SOL 1

[mharky]

IOF standard, what about you?

[Gnitworp]

Must have been one of them then.

[madmike]

As a recent returnee to the sport (after twenty-odd years) and a new reader of this board, I have to say that this type of comment is infantile and offensive.

The planner has entered into a discussion and this can only be helpful.

Deertick:

a. welcome back to the sport
b. there is a lot of good stuff on this board - just ignore the rubbish and crass comments - they rarely reflect more than 1 person's opinion!
c. totally agree that the planner entering into the discussion is helpful and should be encouraged - the rest of us may learn somthing that subsequently proves helpful

[LostAgain]

You are still missing the point, there should be consistency between the same colour courses at different events

I totally agree that the colour standards should be the same from one event to the next. The point where we differ is that I believe this is the sole responsiblity of the Planner & Controller and there are plenty of guidlines stipulating what these standards are. I do not think it is for the Parent to pre-vet a course before allowing juniors to run just in case the Planner/Controller got it wrong. IMO they should not get it wrong.

My comments are not targetted at Roos as we did not attend this event and therefore cannot comment on her courses but in response to contributors comments regarding it being preferable for Parents being allowed to pre-vet courses. I also applaud her for entering the forum and her comments are most welcome. The crassness of some contributors undermines this Forum

[DJM]

LostAgain wrote

I do not think it is for the Parent to pre-vet a course before allowing juniors to run just in case the Planner/Controller got it wrong. IMO they should not get it wrong.

But there's quite a spectrum of difficulty within TD1 and TD2 courses, just as there is for every other level. Some TD2 courses are easier than others and some are harder, yet all could be planned to meet the TD2 criteria.

Recognising this, it is prudent of parents to vet courses beforehand - not just in case the planner/controller got it wrong, but mostly to see where within the spectrum the course is. Guidelines also allow parents/coaches to discuss the courses beforehand.

[LostAgain]

Is there really any room for misinterpretation on a TD1 course? This is as basic as it gets and the guidelines fairly explicit.

TD2 there is a little bit more room for manoeuver, mainly as AWK outlines above but should still not lead to huge differences in technicality.

Orange - Black that is a different discussion.

WIth respect to shadowing, I also have 4 kids but being of different ages they progress through the colours at different times. Thus allowing me to assist as needed. Not all 4 at once

I support allowing parents/coaches to assist juniors by going through the TD1/TD2 courses before hand. But resist the notion that it is a necessity because we cannot bank on their being appropriately planned/controlled courses.

[andypat]

In response to Awk - have to disagree that the white stripes are suitable for use as a line feature for TD1/2. If they are a path or a ride they should be mapped as such. If they are not then they are too difficult for kids. I had trouble finding one or two of them and following them - at least one branched into two about halfway along. This would be really confusing if you were on a yellow.

[mharky]

It's courses like this that make Scottish orienteers better than the English...

[Gross]

Entire discussion is a load of Boll""cks... put a decent controller & a good planner together.... no problem

I have to say that this type of comment is infantile and offensive.

Nothing wrong with anyone expressing an opinion...... unless you want to introduce censorship... which really would be offensive.

To expand my opinion... a large number of comments on the planning aspects of this competition are from people who weren't at the competition. What the planner / controller sees in real life as opposed to a printed map is not really comparable.... and, therefore... boll**cks

Nothing wrong with the planner seeking feedback.... but can the armchair planners desists.... otherwise orienteering is going to be planned only by guidelines and any inspirational planning will go out the window.... a situation I regard as complete boll**cks

[jab]

otherwise orienteering is going to be planned only by guidelines and any inspirational planning will go out the window.... a situation I regard as complete boll**cks

But lots of people are talking about the white. If the white is consistent with the guidelines it's the one course where there isn't any room for inspirational planning. You decide a start and finish, you then have to follow tracks and paths, have a control at every decision point, have the controls positioned to guide the competitor to the next control and have no route choice. How much room for inspiration can you find in there? Anything else isn't a white and shouldn't be described as such. Anyone who really doesn't like complying with guidelines could have an inspirational beige, cream or magnolia (or choose your favourite paint colour). But if it's called a white then parents should be able to assume that it's planned to a white standard.

That is a general observation, that has been brewing during years of first carrying, then walking with and finally shadowing kids on the white. I'm not commenting about the SOL1 course because I wasn't there.

[Gross]

If the area isn't suitable for a 'guideline' white course then why not have a course that is fully taped.... but doesn't take the direct route. Anyone confident can take a 'shortcut' while the less confident can follow the tapes all the way... I think Juliana Grant wrote an article on this from Hungary a few years ago (in Focus maybe), and it certainly works in Lithuania.

[seabird]

Save the inspiration for the TD5 courses.

When I had young children (long, long ago) I found a ridiculous and unnecessary variation in physical and technical standards, particularly in the yellow and orange courses.

British Orienteering have done us the favour of publishing Barry Elkington's crystal clear guides of how to plan the TD1-TD4 courses. They are a brilliant distillation of the efforts of many earlier top rate planners.

They are a must read for any planner. If you don't know where they are, go to the BO website> downloads> and scroll down to "planners information".

Quite simply if an area does not allow you to plan to the criteria for the technical difficulty, you don't provide the course. Can't think of many (any?) areas in UK where this would apply.

[andypat]

I know its off topic a bit but I've a simliar gripe with String courses. HAve suffered various scapes and falls etc as has my wife, trailing round with toddlers the most difficult underfoot terrain for small children, bogs, brashings, over walls, down steep banks etc. Seems odd that the white should be all on paths but the string course can go more or less through the jungle. Are there guidelines for string courses? For families a decent string course can take the sting out of the wait for daddy to plod round the blue.

[Scott]

Are there guidelines for string courses?

Yep - here. The relevant bit says:

Plan the route to go through the nicest possible terrain – include small streams to be jumped over, some easy scrambling up rocks or crawls through holes in thickets – be creative and make it fun! Check for hidden dangers like barbed wire, and, if necessary, clear the ground to enable a three year old to run round.

[EddieH]

They're supposed to be able to "run round" and "crawl" and "scramble".