BEOC?

[Kitch]

A good decision which will be welcomed by all elite competitors.
(and remember organisers do it for the competitors, not the other way round)

[gg]

Agreed, a good decision

[harry]

Ja, it shall crown the King & Queen of the forest and not just the joker who got their arse in gear super-early doors.

[awk]

BOC is a different matter....

Rubbish!!!! BOC is anything but a different matter. Between now and BOC there is virtually nothing in the north apart from a few district events (thank you LOC for the saving grace of the proposed event on Bethecar). The paucity of half decent events is so great, we travelled to Scotland for the last SOL just to get one in. Unless we travel hundreds of miles each weekend, it is virtually impossible to be properly set up for the BOC. Listening to quite a few (non-elite but very competitive) Scots this weekend, I was not surprised to hear nothing but disparagement, and could only agree.

As for juniors, many of them are being asked to run what is theoretically the most important race of the year when some of them are barely out of their previous class, still at the very young end of the spectrum, and with virtually no decent racing under their belt for months. This is significant when course distances and technicality jump so much between classes.

Scheduling BOC in February makes the whole idea of BOC being the premier event of the year for the non-elite a travesty. I think the elite group have made exactly the right decision, and am only envious that the same hasn't been done for the rest of us.

If, as seems likely, this sort of thing becomes a regular feature because of environmental issues etc., then a few other things will need to change, not least a willingness to shift the BOC to other times of the year (e.g. autumn in Scotland) so that everybody gets a fair crack of the whip in terms of being able to prepare, rather than it always being brought early simply to accommodate the south (noting that the Scots weren't allowed to shift the British in the year they had it).

[Homer]

I think awk is spot on.

My club is looking at possible venues for BOC 2011 (provisionally in March) but I just know we are going to encounter the same sort of issues that have affected BOC 2009.
It would really help if we could be more flexible about the time of year in which it is held. I am increasingly coming round to the idea of BOC in autumn.

Awk is also right about juniors moving up classes. Both Bart and Lisa move up in 2009 and BOC could easily be their first competitive race at the higher TD. What chance do they really have?

[Scott]

Sorry, my fault - I wasn't trying to insist the BOC should be early for the benefit of those in the South, but trying (rather unclearly) to suggest that we should be prepared to accept that, if BOC is going to be passed around to all the regions in turn, the timing should vary both to get the best from the area and to account for the varying start/end dates for the orienteering season across the country; but that this would not work for BEOC, where the athletes are generally all looking to peak at the same time every year.

A BOC this coming weekend, for example, might suit you Up North quite well - I count at least seven C3s in (what could loosely be termed) Northern England and four SOLs since the end of the summer - but would probably seem just as much of a "travesty" to those on the wrong side of the Watford Gap, who've had three classic-length regionals in which to prepare (at least one of which was by all accounts a bit of a bramble-fest), as a February BOC does to you.

I admit that I'm not expert on junior coaching, though presumably the fact the junior courses haven't been age-restricted for some time means that juniors moving up an age class could start running at the higher TD towards the end of the previous season if they needed preparation for an early BOC the next year (or is that a bad idea? I really don't know).

[greywolf]

A BOC this coming weekend, for example, might suit you Up North quite well

its been snowing hard for the last hour, so maybe not....

I think it's a very good thing that BEOC has been moved, though exactly how good will depend on where/when it's moved to... but its a shame BOC has to be in February, would rather see BOC take a regular slot a few weeks after the JK (and if that means that some regions can't host it then they can make up for it by hosting the Middle / Sprint / Night Champs more often)

[awk]

if BOC is going to be passed around to all the regions in turn, the timing should vary both to get the best from the area and to account for the varying start/end dates for the orienteering season across the country

There we agree if, and only if, one accepts the premise of having to rotate the BOC around the regions, which I don't - see Greywolf's last post.

who've had three classic-length regionals in which to prepare (at least one of which was by all accounts a bit of a bramble-fest), as a February BOC does to you.

Between now and BOC, Scotland has zero C3s.

(or is that a bad idea? I really don't know).

Yes I think it is. Juniors shouldn't have to 'run up early'. Some (the early maturers) will and do, but it shouldn't be a requirement, making the situation even more biased against those who have late birthdays or are later maturers. It's bad enough at present! (Pre-1976 the British Juniors were held in the autumn - a far more sensible date).

[distracted]

3rd May on New Beechenhurst, Forest of Dean. So it seems like it's fine to hold championship events on the same area for three consecutive years - isn't there anywhere else around?

It also takes some of the focus away from the FCC final which is the same weekend... and I'd imagine there are a few of the top juniors who would have liked to run the senior elite champs too.

[EddieH]

Well if BEOC and FCC final clash that makes those that argue for separate championships so that over 35s don't have to choose which to run a bit of a farce.

Come to think about it haw can it be so ESSENTIAL that the British Elite sprint champs are separate from the British sprint champs? a decision that I have never commented on, but I profoundly disagree with what has happened - we now have the British sprint champs in Stirling on one weekend, and the British middle champs in Leicestershire on another weekend. Brilliantly calculated to attract the punters and enhance the status of the competition

[Gross]

Can everyone not stop f*****g moaning on here!!! First BEOC was crap coz it was too early, then it was crapper coz it was earlier... now it's still crap coz it's on a bit of forests that's been used before & even crapper coz it's combined with FCC....

Just get on with the orienteering:) Nothing wrong with BEOC in May in the New Forest!!! (ok... meant Forest of Dean)

[Tatty]

Except you can't get access to the New forest in May

[NeilC]

Looks like four excellent weekends to me

BOC/BRC down South
BEOC in the West
B Sprints / SOL1 up North
BE Sprints / B Middle in the Midlands

Plus the opportunity to pick up 5 individual championships!

[graeme]

Come to think about it haw can it be so ESSENTIAL that the British Elite sprint champs are separate from the British sprint champs?

It's essential because the elites refuse to compromise in any way, and so you'd end up getting championships decided between people running different courses. To be fair, the elites got there first, put on a great event, and are within their rights not to share. Anyway, like Neil says, now you have five great events to do

BOC/BRC down South
JK down South
BEOC down South
B Sprints / SOL1 down South
BE Sprints / B down South

(but my money's on your two up north: Culbin and Balavil, being better than any of 'em)

[Scott]

BOC/BRC down South
JK down South
BEOC down South
B Sprints / SOL1 down South
BE Sprints / B down South

Shurely you mean...
BOC/BRC up North
JK up North
BEOC up North
B Sprints / SOL1 up North
BE Sprints / B Middle up North

on behalf of all those on the Wrong Side of Bristol