interlard selection races

[speedy123]

due to my previous comments on "caddihoe chase 2010" i would like to say that the interlard selection races could really do with start block seeding

due to the fact that at the first selection race in Wessex two juniors in the same club were allowed to start a min apart and as a result ran from control 2- finish together

is this right ?? or should thee be start seeding for juniors?

[Wayward-O]

interlard (sic) selection races

Freudian slip or what?

[DaveK]

due to my previous comments on "caddihoe chase 2010" i would like to say that the interlard selection races could really do with start block seeding

due to the fact that at the first selection race in Wessex two juniors in the same club were allowed to start a min apart and as a result ran from control 2- finish together

is this right ?? or should thee be start seeding for juniors?

I have to say that, irrespective of the rights or wrongs of this whole 'episode', the English standard used in this debate seems to be pretty poor. Let's hope the Orienteering standard of our juniors is a really bit better than this .

[LostAgain]

should thee be start seeding for juniors?

I was surprised that a 4 minute start time interval had not been applied. Usually this is applied for Championships & selection races. I'm not sure whether it is a mandatory requirement, or should I say I thought it was until the recent event

[jab]

I'm fairly sure that a couple of years ago when we were piling up and down the M1 for Interland selection races, the juniors seeking selection had pre-allocated start times, at appropriate intervals, even when a start block system was used for other orienteers on the same course.
This issue of start blocks/start times for an Interland selection race did come up at SYO's event at Wharncliffe in 2004 - in that instance the organisers hadn't even been told that the event was being used for Interland selection. Presumably, as this is an EOC issue and not a BOF issue, there won't be any "official" rules /guidelines for seeding /start times so it must all rely on clear communication and co-operation between selectors and organising clubs.

[Tatty]

It always used to be the norm that members of the same club started 4 minutes aprt. People were expected to sort this out themselves, especially at events with open start blocks. Doesn't seem to have been done by those concerned.

[andypat]

"The norm"?
But theres a difference between adopting the norm or not and cheating. I've been orienteering for 20+ years and never involved in any selection race as a competitor - I'm not aware of any norms. Not sure its up to the competitor to be aware of the norms. Being aware of the rules is a different matter......

[Scott]

There is nothing in the rules about how close together members of the same club can start. I personally can't see why there should be - am I really more likely to collaborate with (or follow) someone just because we happen to be members of the same club?

The only exception to this is at club competitions such as the YBT and CSC, where it would make sense for clubmates to work together, and the rules for these competitions do have a minimum separation (4 minutes for the YBT; the CSC rules just say "Runners from the same club should be separated as far as practical and not start on adjacent start times.").

Whether people using an event as a selection race should be kept apart - regardless of their club - is a different matter, and is up to the selectors to arrange with the organisers.