How to run a duck race

Names, numbers, and duplicates

Every duck gets a race number, starting at 01. Numbers stay attached to the same entrant when you remove or rename others, so "duck 07" means the same person all afternoon. If you reorder the list and want the numbers to follow, use Renumber in order.

Two entries with the same name are allowed, and each gets its own number. When a paste contains repeats, you can keep them as separate ducks (for example, someone who bought two tickets) or merge them. Names can be up to 60 characters, and a race holds up to 100 entrants.

Running it on a projector or smartboard

Press the fullscreen button beside the sound control. The course and the position board fill the screen together, the board text gets larger, and the finish line is never cropped. Press Esc to leave fullscreen. If the room can't hear the laptop, leave sound off: nothing in the race depends on it.

Big fields

Up to 30 ducks race in their own roped lanes with numbers on every duck. From 31 to 100, the course packs the lanes tighter and drops the ropes, and number tags float above the top five and your pinned duck so the leaders stay readable. The position board always lists every entrant, and on a phone it shows the leaders and your pinned duck with a button for the full standings.

Dressing up the ducks

The Ducks tab gives every duck a different look with one button, applies one look to the whole field, or switches to plain yellow ducks. To change a single duck, select its picture in the lineup. There are ten colors and patterns and eight accessories, from a jockey cap to a crown.High-contrast number badges help at the back of a large room.

Every look uses the same silhouette at the same size. A duck in a top hat is no faster than a plain one, and it isn't drawn any further ahead.

A winner message that fits the moment

In Winner message, choose a template or write your own headline and second line. Type {name} where the winner's name should go and {number} for their duck number: "{name}, you're presenting first" works better in a classroom than "{name} wins!"

Saving a lineup for next time

Your current lineup is kept in this browser automatically, so a refresh doesn't lose it. For lists you race again and again, the Save & share tab gives you three options:

• Saved lineups keeps named lineups on this device, like "Period 3" or "Monday stand-up." Switch between them from the top of the Lineup tab, and use Save changes after editing one. The race name you type there also appears on a banner over the course.
• Save race file downloads a small .duckderby file with the names, looks, course, messages, and settings. Open it on any computer with Open race file.
• Copy setup link creates a link that loads the whole setup. Because anyone with the link can read the names in it, you'll be asked to confirm first. For student rosters, use a race file instead.

Recent results also stay on this device, so you can check who has already been picked this week.

Sound, motion, and keyboard

Sound is off until you turn it on, and the choice is remembered. Under the settings button you can set the volume and choose low motion, which removes the bobbing, wakes, countdown animation, and confetti while keeping the race and the result exactly the same. If your device asks for reduced motion, the race follows it automatically.

Every control works from the keyboard. Screen readers hear when the race starts, who won, and when the final standings are ready, without a running commentary of every overtake. A plain list of the final standings appears under the course after each race.

Is it fair?

Yes, and you can check the reasoning. How fairness works explains the draw, why the leader isn't decided by how fast a duck looks, and what a browser-based race can and can't prove.