Scottish Sprint Champs

[awk]

Personally, I prefer the qualifier and final format, but the SSC certainly provided an exciting format which worked well given the numbers. So you needed to perform well over two sprint races rather than one to win the championship? I don't really see that as a problem.

[andypat]

My opinion is that urban is an exciting developing branch of orienteering and I dont want it just to end up as a boring long sprint (seriously whats the point in that!). In urban racing you have much longer to plan ahead and I think that gives the opportunity to planners to set controls and legs that require more than just a simple route choice decision.

What like those adventure races you see on Channel 4 where teams have to solve puzzles and get locked in a cage for several minutes if they get it wrong? Is that where you see Urban going? For me the best Urban races provide great challenges in identifying the best route, especially when some seemingly good routes prove to be impassable. Why not just stick to these basic orienteering skills and not introduce puzzle solving - leave those for informal events.

Thats not what i said - and I cant say i've ever seen one of those "adventure races " on TV. As far as i am concerned the control description is there to assist you to find the exact location of the control within the circle. If you choose to ignore that then good luck to you.

[Gross]

concerned the control description is there to assist you to find the exact location of the control within the circle.

Descriptions exist to confirm the location of the control within the circle..... not to assist you to find the control

[andypat]

Descriptions exist to confirm the location of the control within the circle..... not to assist you to find the control

[Becks]

What like those adventure races you see on Channel 4 where teams have to solve puzzles and get locked in a cage for several minutes if they get it wrong? Is that where you see Urban going? For me the best Urban races provide great challenges in identifying the best route, especially when some seemingly good routes prove to be impassable. Why not just stick to these basic orienteering skills and not introduce puzzle solving - leave those for informal events.

Amazing, did someone bring back the Crystal Maze? If urban racing had Richard O'Brien playing a flute, maybe it would be more popular?

[awk]

concerned the control description is there to assist you to find the exact location of the control within the circle.

Descriptions exist to confirm the location of the control within the circle..... not to assist you to find the control

Rubbish. If you approach a boulder, being told which side it is on (only available from the description) is definitely assistance. It is not confirmation, as that implies there is something to be confirmed, and there is no such indication on the map.

[graeme]

Don't get me wrong, I think 2 races in one day is great.
As an elite I'd prefer to see it inline with elite sprint races in that is it Q then F,

It is two races because
a) Two races in a day is great
b) Nobody wants to do a totally meaningless and pointless race

Elite races, like WOC, PWT, and the much-lamented British "elite" sprints needed the first race to be (parallel) qualifiers to have a sensible sized field on the same course in the final. Elite orienteering isn't about meaningless races. Forcing people to run a meaningless qualifier doesn't bring anything "inline" with elite sprints.

[NeilC]

Thats not what i said - and I cant say i've ever seen one of those "adventure races " on TV. As far as i am concerned the control description is there to assist you to find the exact location of the control within the circle. If you choose to ignore that then good luck to you.

Perhaps, but you seem to be saying that it's better to ask the competitor to solve the meaning of NW fence/wall crossing SE inside corner (for example) than use something much simpler like wall south side which could lead the competitor to exactly the same spot.

[andypat]

Yes.... but while the written version of the description is pretty meaningless the pictorial version of is visually straightforward. What I cant understand is why so many apparently experienced orienteers "misinterpreted" it at St Andrews. Or (at the risk of repeating myself) is it possible they just didnt bother to check....