Relay classes

[SeanC]

A marquee/beer tent would definately help. My club brings typically about 9 people to the JK/British relays so that isn't many to party with. We don't normally bring the club tent either as it doesn't seem worth it for such a small crowd.

Fundamentally though most orienteers aren't used to being in a proper team event so it's not surprising that a few find this stressful. My wife has been the hockey captain for the last 2 years and it's been interesting hearing about the stress that being dropped for the first team causes, and the pressure of turning up and competing because the team needs you. it's made me quite glad that I do a sport where I generally turn up when I want. However it cannot be denied that the Hockey ladies do have team spirit and have a much better/incomparable social life than us orienteers have... so if there was a way of making orienteering as sociable as Hockey without all the downsides of true team sports? ....

[awk]

A bad run is infinitely better than not running at all.

Definitely agree!!!

[sketchweppers]

Relays are a great way of actually feeling like part of a club. Orienteering by its very nature is an individual sport. It probably wasn't until I actually participated in a relay event, that I felt part of a 'club'. My M14 son is a reasonable orienteer, but doesn't really have the mentality or drive of a true athlete. However - put him in a relay event and he pulls out all the stops to do well. The first relay event he did - JK 2009 - I put him on the first leg of the mini relay - he had trouble with the sticky label round his map; was the last guy into the forest, but came in about 4th or 5th. Now he usually asks for the first leg and did really well at the recent BOC relay he was the third one back on the first leg. I only wish he would run as well at individual races. If it wasn't for relay events I doubt he would even bother talking to other juniors in the club!

[Street]

All, - if short relays are popular classes why risk driving more people away from our diminishing sport. We could just have an elite relay which 3 or 4 teams could win and sod everyone else, that'll be progressive .

http://www.jukola.com/
Pretty sure not more than 5 teams have a chance of winning that - and yet every orienteer in Finland seems to go and they get 1500 teams. Maybe we should be "progressive"

[madmike]

Yes and we have our own Jukola already - and it's called the Harvester and has about 15 teams.

Methinks you are in danger of comparing apples with Tuesdays!

[Ravinous]

I think we should have a trophy for the club with the best results in the relay (ie at JK and BOC), overall. ie, you take the positions of your best 5 or 6 teams positions over 4 or 5* relay categories.
*need to decide criteria/numbers, etc. of course. Anyone want to come up with ideas?