Couple Weighting #2 - Weighted by ability level

I have a copy of your couples rotation program. I have read your description of how the placement of dancers is generated. At some of the dances we attend, another couples rotation program is used in which the couples are weighted by some preassigned ability level. That is, these couples are rated C3A , some are rated C3, and others are rated C4. At the end of the dance it is obvious that we have never been in a square that has more than one couple from a higher level and frequently there are squares with all couples at the higher level. Is there any way this can occur with your program? This problem is so annoying that we have decided not to attend specific dances. Your comments??

Despite occasional requests, I have decided not to implement couple weighting precisely because it can easily be abused. After talking to dancers, I've discovered that both the good dancers and the bad dancers generally don't like couple weighting. The good dancers don't like it because they're always forced to help others -- they never get a really good square because they're never placed in a square with several other good couples. The bad dancers also complain since they too notice that the mixing isn't random.

In any case, I believe that the good dancers should get a chance to get a 'great square' once in a while, and so what if occasionally, there is a square that doesn't get any sequences because they're all 'bad' dancers? A more equitable mix is better than a weighted mix.

Displayed Fields
Is there a way to add additional fields to NOT display other than the choices you already give us in DISPLAY? As we are a older club with limited computer skills it would simplify it if they only had to see first, last, tag.

1) Select 'Display | Specific Fields', then check or un-check the individual fields.

or

2) Select 'Display | Customize Grid' then press the 'Modify Columns' button. You now have options to move fields, change their width, show/hide them, and fix them left if desired.

Many clubs use the 'Condensed Display' since it simplifies how dancers are shown. (from the Rotation window, press the 'Condensed Display' button).

Exchange 2 Ladies
There were people designated to sit out for a tip, and he clicked to exchange 2 ladies, for example. Those names on the list to sit out did not appear where they could be selected to exchange with someone in a square...

In the 'Tip Display' window's menu, select 'Edit | Swap two girls'.

Simple Singles Rotation
Do you sell, have, or know someone who has a simple singles rotation only for singles? I was looking for something for non-computer literate people to use at our Convention.

1. At a couple of dances in the Los Angeles area, they have a "Singles Board", a poster-sized board with columns labeled, Boy, Girl, and Out. Each single registers by writing their name on a 1.5x1 inch sticky tab. Someone manually places the Boys in one column, and the Girls in another. Dancers look at the row in which their name appears to find their partner. Prior to each tip, one of the columns is rotated by moving the topmost item to the bottom and shifting the other items up one column.
2. You could use my SQROT rotation program as follows:
   1. Create a new rotation, and add four dummy couples, giving names such as "Out1B", "Out1G", etc. These couples are all marked as Category "Angel".
   2. Add each single to the rotation, with their appropriate Role, and mark them as Category "Student".
   3. Make sure the "Students must dance" flag is set, and also the "Angels only dance if necessary" flag is set.
   4. Generate a rotation for each tip. Dancers then look at the screen to find their partner, but they ignore their assigned square number.
   5. if a single is paired with an "OutNX" person, then they sitout that tip.
   6. This scenario has not been tested with the program, but I suspect there'll be few problems.

Status column missing
Didn't there used to be a column in the Dynamic Rotation window that had those cute icons for dancer status (ready, absent, etc)? Am I missing something?

1. Start SQROT;
2. Select Tools | Registry | Clear | Yes | OK;
3. Restart SQROT;
4. Select your dynamic rotation and see if the column is now there.

Two dance halls and multiple levels
I now have an extra challenge for the program: I intend to use it at a dance where we have two dance halls and multiple levels in each. This means that crowds of people will come and go depending on level changes in the same, or the other hall. Are there any 'crowd handling' features built into the program?

At the AACE Convention, we had 5 full-time halls, each with the SQROT program running. When couples checked in and received their packet, they were given a tag with a unique number on it. This number was entered for the 'Couple Name' on the computer in each hall. Each hall had a 'rotation manager' who was responsible for the rotation in that hall. When the couple enters a hall and wishes to dance, the couple tells the 'rotation manager', and (s)he makes sure that the couple is active in the rotation. When the couple leaves the hall, the couple tells the 'rotation manager' to remove them from the rotation.

This procedure worked reasonably well. The important thing to emphasize to dancers is that they must sign-in when entering the hall, and sign-out when leaving the hall, if they leave before the end of the session.