are to run 1 full mile on 2-1-00 at 4:00 p.m. MST. If you would like, I would be most honored to have anyone who wishes join me from where ever you might be.”…I know there will be a group of us from Lynx headquarters that will run with Doug in spirit that day. |
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Where do you put the hashline on these guys? Dino Adriano Palazzi in Buenos Aries writes: “Some days ago, in our national track and field championships, I was in the timing tower, and surprise, not only athletes crossed the finish line!”
Clarinets Tie for 27th Place? |
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Highlights from our transcontinental travels.Lynx went on the road for the month of December, with the USAT&F Convention; M-F Athletic's Atlantic City Clinic, and the HS AD's Convention in New Orleans. We met many new people, and had a chance to display EtherLynx 2000, FieldLynx, ReacTime, etc. Bill Falk's M-F Clinic pulled in over 900 coaches in Atlantic City, and featured numerous top-notch speakers, including Vern Gambetta and Joe Vigil. This is surely one of the largest coaching clinics in the US. It’s not often that we have a customer walk up to our booth with a purchase order in his hand, but in New Orleans we sold a color camera system to a high school in Michigan from the convention floor. The system order was called back to the office and shipped within hours. Taking advantage of the convention discount we were offering, the school saved almost $1500 on their purchase. |
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LIVERPOOL HIGH SCHOOL GETS LYNX“George’s Dream” in Syracuse, New York, raises the bar on fundraising.With Lynx’s home based timing teams scattered across the globe and the US, a call for on-site training assistance was answered by Giles Norton, Director of Corporate Communication. This was remarkable in that Giles agreed to travel to the frozen shores of Lake Ontario in the middle of winter – he usually tries to finagle training sessions in Florida or the Caribbean at this time of year. However, the trip was also remarkable for another reason. Under the leadership of their AD, George Mangicaro, Liverpool HS raised in excess of $1 million dollars to finance their new multi-use athletic facility. Inside the 8 lane all-weather track is a football/soccer/field hockey field. Outside is the latest full-matrix scoreboard from Fairtron. The 2000 state meet, hosted at Liverpool this summer, will feature a two camera FinishLynx system, backed by Hy-Tek meet management software – all linked seamlessly to a scoreboard capable of showing start-lists, results, running time AND FinishLynx images. Kudos to George and his team. |
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FinishLynx Hall of Frames ~ Racing Into the New Millennium ~ A dead heat for third place between Lahar and Zazabelle.The Melbourne Cup has never seen a DEAD HEAT for the win, and last saw one for third place in 1933. The final twentieth century running of this classic race featured the second ever dead heat in the race’s history. Win Rogan Josh Place Central Park 1/2 length Show Lahar (DH) 3/4 length Show Zazabelle (DH) 3/4 length Thanks to Brad Fraumano and Amalgamated Photofinish for the FinishLynx image
Snuggle finishes the first Steeplechase of the new Millennium in Auckland, NZ with a time of 4:53.08. Win Snuggle Place Fair Brother Show Stacey Jones FinishLynx image courtesy of Northern Digital Photofinish. The Hong Kong Jockey Club staged the first flat race of the new millennium.
Click to enlarge FinishLynx image courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club Part of the evening’s celebration at the Happy Valley Racecourse, the Millennium Cup horse race was run at 12:45 a.m. Hong Kong time. The race, benefiting a charity, followed the countdown to midnight and a spectacular fireworks display. Floral Joy was first to cross the finish line in the Year 2000 with a time of 1:49.2985. |
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