While our seasonal standings celebrate participation and consistent point-gathering, the Vanguard Rankings represent pure performance and mastery. The Vanguards of each division are the athletes currently leading the sport of ninja. Unlike traditional standings, this system uses an advanced skill-rating algorithm (similar to those used in professional chess and competitive gaming) to measure your ability relative to every other athlete in your division.
How to Join the Vanguard
The path to becoming a Vanguard is a journey of consistency and skill. There are two requirements to unlock your spot on this leaderboard:
- Experience: You must first complete 10 or more official course runs. This ensures the system has enough data to accurately measure your skill.
- Performance: At any time after your 10th run, your skill rating must place you in the top 33% of your division.
A Badge of Honor
Once you earn your place among the Vanguard, you are in for the duration of the season. Even if you have a rough run later on, your status as a Vanguard is secure. From that point forward, the goal is simple: continue to refine your technique, increase your rating, and strive for the #1 spot in the province.
Joining the Vanguard is an elite milestone. It signals that you aren’t just participating, you are setting the pace for the entire sport.
Will you join the ranks?
FAQ
What counts towards my 10 course runs?
Each course at a competition counts, so a single event comp counts as 1 course run, while a multi course competition with two courses counts as 2 course runs. This means that if you attend 5 multi course competitions with two course runs each, you will reach your 10 course runs.
For competitions with a mix of a course run and skills, the course run counts as 1 event, and any skills will be considered a single collective event. For example, an event with 9 skills + a course run counts as 2 runs for the purposes of becoming a Vanguard. Performance on each individual skill is still considered to assess your skill level relative to other ninjas as well as your consistency.
Competitions that feature “elimination” criteria where not all athletes participate in all courses will be counted as 1 course run for the purposes of unlocking Vanguard. Performance in all 3 courses is still considered to assess your skill level relative to other ninjas as well as your consistency.
What Affects my Vanguard Rating?
Unlike a simple points-based system, your Vanguard rating is a “live” calculation of your current skill level. Several factors influence how your score moves after a competition:
- Your Finishing Placement: Naturally, finishing higher in the rankings is the primary way to increase your rating.
- The “Strength of Field”: Your rating is adjusted based on who you competed against. Beating a group of highly-ranked Vanguard athletes will boost your rating significantly more than winning against a field of newer ninjas.
- Performance vs. Expectation: The system predicts how you should perform based on your current rating. If you outperform that prediction (e.g., a lower-ranked ninja beats a top-tier veteran), your rating will climb faster.
- Consistency: The system tracks how “certain” it is of your skill. If your results are erratic (finishing 1st one day and 30th the next), the system remains uncertain, and your rating will be more volatile
- Activity Level: While your rating doesn’t “decay” if you miss a competition, your position may still change as the system learns more about other ninjas relative to your past performance. Competing frequently allows the system to refine its “certainty” of your skill, which helps stabilize your position in the rankings
For a comprehensive look at the formula, you can read the the paper here: https://www.csie.ntu.edu.tw/~cjlin/papers/online_ranking/online_journal.pdf
Does Vanguard carry over between seasons?
Each season is standalone and vanguard status will need to be re-earned. With ninjas moving in and out of each division, as well as the break from April to September, everyone’s rating will need to be reassessed.
How can I see my progress towards Vanguard?
The Vanguard Rankings are updated after each competition. To view your progress towards reaching Vanguard, sign into the NOSO app with your NinjaWorks ID.