Picture the scene :- you are watching heat after heat of racing, you are bored, but you need to stay awake. Guessing who will be the winner of each heat is too obvious, how about guessing who is going to come last?

Note that this works best when there are loads of short heats, with a few competitors in each heat, as is typical with track sprinting, swimming galas, etc.

Here are the rules :-

Each person spectating picks a loser as the competitors approach the start – you are not allowed to review any performance stats, only judge on what you see. Perhaps lane 4 looks more nervous than the rest?, perhaps lane 2 looks too professional with proper kit?, judge what you see, make your choice. The race starts, you follow the action with as much interest as all the other spectators, but for slightly different reasons. But no one will know!

Points are awarded as follows :-

Your choice loses the heat – you get 1 point.
If none of your group chooses the loser, the slowest one wins a point.
If your choice is disqualified, you get 2 points.
If your choice fails to finish i.e. a real loser, you get 3 points.

This is more fun than it sounds, as long as you don’t tell those around you (who may be related to those taking part!)

If you feel brave, put some money on it.

Your next competition meet will pass a lot quicker.

Please note I didn’t invent this game, their identity will remain secret for the moment.