technical sprint races

[greywolf]

(in a different thread) Urban races are a useful way of training for international sprint races - on the whole british sprint races are way too technical to be of much use.

A point also made in CS. I'm planning (I think) a reasonably high profile sprint race next year - I had intended to make it as "technical"* as possible (which doesn't necessarily mean 30+ controls in 3k) - should i be dumbing it down?

* obv strictly speaking the urban bits will be at most TD3 and the non-urban bits TD4 but hopefully you know what i mean

[housewife]

Depends who you are catering for. The jk sprint was perfectly good fun, as was the british sprint, but the races can't be used as selection races for international races, as they are too different to internationals. The difference in middle races (lots of technical controls in close proximity) and long races (still technical controls but with long route choices) is the same as the difference between the british sprint and the international sprint races. if in doubt, print off your course on a blank peice of paper. Does it look more like a long course or a middle course? If it looks like a long chances are the course you have planned is more like an international sprint.

It would be helpful if more british sprint races were based on the international model than the british model, as then we could get more practice in, and we would avoid situations where tessa hill had to wait until after coming 12th at the nort world cup races to get picked for woc sprint, dispite being excellent at international sprints (see her world cup final performance in october last year - 4th! - amazing! The other sprint selection races last year were the jk sprint (planned totally in a british sprint style, and the british sprint champs, where only the second half of the final was appropriate. This year the selectors have decided to plan their own race. I'm looking forward to it.

[haloite]

Would an alternative for the British and JK Sprints, if they were to be used as selection races, to plan the Elite races to International (i.e. not very technical?) standards, and all the other classes / courses to the more interesting "British" standard - i.e. as technical as possible?

[NeilC]

The other sprint selection races last year were the jk sprint (planned totally in a british sprint style, and the british sprint champs, where only the second half of the final was appropriate.

Nick's CS article said that Elites wanted more longer route choice legs / less controls but don't get that in Britain, yet last year's M21 British Sprint Champs
http://www.southdowns-orienteers.org.uk/routegadget/cgi-bin/reitti.cgi?act=map&id=115&kieli=
had two 90 second+ legs with route choice (more than in the recent EOC sprint), including one in the first half of the final. In her blog Harry (in absentia) also commented negatively on the courses at this event. Are there examples of international standard sprints that have been planned on University Campuses so we know what is expected?

[RS]

IMO Brighton uni sprints were the best I've ever been to

[graeme]

So don't miss the ten control sprint at Colinton Dell tomorrow Claire!

It's not just the planning, it's also the area selection*. For the JK sprint, the first draft map/area gave a fine "international" elite sprint, but the older classes' courses would have been dull. Avoiding contraflow also causes some trouble in an event of that size, so W21E only got 4 legs over a minute (c/f five for the winner at EOC). Perhaps more tellingly, M/W75+ had a whopping 7 legs over a minute(!)

Interestingly, they appear to have chosen the less technical end of Banchory for the selection race...


*I am being a bit lazy with hanging, but 10 controls is about right for Colinton.

[andypat]

Its interesting and useful for planners to know this sort of thing. I'm not sure this is adequately explained in the David May "whats different about sprint" presentation on the BOF website. Maybe this could be updated with that in mind?

I also recall Rocky asking for more urban races to be delivered as two separate sprints for the benefit of the elite sprinters.

[King Penguin]

So why not revert to the situation as a a couple of years ago - one age-class British Sprint champs event and a separate Elite Sprint champs event which anyone can enter ? The former planned to British style and the latter to WOC style. Us oldies could then have the benefit of 2 events in 2 different styles and see how many times slower than the best we are.

[EddieH]

I find it STAGGERING that the IOF actually want sprint races to be as simple as possible

I am firmly in Gnitworp's camp - plan the best* courses you can on the area you have

*best from the point of view that they are the most interesting from the competitor point of view.

I understand from this trhread what the international elite expect, but seriously is that what they want?

It really surprises me from Housewife who is a high quality orienteer technically and powerfully, but surely not blessed with maximum flat pace.

[housewife]

Alas we athletes have little say over how the iof operate. Indeed there was quite a big campaign from the athletes that said we wated a 1:10 at the woc long 2011, but they just blundered on with an illegible 1:15 anyway.

I think it would be good to have our big sprint races reflect the international style races so we can prepare properly for them, regardless of what we might prefer / might suit us better. After doing pretty appalingly in the jk sprint (my first ever) and british sprint (my first since 2005) it was a pleasant surprise to get to the world cup races and remind myself that i am actually not as bad at sprint as i thought i was.

[graeme]

is that what they want?

No.
http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/pw ... eople-said
Norwegian Østerbø "clarified" his public comment about Norwegian WOC on his blog, which has now vanished.

[awk]

Having gone away to reread the IOF guidelines on sprint course planning, I'm a bit confused - what is so different about international sprint versus the sort of sprint that one gets in this country? The IOF guidelines emphasise route choice and that finding the control itself shouldn't be difficult. Isn't that what most sprint courses do given that no urban terrain is inherently difficult, i.e. above TD3?

One small thought: I note Helen Jansson's quote from Graeme's link: might that go some way to explain why urban is more popular here than in Scandinavia?

[blairtrewin]

If there's any conscious desire anywhere in the IOF for international sprint events to be less technical it's certainly never come up in the couple of years I've been on the responsible Commission - I suspect it's more a case of what sprint terrain has been available in the last few WOC venues (as well as in the Nordic countries more generally), at least in places where you could run a WOC race (suitable arena, ability to close area to traffic etc.). There aren't that many places that (a) have ultra-technical sprint terrain and (b) are likely to be hosting WOC in the foreseeable future.

[graeme]

Compare e.g.
http://www.eoc2012.se/wp-content/upload ... uality.jpg
and
http://www.jk.routegadget.co.uk/cgi-bin ... =33&kieli=
The difference is not so much in the planning - most legs have ~2 "route" decisions to make and 2-3 running decisions to implement - as in the level of detail in the area.
Oh, and the jaunty angle of those elite north lines
Now look at some UK planning in a less detailed area ...
http://esoc.org.uk/home/results/scottis ... ihps-2012/
Apart from the little bit of tree-slalom, that looks more similar to EOC.

We saw last year how the French took advantage of esoteric French terrain to suit their athletes. Can we do the same for any Scottish schemies who might be on our team?

[DJM]

I agree totally with my fellow Commission member Blair Trewin:

If there's any conscious desire anywhere in the IOF for international sprint events to be less technical it's certainly never come up in the couple of years I've been on the responsible Commission

My personal view is that international standards are not the same as British standards despite the IOF and not because of it, and I've been disappointed by some of the offerings we've seen since Sprint entered major IOF events eleven years ago.

In its efforts to persuade planners to adopt a common view of what Sprint criteria are, the IOF is holding a seminar during WOC week aimed at thrashing this issue out (see invitation at http://orienteering.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Invitation-to-International-Conference-on-Course-Planning-2012.pdf).

Perhaps we will see more technical Sprint races after that ...