Okay, folks, gather ’round, let me tell you about my little adventure with the MIAA field hockey rankings for 2023. I’m no expert, but I like to keep track of these things, you know, just to see how the teams are doing.
So, first things first, I needed to get my hands on the data. I heard that the MIAA, whatever that is, puts out these power rankings, and apparently, the top 32 teams make the cut for soccer, volleyball, and field hockey. Good to know! I started by poking around on the internet to see what I could find.
I stumbled upon a file named something like “MIAA field hockey power ratings *”. Sounded promising, right? Seemed like this Jim Clark guy was the one who put it together. I saw two different dates on it: one was October 31st, and the other was October 27th. Figured it was updated a few times.
Digging into the Data
Now, I’m not the best with spreadsheets, but I can manage. I opened up this “xlsm” thing, and wow, a whole bunch of numbers stared back at me. It was a bit overwhelming at first, to be honest. But I’m not one to give up easily, so I rolled up my sleeves and started figuring things out.
- Column A: Team names, that was easy enough.
- Column B, C, D: Some numbers, probably scores or something, I didn’t really pay them that much attention, if I’m being honest.
- Column E: This seemed important, it was labeled “Power Rating”. I assumed that’s the key to the rankings.
I spent a good chunk of time just scrolling through the list, you know, getting a feel for it. I recognized some of the team names from around here, which was kind of cool. I even wrote down the top 10 or so, just to see how they stacked up.
Making Sense of It All
It wasn’t just about the numbers, though. I wanted to understand what it all meant. So, I did a bit more digging around online. Found out that these power rankings are based on all the scores entered into something called “Arbiter” by 4 a.m. on a certain day. I guess that’s how they keep things up to date, you know?
They use these power rankings to decide who makes the cut for playoffs or tournaments. Like I mentioned before, the top 32 teams get in. Makes sense, it is a good way to keep things fair, I suppose.
I also noticed that the rankings changed quite a bit from week to week. Some teams went up, some went down. It was interesting to see how things shifted as the season went on.
My Takeaway
So, there you have it. That’s my little journey into the world of MIAA field hockey rankings. It wasn’t exactly rocket science, but it was a fun little project. I learned a thing or two along the way, and now I have a better appreciation for how these rankings work.
I think I’ll keep following along with the rankings, you know, just to see how things play out. Who knows, maybe I’ll even start going to some games.
Anyway, that’s my story. Hope you found it at least a little bit interesting. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’m not sure I can answer, but I can try.
