Making "orienteering" more accesible

[Jon Brooke]

Just came across this event aimed at tri-athletes/runners - be interesting to see how many take part / what they think? And of course if any of them then go on to try orienteering.

if I'm feeling fit I might go - sounds like a fun format.

http://www.allabouttriathlons.co.uk/eve ... tor_07.php

Assume the "electronic widget the size of a biscuit" is an emit card.

[johnloguk]

The interesting thing for me with this event is that they say you don't need a compass and repeatedly say it isn't about map reading ability. Map reading ability is clearly going to be a factor though, and having a compass almost certainly would make things easier, assuming you knew how to use one.

I bet that they have had some discussion along the lines of "what puts people off orienteering?", "the thought of having to map read and use a compass!", "OK then so lets pretend that you don't need to do either of those things, let's concentrate on the running, decision making, adventure aspect".

I've had exactly the same discussions with beginners in the past, because map reading and using a compass is something in the public psyche that it is fashionable to say you can't do. And we all know that you can orienteer without a compass, we've all done it, usually inadvertantly Most people can map read as well, especially if you kid them that they're not really doing it, then suddenly they find that they have navigated their way around by relating the map to what they can see with their eyes.

I think this could be a fantastic bit of conning, whoops I mean marketing, and I'd be interested to see how they get on.

[Duxxer]

Amazing - call it an adventure race and you can charge twice as much as an orienteering score event.

[Gnitworp]

Interesting new term for the Emit card (presumably):
widget.

Enough to give Nopesport moderators renewed apoplexy

[Oldman]

I'd be more worried about:
- where the maps have been sourced and whether copyright has been observed
- whether the event has insurance
- whether its obvious take-off of orienteering (even to the name and the use of control flags as in the pictures) will damage orienteering's image
- whether land access has been agreed properly
- whether anything about how it gets run will damage orienteering (eg land-owner relationships or impact on the public)

May be OK, but I'd like to be reassured!

[FromTheGrassyKnoll]

Amazing - call it an adventure race and you can charge twice as much as an orienteering score event.

Although it's a commercial enterprise they treat their volunteers well..

http://www.allabouttriathlons.co.uk/teamaat_marshal.php

"What are the perks?
We always put on a great cooked breakfast after the race and of course food & drink throughout the event is available. You'll get a free event t-shirt and one free entry to any all about triathlons event for each time you marshal [transferable.]"

[Adventure Racer]

Race etiquette: There are many ways to winning this race including; choosing the most efficient route, not getting lost, racing on your own, running fast.

...finding somebody to follow who knows what they're doing with a map and outsprinting them at the end

[SeanC]

Is there such thing as copyright on sports? I assume anyone can legally run an orienteering event so long as they call it something else and they organise their own insurance?

Interesting seeing this "orientation". Their ad is very jargon free and digestable at the newcomer - no courses with colour descriptions or confusing age categories for example. The mass start and prizes presumably help socialising. They obviously dont think that a low cost (eg less than a fiver) approach is the way forward - better to charge a bit more to pay for the prizes, the marketing and the fry ups.

Then again they could be bankrupt this time next year

[Adventure Racer]

The thing is they are selling to the adventure racing market, which isn't particularly price driven. I'm sure there are plenty out there prepared to pay that sort of money for a one-off event. Not so convinced it's sustainable on a weekly basis. The most interesting aspect though is that I bet it will attract exactly the sort of demographic we are short of in orienteering (though also not appeal to many of the demographic which are important to us).

I'm sure I did suggest ages ago the we should call out sport "adventure running".

[mike g]

Apart from being allowed to take the controls in any order, this is identical to SLOW's trail challenge races. It makes me wonder whether we should be trying to sell our races to the triathlon and adventure racing markets, and how we would go about that.

[Ed]

Is there such thing as copyright on sports? I assume anyone can legally run an orienteering event so long as they call it something else and they organise their own insurance?

why should they have to call it something else?

you don't have to ask the FA's permission to organise a game of football!

[J.Tullster]

But to run an orienteering event you have to register it with BOF...

[mharky]

or BOA: think of it as orienteering "league"

[Gnitworp]

But to run an orienteering event you have to register it with BOF...

Do you?

Undesirable as it may be to us, as far as I know, there's no law against not registering it. You simply don't get the BO benefits such as insurance, inclusion in official fixture lists, etc.

[greywolf]

It will be interesting to see what kind of map they use, i.e. whether they bother with O maps or just use OS.

I have a map of Hawley and Hornley Commons from an event in feb 84 (how sad is that?) which doesn't have a club ID on it - is the area still used, and whose map is it now?