British Middle championships

[Glucosamine]

The Middle distance profile is technical. It takes place in a non-urban (mostly forested) environment with an emphasis on detailed navigation and where finding the controls constitute a challenge.

I thought that Sunday's courses met the Middle profile pretty well!

The facetious might note the apparent substitution of 'controls' for 'control features' in this specification. In this respect finding banners hidden in bracken might indeed 'constitute a challenge'. Otherwise mostly sounds like what most courses should be aspiring to?

[Parkino]

The contrast with the Long Distance profile is salient here, I think:

The format [Long Distance] emphasises route choices and navigation in rough, demanding terrain, preferably hilly. The control is the end point of a long leg with demanding route choice, and is not necessarily in itself difficult to find.

I was very surprised when I first read this last phrase.

[Parkino]

Some planners think that Middle races should just be short versions of Long races and have not appreciated what the differences between them are

Very true. 'Middle distance' can be used as a euphemism for 'the area can't accommodate anything longer than short blue course'.

(but I seem to have hijacked the thread, sorry)

[graeme]

I was very surprised when I first read this last phrase.

Indeed, quite a lot of people still don't know that the IOF has officially abolished the idea of making a course as challenging as possible given the terrain available and constraints of fairness. Middle = avoid big route choice; Long = avoid tricky controls.

[Parkino]

This is a fine example of a middle distance course:
http://www.tulospalvelu.fi/gps/2013wocMidW/
Then again, maybe it's just a very good Blue course?

[Gnitworp]

Middle = avoid big route choice; Long = avoid tricky controls.

Polarization?

[graeme]

This is a fine example of...

The British Middle Champion legging it round the paths

[Arnold]

I thought it was a pretty good course considering the area available.

There were probably a few too many controls but removing more than a handful would have indeed sent people out onto the paths

C'mon people - the terrain and courses were challenging, the winning times were mostly spot on, it was a nice arena, they had a maze & naughty numbers for kids, the food wasn't bad, even the weather was glorious - what's not to like?

[iainwp]

what's not to like?

well i mispunched, but I can't blame that on the organisers. as a novice (2 years) orienteer it was a great event ...

[Homer]

what's not to like?

well i mispunched, but I can't blame that on the organisers. as a novice (2 years) orienteer it was a great event ...

I mispunched too, but as an experienced (40 years) orienteer have no excuse. The intensity of 31 controls in 30 mins was just too much for me.
Despite this I throughly enjoyed the event and consider the winners worthy British Champions.

I just hope all Middle Distance events don't turn into control picking exercises.

[buzz]

This is a fine example of a middle distance course:
http://www.tulospalvelu.fi/gps/2013wocMidW/

Agreed - I've posted that one before as an example myself.

Also from this years WOC http://www.woc2014.info/LIVE/maps/middle/%D0%A1ampomulo-Middle-W.jpg

I thought last week's event was a fun and challenging control picking exercise which I and indeed most people enjoyed and Brereton Spurs doesn't offer too many options so well done to the planner.

There does seem to be a trend towards control picking for Middle distance in this country. As others have suggested Long and Middle courses have different emphasis but each should include a range of navigational and physical challenges.

[iainwp]

what's not to like?

well i mispunched, but I can't blame that on the organisers. as a novice (2 years) orienteer it was a great event ...

I mispunched too, but as an experienced (40 years) orienteer have no excuse. The intensity of 31 controls in 30 mins was just too much for me.
Despite this I throughly enjoyed the event and consider the winners worthy British Champions.

I just hope all Middle Distance events don't turn into control picking exercises.

I took over an hour for my 31 (well, 30) controls ... It was certainly not a route choice day, but course 4 wasn't just blasting round paths either ...

[DJM]

I just hope all Middle Distance events don't turn into control picking exercises

I guess this depends on what is meant by "control picking". There was a bit of a debate about this some time ago at http://www.attackpoint.org/discussionthread.jsp/message_655670 but there was no firm conclusion about its meaning ...

If "control picking" means that each control site is the attack point for the next, then I'd agree that you wouldn't construct a complete Middle course on this basis, and Sunday's planning did not do this either.

However, there seems to me to be nothing wrong with throwing in two or three control pick legs in a Middle race and my Sunday course had just this and was I believe enhanced as a result.

[Homer]

If "control picking" means that each control site is the attack point for the next, then I'd agree that you wouldn't construct a complete Middle course on this basis, and Sunday's planning did not do this either.

However, there seems to me to be nothing wrong with throwing in two or three control pick legs in a Middle race and my Sunday course had just this and was I believe enhanced as a result.

I have no problem with sections of control picking. I just feel there should ideally (where the area allows) be some variation in leg length. I can only think of 4 or 5 controls (out of 31) on Sunday where it was possible to determine an attackpoint other than the previous control. Only one split over 2 mins (and that was a mistake) tells the story.

[awk]

I thought it was a pretty good course considering the area available.

agreed.

C'mon people - the terrain and courses were challenging, the winning times were mostly spot on, it was a nice arena, they had a maze & naughty numbers for kids, the food wasn't bad, even the weather was glorious - what's not to like?

Well, as you ask - a lot. The course was good given the area and the map, but that was where the problem lies. I've already said my piece on this, but neither were remotely good enough at the time the race was presented for anything above a fun colour-coded style event. You can dress it up with a nice arena, the maze and naughty numbers, good food and weather, but that is all this is, dressing. If this had been, say, the White Rose, then I'd have come away thinking, OK that was fine. But it wasn't, it was the British Championships, and at its heart, where it really mattered for a championship, there was very little to like in spite of the hardest endeavours of the planner and the organising team.