O-IDOL "reality show" to find next Lundanes?

[harry]

Just heard about O-IDOL the latest "development tool" from Norwegian Orienteering.

In Norway H/D14-16s compete in the youth category and their main event is Hovedløpet ie National Youth Champs which they attend as part of their district team.

D/H18-20s compete in the junior classes and have Craft Cup similar to our UK Cup but with much heftier prizes (cash for overall / Craft vouchers for each race) and more "serious" organisation eg. quarantine zone, arena production with big screen, occasionally tracking -usually just GPS tracking for senior classes but the juniors will carry tracking devices at their JWOC selection races.

O-IDOL organisers will select H/D16s (based on Hovedløpet & district races) to compete in a tough long distance race in September where the top 25 male and female youth orienteers in Norway will sample some of the challenges ahead in the junior classes. With GPS tracking and a big screen arena production these youths will "star in O-IDOL, their own reality show".

Is orienteering an exciting enough sport without pimping it up like this?
Is this an exciting way to appeal to juniors?
Is this innappropriate pressure for 15-16 year olds?

Whatever your opinion you can't deny that Norwegian Orienteering's talent development guy Eivind Tonna is a creative and proactive guy!

But you don't need all this expensive technology to make a creative format. It reminds me of the creativity by coaches to make exciting, fun and varied Tour Champs formats we had as juniors.

The upcoming funding cuts to British Orienteering are a great opportunity to start afresh with the junior competition and coaching programmes, be creative and focus on making the sport incredibly fun for juniors. No doubt juniors have a lot of fun already in their regional squads but maybe nationally things could also be revamped. FCC seems to have dwindled a bit??? (Forgive me if I'm just out of touch with the UK scene..)

[EriOL]

Orienteering "reality" show:

http://vimeo.com/10483100

[harry]

Is Erik Thorsson in this?

[EriOL]

Is Erik Thorsson in this?

No. Full credits at the end.

Note that parts of the movie was shot in this years Tiomila-area. You might recognize the airstrip at around 20 minutes.