Embargos

[mxhornet]

Canals shouldn't offer too many options for going off course.

Back tracking a bit my main reason for finally taking the plunge with orienteering it was to improve navigational ability for fell races, particularly mountain marathons which are very akin to orienteering especially the score events. Also the Round Rotherham 50 which is a navigation type event but by strip maps rather than OS type maps.

[EddieH]

mxhornet wrote [quote]Anyway not looking for an arguement[/quote]

Well I suggest you ignore what Gross says

[mxhornet]

Who ?

[Adventure Racer]

Canals shouldn't offer too many options for going off course.

You'd be surprised. A rather well known orienteer / multiple MM winner infamously made a 180 error at the start of a kayak section on a canal many years ago

[EddieH]

I am returning to the original topic to keep it in the public eye. The concensus of replies here seem to back up my initial post.

It is REALLY worrying. What will happen to the 6 days. Will Moravian allow the projected Moray 2013 to lock up ALL our best areas for a year? Talking to committee members I think the answer is NO.

By treating non Championship events in this manner we will either be allowing big events to run roughshod over local initiatives, or we will prevent the former from taking place at all. Regular local events ARE essential, but it is big events such as the 6 day that really enthuse people to take it all more seriously (Speyside 2007 proved a revelation for many of our club members who have since become 1000% more active in participation AND taking on major tasks).

What I would be in favour of is a rule that doesn't allow anyone to attain ranking points in ANY ranking event if they have been in the area in the previous 12 months although it would have to rely on honesty to police it.

[SJC]

What I would be in favour of is a rule that doesn't allow anyone to attain ranking points in ANY ranking event if they have been in the area in the previous 12 months although it would have to rely on honesty to police it.

Doesn't that rule already exist ?
3.1.2 At Level 3 Events and above, competitors shall declare themselves noncompetitive
if their acquaintance with the terrain would give them substantial advantage over other
competitors. Nothing that occurred more than 24 months before the date of the event
shall be taken into account.

Although I thought that this had been reduced to 12 months for Level 3 events.

[IanD]

What I would be in favour of is a rule that doesn't allow anyone to attain ranking points in ANY ranking event if they have been in the area in the previous 12 months although it would have to rely on honesty to police it.

Why just ranking points?

I would regard winning the 6 Days as far more important than ranking points. In the (improbable) event of me beating all other non-locals in the 6 Days, but coming second to someone who had been running on the 6 Day areas at local events in the run up to the competition, should I not feel unfairly disadvantaged?

The embargo rule doesn't say that no events should take place, merely that those who have taken part in them (or planned, controlled, or trained on the area out of competition) should declare themselves non-competitive. So by all means run on your local areas shortly before they are used for a big event, but accept that you can't be competitive at that big event if you do.

It's not just a Scottish problem, I'm looking out at Leith Hill as I type this, happy in the knowledge that at the moment I can go for a training run up it if I choose - something that I can't do what seems like half the time.

[SeanC]

What is the definition of "trained in the area"? I can't see that Ian gets much advantage from running on the main paths through Leith Hill during a training run. Doing the same thing using an old map and/or going off paths would be a different case perhaps.

[EddieH]

Well in reality Ian South Easterners have a local knowledge advantage even after an embargo on Leith Hill. I sympathise with the loss of the area for training and appreciate that you can choose to train in the area but not then compete iin a Championship race.

The proposed 6 day event however uses ALL our local larger areas and is NOT ultimately a major race even though it is fun and competitive.

Just suppose everything stands, AND the 6 day company is given access to the areas they want. There are members of our club who would not be prepared to disenfranchise themselves from a competitive 6 day and therefore would not agree to be involved with the many (largely TD3) events that we currently hold. The club will still suffer.

Frankly if 2013 uses Roseisle I will have an advantage over people that haven't been there before whether or not I enter the area in the previous 12 months. Personally I never train in areas with upcoming events, although if there is a public event there I will go. The only truly fair events are those on new areas such as this year's BOC.

I am sure that the Welsh will have exactly the same dilemma that we have.