Why Can't I Just Wing It?

On a state wrestling forum, one observer writes about Takedown:

You have to set up your roster in the program before you even start, there is no quick score function.

It is true, the user must set up a roster before any scoring takes place.

One might reasonably ask why we took this approach.

First and foremost, our goal is to generate a credible and consistent database from which a coach can generate credible and helpful wrestling stats.  Accomplishing this goal requires structuring the app so that fundamental data -- schedule and roster info -- is available prior to scoring.  

There's some up-front work to do, but the benefit is cleaner, more helpful data so that "Joseph Smith, Union High School" is one instance of a wrestler, not multiple and confusing derivative forms like:

J. Smith, Union HS
Joe Smith, Union HS
Jospeh Smth, UHS

And, as you'll see by using the app, Takedown stores all of this textual information so that event and wrestler names are entered only once. When next season arrives, shortcuts ease the burden of entering a new schedule and opponents.

Another goal we have is to make scoring as simple as possible.

One ease-of-use example is second period choice and first weight class to be wrestled.  For dual meets, these two pieces of data must be entered prior to scoring the event.  

The benefit is the scorer doesn't need to think at all about second period choice -- Takedown informs the scorer which team has choice in each match.

So, if you want to wing it, Takedown isn't well-suited to that task.

But, if your goal is making the scoring process as simple as possible and, at the same time, generating a consistent, credible database of scoring data, then try Takedown Scoring and Stats.  It does this very well.