New Incentive Schemes

[Mrs H]

I wonder why the people on the Certificates of Achievements shown on the BOF website are all plainly wearing shorts? Must all be doing urban races I suppose!

[dorien]

And wearing rucksacks - some kind of urban mountain marathon maybe?

[Paul Frost]

You could be generous and assume that they are hydration bladders (camelbacks) rather than rucksacks. But not many orienteers carry them unless it's a long course and or hot.

Only orienteers will spot the illegal shorts, or they will assume that they are at an urban race.

[mharky]

Most surprising of all, Caroline Povey got 5 stars for navigation...

[Taybank]

I always think there is something wrong when people have to apply (maybe even pay) themselves for their cert. in this sort of thing.
Surely someone in the club could be the certificate official who organises it being sent out and make it a bit more of an incentive, make people feel they have been noticed.
Sort of the same way as the local government party official arranges for a Queen's telegram to be sent to the 100 y olds in a constituency.

[AndyC]

Good Idea Taybank - I for one have noted it and will see what can be done (we already do something similar for juniors)

(and welcome back in open board membership Mark)

[smf]

I always think there is something wrong when people have to apply (maybe even pay) themselves for their cert. in this sort of thing.
Surely someone in the club could be the certificate official who organises it being sent out and make it a bit more of an incentive, make people feel they have been noticed.

You don't need to claim, it is all automatic.

Receiving your Certificate

The results uploaded into the British Orienteering website will determine when a participant has completed a course. When the system recognises that a member has completed three courses at the same TD standard and/or at the designated speed, the member will be eligible for a certificate. Results from 1 January 2012 will be eligible for the new incentives scheme, therefore it is unlikely that any member has achieved the desired results at this time.

The certificates will be automated and be made available for the member to download and print via the member login on the website. If we hold the email address of the member they will be automatically notified.

Club Chairs and Club Membership Secretaries will also be able to download a report via their member login to see who in their club has successfully achieved a Navigation or Racing Challenge certificate and acknowledge their success as they deem appropriate.

[Mrs H]

some kind of urban mountain marathon maybe?

Ahh! that'll be the Great Malvern Urban Race then

[awk]

And wearing rucksacks - some kind of urban mountain marathon maybe?

Mass start one too given the winning tape.

[sketchweppers]

I am not sure that this really qualifies as an 'incentive scheme' in East Anglia!
I have just completed a short blue course of 6.3 km in an hour and fifteen minutes. This is my first 'gold' time! This is ridiculous - I didn't really have a good run, mucking up one point and getting confused when I came out of the forest onto a track - I am a slightly overweight W45 who doesn't really run (possibly jogs) and this qualifies as a 'gold'. The results haven't been published yet, but I doubt I was even in par!
I don't really have much incentive to do better next time - I have already got the top award!

The message on the website doesn't say whether climb is taken into consideration in the calculation of the course length. If it doesn't - then it is even more of a mockery. I am unlikely to even get a bronze time in Wales, Scotland or anywhere where there is perhaps more than 5 brown lines on the map - but it is okay as I will already have my gold certificate by the time I go to the JK.

Also is there any likelyhood of getting badges rather then certificates - I think that kids would prefer badges?

[SteveE]

Given how low the bar has been set for gaining the Gold standard, not sure the Incentive Scheme is aimed at any half decent orienteer who competes at level C events. Being always near the bottom of the results on Blue, I will have got my 'Gold' within half a dozen events in a fast area anyway.

No doubt the Incentive is to encourage more new people to the sport and nothing to do with existing members!

[Paul Frost]

Looks like it's better to be male!
I just did a quick check on the results from Day 2 (Ardnaskie) of the Scottish 6 Days. It should be noted that the ground was very heavy and tough technically and physically, so the mins/K should be slower than at many other events.

M50L - 115 total, gold went down to 54th, silver to 79th and bronze to 110th.
W50L - 82 total, gold went down to 5th, silver to 21st and bronze to 49th.

M21L - 47 total, gold went down to 31st, silver to 38th and bronze to 47th.
W21L - 32 total, gold went down to 10th, silver to 19th and bronze to 26th.

M12A - 36 total, gold went down to 9th, silver to 13th and bronze to 23rd.
W12A - 34 total, gold went down to 4th, silver to 11th and bronze to 21st.

At our local club events I got some very diverse results, from almost everyone getting gold in one event and only the top 2 in another.

[Big Jon]

Having the same mins/km for all events in all areas doesn't make sense to me. I can name several tough Scottish areas where 10mins/km is amazingly good going for all except the top few elites and other areas (SE England) where 10 mins/km will get you nowhere in M/W16 - 50.

[SeanC]

I think we should see how this goes. It might suit the newcomers better who, if coming from a running background, will be used to black and white targets (eg 5k target times - even though these are also affected by terrain, if by a lesser extent). If it's mainly used by people in their first year or two they will tend to stay local anyway. Experienced orienteers will tend to use the ranking lists as an incentive?

No one as compained about the navigation challenge? Is that high praise indeed?

I find it funny that when you skim read the BO homepage, the headline is just "congratulations, Caroline Povey."

[lostdog]

I think my kids would like this, now just to work out how to find out if they have got them or not on the BOF website - I presume I have to log them in with their memebership cards - can I add both accounts to one log in?