Excel bracket downloads are available here but are NOT SUPPORTED by Zone4 in any way. Zone4 staff can only provide support for the Zone4 timing software.
FIS Knockout
The FIS Knockout format is defined by FIS although some changes are made for national competitions. First, FIS now allows athletes to choose their quarter final heats after the qualifier but this is not done at National competitions due to the extra logistics. Secondly, there is not a good solution provided by FIS for categories between 13-18 racers so an unofficial format has been developed to fill this gap. Choosing the correct bracket is simply a numbers game accounting for some racers that are registered but will not start.
Timed vs un-timed in the heat brackets refers to how lucky-losers are advanced. In an un-timed heat format, the two racers who did not advance by ranking but have the best time in the qualifier are advanced to the next round. In a timed heat format, the two racers racers who did not advance by ranking but have the best time of all the racers in that round are advanced to the next round. You can still use the un-timed heat formats even if you are recording heat times; if you do the heat times will not be used for lucky-loser advancement.
3 Rounds, 5 Quarter-Finals
- 19 to 30 racers
- official 5 quarter-final format with 6 racers per heat
- 2 semi-finals with 6 racers per heat
- A and optional B final with 6 racers per heat
Timing Software Support
| Type | Software Support | Resources |
| Timed Lucky Loser Without B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
| Timed Lucky Loser With B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
| Untimed Lucky Loser Without B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
| Untimed Lucky Loser With B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
3 Rounds, 3 Quarter-Finals (unofficial)
- 13 to 18 racers
- unoffical 3 quarter-final format with 6 racers per heat
- 2 semi-finals with 6 racers per heat
- A and optional B final with 6 racers per heat
- needs Jury approval but has become standard
Timing Software Support
| Type | Software Support | Resources |
| Timed Lucky Loser Without B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
| Timed Lucky Loser With B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
| Untimed Lucky Loser Without B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
| Untimed Lucky Loser With B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
2 Rounds, 2 Semi-Finals
- 7 to 12 racers
- official format starting with the 2 semi-finals with 6 racers per heat
- forego the quarter-finals
- A and optional B final with 6 racers per heat
- consider combining with another category
Timing Software Support
| Type | Software Support | Resources |
| Timed Lucky Loser Without B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
| Timed Lucky Loser With B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
| Untimed Lucky Loser Without B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
| Untimed Lucky Loser With B-Final | Web Based | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
1 Round, 1 Final
- 2 to 6 racers
- official format with only an A final with 6 racers per heat
- forego the quarter and semi-finals
- strongly consider combining with another category
Timing Software Support
| Software Support | Resources |
| Web Based | Excel Bracket |
King’s Court
There are a number of King’s Court formats used but the format being used with increasing popularity will be discussed here. There are 4 different brackets to be used depending on category numbers.
6 Quarter-Finals
- 21 to 24 racers
- 6 heats per round
- 4 racers per heat
Timing Software Support
| Software Support | Resources |
| Web Based | Excel Bracket |
5 Quarter-Finals
- 17 to 20 racers
- 5 heats per round
- 4 racers per heat
Timing Software Support
| Software Support | Resources |
| Web Based | Excel Bracket |
4 Quarter-Finals
- 13 to 16 racers
- 4 heats per round
- 4 racers per heat
Timing Software Support
| Software Support | Resources |
| Web Based | Excel Bracket |
3 Quarter-Finals
- 9 to 12 racers
- 3 heats per round
- 4 racers per heat
Timing Software Support
| Software Support | Resources |
| Web Based | Excel Bracket |
Ladder
The ladder format is run as an amalgamation of sub-categories that should combine a range of age categories and both genders. This requires the results from final round to be split back into the original categories for awards. An option for the final round is to pull the top racers from each sub-category after the second round into a final for that subcategory.
4 Lane
- 2 to infinite racers
- 3 rounds with an unlimited number of heats per round
- 4 racers per heat
Timing Software Support
| Type | Resources |
| Timed Up to 128 racers | Advancement Diagram Google Sheet Bracket |
| Untimed Up to 128 racers | Advancement Diagram Google Sheet Bracket |
6 Lane
- 2 to infinite racers
- 3 rounds with an unlimited number of heats per round
- 6 racers per heat
Timing Software Support
The ladder format is not currently supported in Zone4 timing software.
| Type | Resources |
| Timed Up to 192 racers | Advancement Diagram Google Sheet Bracket |
| Untimed Up to 192 racers | Advancement Diagram Google Sheet Bracket |
Old FIS Knockout
The Old FIS Knockout format is defined by FIS but has been mostly replaced with the newer format above. This format has fallen out of favor because the semi-finals and finals only have 4 racers per heat.
3 Rounds, 4 Quarter-Finals
- 13 to 24 racers
- official 4 quarter-final format with 6 racers per heat
- 2 semi-finals with 4 racers per heat
- A and optional B final with 4 racers per heat
- consider using FIS Knockout with 3 Rounds and 3 Quarter-Finals instead
Timing Software Support
| Type | Software Support | Resources |
| Without B-Final | Web Based Legacy Windows | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |
| With B-Final | Web Based Legacy Windows | Advancement Diagram Excel Bracket |