IronPAX Tournament Challenge
Main Tournament
The tournament begins with Week 0 as the seeding workout. Each area's Week 0 score determines its initial seed.
Scoring is inclusive of each PAX's best score submitted within Week 0's timeframe. All categories of scores are included to help build camaraderie and to be inclusive of all PAX: Open, Respect, and Modified. Deal with it.
The seeded areas are distributed across four divisions using a seeding format similar to March Madness. This helps balance the divisions into four groups. There will be BYEs for Week 1 depending on area placements.
During each tournament week, areas compete in head-to-head matchups. Each area's score is calculated from the eligible submissions recorded for that week's workout. Again, the best submission per PAX is eligible from all categories.
The area with the better weekly score advances to the next round. Whether a higher or lower score wins depends on that week's ranking method.
The winner of each matchup advances through the tournament until the four final area winners are determined at the end of Week 4.
Consolation Pool
But losing doesn't mean your tournament is over.
Once a area is eliminated from the main bracket, it enters the Consolation Pool beginning with the following week. Areas in the consolation pool continue competing in head-to-head matchups for the remainder of the challenge.
Each week, consolation areas are randomly paired with another eligible area. The system attempts to avoid repeat opponents whenever possible. If there is an odd number of areas in the pool, one area will receive a BYE for that week.
Consolation matchups use the same week's IronPAX workout and scoring rules as the main tournament. Each area's score is calculated from its eligible PAX submissions, and whether the higher or lower score wins is determined by that week's ranking method.
Winning or losing a consolation matchup does not eliminate a area from the consolation pool. Everyone comes back the following week, gets a new matchup, and has another chance to earn bragging rights. As more areas are eliminated from the main bracket, they'll join the consolation pool for the following week's matchups.
The consolation pool is separate from the main championship bracket. A area cannot play its way back into the championship tournament—but it can keep competing, keep its PAX engaged, and keep battling other areas through Week 4.
So whether you're chasing a division championship or fighting it out in the consolation pool, you've got something to work for every week.