White courses and development

[graeme]

In deference to Phil, I'll start this as a new thread.

I found white courses pretty dull when I started, and moved pretty quickly onto red, M21C and M21B which gave me a worthwhile time in the forest without the hours-being-lost associated with greens and A courses.

I was 21 at the time, and I mention this because its very unclear what course a fit M21 would do nowadays.
Looking through the Scottish fixtures this year, I can't find a single forest-based course at any event that would have appealed to me as a novice M21.

This is the most damaging thing about schools. Clubs seem to think it means they dont need to do any other development.

Meanwhile, on white courses, easy doesn't have to mean boring (thought strings are often much more interesting). Just avoid long, wide, straight tracks.

Graeme (Proud father - James finished his first white course without help this weekend)

[RJ]

A few ground rules.

Lets make it clear which age group we are talking about each time. Obviously senior (20+) prospective orienteers need a different introduction than 6/7 year olds.

My previous posts on the subject have referred to Years 5/6 (8, 9 and 10 year olds). White courses here are to provide the..... reading a map, following a very simple course, checking codes, electronic punching and RUNNING FAST skills. Navigation and route choice much later!!!

Introduction to orienteering has no clearly defined edges in the respect that it can involve any age and any ability.

Also, development is an ongoing process, obviously. The colour coded system is so suited to this development, so we don't need to reinvent anything there, except with the use of purple and red courses.

In schools, because of the nature of school grounds, the level of difficulty can seldom rise above White. However, we have tried using three parallel White courses with competitors starting consecutively on each course. They have the safety and confidence of moving with the flow, but have to concentrate on getting the right control. With quite a few pupils on the course at any one time overcoming the confusion of which course the person in front of you is doing means you have to concentrate on what YOU are doing. With courses of 1km+ being won in 5 mins they are learning the first crucial characteristic..... it is a running sport!

We have no problem catering for 250+ at our events. But..... the difficult bit is to get them to try the next bit..... Yellow courses on areas away from school grounds. This needs a great deal of work to succeed, and is a slow process. We are currently attracting about 1%.

[graeme]

Lets make it clear which age group we are talking about each time.

You missed the point already. I'm talking about which group to allocate the limited resource of development money and time to. Arguing that "schools development" is obviously a good thing is specious, because it ignores the neglect of other development.

Obviously senior (20+) prospective orienteers need a different introduction than 6/7 year olds.

Why? I started with a white course, five minutes later I was much better equipped to orientate the map while running, deal with punches and control cards and descriptions and understand the scale.

Then I was ready to skip yellow and go on to red, but
how many adults start by running off way way beyond the first control?

The colour coded system is so suited to this development, so we don't need to reinvent anything there, except with the use of purple and red courses.

Actually, I think the guidelines for red and purple are all messed up, but the point is that these courses simply aren't put on. Why? Because clubs seem to think they've done their development work by going to a school and putting on courses for kids of whom 99% (you say) wont be developed any further.

You can cater for 250 with a 1% conversion rate. A single member bringing along a family of friends to an event with white for kids and red for grown-ups does better for club development.

Schools orienteering is a good thing for and of itself. But it has failed as a vehicle for development.

Graeme

[lilywhite]

Schools orienteering is a good thing for and of itself. But it has failed as a vehicle for development.

Hello

[mharky]

UVHS also...

Matt Lyle
Alison O'Neil´
other people

[redkite]

As an interesting aside to this discussion, when I started orienteering again after a near a 30 year break I had a look at my last event as a kid. I think it was British Junior champs in 1972. A lot, if not the majoity of entrants, were by kids from youth organisations (Scouts in my instance) where the leaders were use to doing things with kids on a weekend and during evenings. (i.e. when club O events took place)

GRanted this was during the "golden Era" when participants were increasing exponentially, but perhaps more effort should go into encouraging other youth organs in addition to schools.

[LostAgain]

My wife and I found the sport post university, M/W21. We found the current Colour Coded system worked well for us. Unlike Graeme, we started with the Orange as a pair, quickly moving on to individual runs, getting the Orange badge and then spending an inordiante amount of time on the greens. There did not seem to be light greens at this time. Progessed through to blue before attempting 21S and moving to 21L in the second year.

We are now bringing our own kids through the sport and feel the current colour coded system is good. For the kids the absence of the red is no issue. Our M10 has moved through white, yellow, orange and is now running light green. Which was great development as he is current JK and British Champion.

Our M8 is now on the Orange, taking his time and learning that you need to nvaigate and keep in touch with the map. He has variable success but progressing well.

Our W6 is running the white and learing to compete etc.

Our M3 is finding it tough as 50% of the events this year have failed to put on a string course.

In conclusion, I do not actually think there is a lot wrong with the colour coded system. Agree with Graeme that a red at every event would be useful for the older novices. Not sure whether we need a purple, as we should try to move the novices in to the terrain and navigation challenge at some point.

The issue is actually attracting new comers / novice's to the event in the first place.

[swat]

Graeme wrote:

its very unclear what course a fit M21 would do nowadays.

I'm suprised that any fit M21 started on a White course - my first course was M21L and at subsquent events I always just entered the longest course available. Given that difference of approach I don't thing you'll ever find a definitive answer to this question - it depends on the individual. If you're up for it a long, hard course gives the best value for money. If you can run fast you'll find all the controls eventually and have lots of fun along the way.

[mharky]

you'll find all the controls eventually...

i wouldn't be too sure...

[graeme]

you'll find all the controls eventually...

i wouldn't be too sure...

Swat is correct...

When I started, a very helpful experienced orienteer and mathematician , Dave McIntyre, gave the following advice.

"Construct a space filling curve which passes through all points in the forest - this is possible in all bounded forests - the control lies somewhere on this curve"

Mharky - we'd better stick to growing tomatoes

Graeme

[Ant W]

Ahh Graeme that explains some of your routes in the early days!

I am currently trialling a fractal approach to route execution....

[LostAgain]

I do believe that Graeme has still applied that technicque on occassion.

I've certainly seem him absolutely tank past me then have as hunt! Not that I'd throw stones in this greenhouse , which connects nicely with another thread!

[Stodgetta]

Fatboy & Stodge will remember turning up to Merthyr Mawr in the Uni minibus many years ago and having "BoW" (who was a post-doc academic, an excellent fell runner - the best in S Wales at the time, but not such a good navigator) announce he was going to try his new technique of "circling" which involved compass & pacing to roughly the area of the control and then running in ever increasing circles until he found it He completed the course, but we could never persuade him to improve standard technique before trying his own out.

[mharky]

aha, you may be able to plot the curve, but will you be able to follow it???

[redkite]

and if a 200ft cliff happens to be on the route of curve? Might explain why numbers are in decline