What night events?

[SeanC]

The night event season must be 'warming' up now.

What events are you looking forward to? Would like to plug?

Getting the ball rolling, this week's Kent Night Cup is at Limpsfield Chart (western part of Westerham map) so should be very technical... which may or may not be something you look forward to (don't forget it's a score though, you can skip controls in the old quarry bits).

I'm also going to try CLARO's night event this weekend. Looking further ahead the British Night Champs is down my way at Pippingford Park (Ashdown Forest), which should be good*.

What about the midland/southern/northern/scottish night champs?

* hopefully army cadets/TA's will be elsewhere and not blocking bridges like last time I was there.

[RJ]

WCOC had the first of their winter series on a small area, Slate Fell, near Cockermouth last Thursday. 45 runners enjoyed a dark night with a thin sliver of moon hanging over the hill top. So exciting to see the dozens of lights snaking around the area. Looking forward to this Thursday!

All easy areas to begin with so that the younger juniors and novices can ease their way into the series.

[Sloop]

NW Night League

30 Nov SROC Low Park Wood, Kendal
7 Dec PFO Dean Clough, Great Harwood
11 Jan LOC Great Tower
18 Jan MDOC Dove Stone
8 Feb DEE Delamere East
1 Mar SELOC Tandle Hill

[Barny]

Southern Nights Championship is at Gore Heath, Wareham Forest, Dorset on Saturday 7th December 2013 - fairly soon. Entries are via Fabian and details are on the WIM website http://www.wimborne-orienteers.org.uk/wim/homepage.htm
Also SOC are organising an event in the New Forest on the Sunday morning - so you can make a weekend of it - details http://www.southampton-orienteers.org.u ... ketts-lawn

I am collecting in trophies from last years winners - so if you have one and are not taking part I will be at BADO event at Pamber this Sunday and will collect them

Also we run the Wessex Night League in this area - 15 events this year - and have a good turnout to these events. These are a mixture of forest and urban events (some both)

See WSX website for details of the Wessex Night League events http://www.wessex-oc.org/night_league_details.htm



Barny

[King Penguin]

Western Night League is also up and running -
http://www.westernnightleague.org.uk/

[The Loofa]

South-east Night Champs
Esher Common
30 Nov
Run from the opposite end to last year's Southern Nights.

[lucy]

Cornish Night Orienteering Series

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[SeanC]

KERNO are definitely ahead of the other leagues with their publicity. Nice and short and simple friendly message aimed at persuading day types to do night o. Most of the others dive straight into the formal details bit. Not sure about the latest KERNO O suit though, or is that the recommended outfit for Cornwall brambles?

Good to see most events featuring a post event pub for food and chat. Not the SE champs Andy? I thought SLOW normally organise something along those lines?

[MIE]

Good to see most events featuring a post event pub for food and chat. Not the SE champs Andy? I thought SLOW normally organise something along those lines?

Read the info on http://sloweb.org.uk/events/senights2013/
-- it says:
"Parking is at the Fairmile, Portsmouth Road, Cobham. There should be plenty of room for everyone to park on hard-standing. Registration and download will be inside in a nice, warm bar and medals will be presented there afterwards, at about 7:30pm."

I think that implies there will be a post event pub, unless you want to leave the one
you are at

[SeanC]

I shouldn't have doubted you, good effort as always.

[Glucosamine]

Not sure about the latest KERNO O suit though, or is that the recommended outfit for Cornwall brambles?

Don't know about brambles (Cardinham apart), but given some of the new age activities on the moors at night ... remember coming across a scantily clad coven while marshalling on an adventure race some years ago.

Lucky those regions that have achieved critical mass for the dark side (of our sport). For points further north and east we scrabble around for individual events. What night events indeed? Developments in bright LEDs reduce the entry price - so how to persuade the reluctant?

[SeanC]

In that situation the trick is probably to avoid setting up a regional night league straight away and instead set up local midweek night leagues. These don't have to compete with weekend day events, and because they are so local they will attract many to the event just because it is near and nothing else is on midweek.

Midweek score events are much easier to organise so things can get set up quicker + more events to justify paying for a torch. A mix of street/park and forest events will appeal to beginners and the keen. Street events can be done with local running clubs to boost numbers as well. Add a pub/social afterwards and it really boosts club spirit which helps generate more competitors and organisers.

Lots of clubs have abandoned their club nights, so instead could think about a local night league.

[SeanC]

What do people think about scrapping the Southern/Midland/Northern night champs and replacing with a night champs for each region (Scotland as you were) with Nopesport urban type age classes (open/vets/supervets etc)? Ie like the South East night champs.

[DM]

Lots of clubs have abandoned their club nights, so instead could think about a local night league.

Interesting comment. Why would that be then? And how many are you talking about?

[SeanC]

mmm, factually unsupported statement alert...

When the club night project was still running there was a list of club nights that looked difficult to sustain in the long term (I can't remember the exact phrasing), basically because the numbers were too low. I'm pretty sure the old BOF development committee saw that list last year when we discussed using BOF development funds to fund some new club nights that looked more promising, but I'd have to check.

I've assumed that as funding for 'at risk' club nights came to an end, most of the relevant clubs have been unwilling to subsidise them. That's what happened at my own club.

It would be an interesting exercise to analyse the long term success or otherwise of the project in a year or two time. Otherwise those in the anti-BOF camp will just assume it was a big flop, those in the pro-camp will assume it was a mega breakthrough. Since quite a bit of our own (BOF) development money was spent on club nights last year, we could be justified in asking for that....

In my own region:

Definately still going
SO club night
SLOW club night

Definately stopped
DFOK club night

Not sure
CHIG club night
Guildford (I think it was independant of a club, maybe called Guildford adventure runners?)
Dorking (again independant of a club, but in partnership with MV).
Happy Herts club night

Success of DFOK club night? Definately one regular who started at the club night and now going to Kent Night Cup's. 2 or 3 others who started at regular O who might have drifted away had it not been for the club night.

Anyway, to state the point in a different way, if your club has ended/is ending a club night it could become a local night series, with more regular orienteers turning up, something loss making could become profitable/sustainable.