Putting off novices

[AndyO]

That's not how the sport treats newcomers, Kitchatna, that's just an unfortunate experience with one person, and is it possible you may have misinterpreted the "sarcastic" laugh?

You, however, are doing the right things by encouraging her and letting her find the best level to start, and giving her the basic information. I hope she won't be put off a sport that she seems to be enjoying, but will keep improving and having fun

[frog]

Alot of adult orienteers run light green, especially at local events. I agree with Andy that this was just 1 unfortunate encounter. The laugh may not have been sarcastic, maybe the woman just has a weird nervous laugh, or maybe she'd been round the light green herself and found it hard. I'll sometimes run light green.
Yes it might be that this volunteer was unpleasant but it may also be that your friend's newness to the sport and lack of confidence led her to misinterpret things. If the woman looked away and laughed the laugh might have been about something else completely.

[Red Adder]

Sadly the sport does have its share of grumps - and most clubs try to give them less "customer facing" jobs. It does work both ways though. At an event I helped at recently one of the entrants was the archtypical GOM. Scowl at registration, same plus moans at the finish and I believe he was the same at the start. His wife in contrast was very pleasant and polite. I couldn't help wondering if he is like that all the time, and if so why she hasn't put stychrnine in his tea yet.

[NFKleanne]

It a perception thing. My step daughter have been trying to work out who Red Adder is talking about , and having thought I'd found a GOM who fitted the bill, she said he always seems happy and cheerful to her - checking we were talking about the same chap - checked on facebook and it is the one and the same!

Its now nearly 5 years since I started orienteering, and only on a few occasions have peoples attitudes been off putting. If people do not answer question, I ask someone else - and if people upset me - I just don't talk to them.

On the whole people at all events I have been to have been generally happy, chatty - and would go out of there way to help - if you ask for it

[andypat]

Sadly the sport does have its share of grumps - and most clubs try to give them less "customer facing" jobs. It does work both ways though. At an event I helped at recently one of the entrants was the archtypical GOM. Scowl at registration, same plus moans at the finish and I believe he was the same at the start. His wife in contrast was very pleasant and polite. I couldn't help wondering if he is like that all the time, and if so why she hasn't put stychrnine in his tea yet.

Its not just orienteering that has a monopoly on GOMS. I was sitting waiting for my son at a tennis club yesterday evening- there was some sort of doubles match going on and one of the guys was pretty vocal in his criticism of his playing partner (both in their 60's I'd guess). When the GOM came off one of the other guys watching asked him how he got on his response was audible by and unsuitable for, the children seated nearby.

On the other hand I think what we perceive as grumpiness is often more so the self centred focus that orienteers sometimes develop. At a fairly low key O event later on yesterday evening I went round the short course with my kids, who both really enjoyed it. I noticed a fair number of the people who did the long course made reference to the quality of the map. Probably all fair comments, but made within earshot of the planner - a club junior member, learning the ropes of planning, who most likely will have taken that as criticism of his event. I'm as guilty of this sort of thing as anyone, but sometimes maybe we as a group, need to be more considered in our comments?

[Oldman]

... but sometimes maybe we as a group, need to be more considered in our comments?

Perhaps that applies to Nopesport posts as well? (Myself included)

[RJ]

Perhaps if the comments were less of
...... the map was wrong there..... or... the planning was crap....

and more along the lines
..... I lost contact with the map just there, it didn't quite fit the picture I had of the terrain......
....... I didn't really enjoy those legs, 6 to 9, I don't understand what the challenge was....

The first comments are too general and give the impression that everything is wrong, whereas, to be fair, that undoubtedly wouldn't be the case. The organiser/planner is more likely to take the second comments seriously and think about them.

[70plus]

I think what we perceive as grumpiness is often more the self centred focus that orienteers sometimes develop. At a fairly low key O event later on yesterday evening I went round the short course with my kids, who both really enjoyed it. I noticed a fair number of the people who did the long course made reference to the quality of the map.

Perhaps grumpiness reflects the solitary nature of O competition - for most of the shortcomings one can only blame oneself, which is always painful. In many other sports the rest of the team can take some of the blame (perhaps silently). Hence the common remarks about the map.

I recall an Elite Middle race several years ago where a young finisher produced an outburst of expletives audible from long range, mostly I think because of a small mistake he had made. Not exactly grumpiness aimed at a novice, but it may illustrate what competitive O can do to normally rational people

[Oldman]

Another cause of apparent "grumpiness" is a low blood sugar level (aka hypoglaecemia) which you can often have at the end of a race before you "refuel". Low blood sugar levels lead to irritability and "grumpiness". This is like the relatively simple control shortly after a steep climb - often people make errors because their brain is not being serviced fully by their body after the oxygen usage of the climb.