One race to go

[Neil M35]

Only one race to go in the UK Cup - given the Scottish Champs startlist only 3 men still have a chance of winning. GG must be favourite, Rob Baker has a chance and Neil Northrop requires a miracle. (unless only 5 races count in which case who knows?)Well done to the three of them for getting themselves in the frame, but I can't help feeling that the UK Cup does not generate the interest that it once did. This might be just me because the top end is a lot further off than it used to be, but I think this year the series has been undermined for a few reasons.

Selection of races - A bias towards fast southern terrain. No doubt there are lots of people who are happy with this but I would have liked at least one race in the Lakes and it's a shame that the Scottish is on sand dunes this year. This is the first UK Cup ever where there is no race in the Lakes.

British team agenda - there seem to have been a few clashes between british team stuff and UK Cup races. This is inevitable some of the time and the squad's aim is to prepare for internationals rather than prop up the domestic season, but in that case why were races biased towards World Cup preparation?

Lack of interest from competitors. Too many of the races had weakened fields - partly because of squad activities as above but also because people weren't prepared to travel for the races on offer. I guess these days people do much more travelling abroad on cheapy airlines for events like Spring Cup/Tio Mila/Jukola which make the domestic races less attractive.

Lack of interest from the organisers. Ed's excellent website has kept everybody up to date but the official website has not. We still have no official word as to how many races will count this year after the voiding of JK day1. Who's decision is it?

I don't mean any of this as a criticism of the individual event organisers (all the events I have done this year have been good), I just feel that overall the UK Cup has lost direction. I don't think the selection of races should be dictated by the squad or the IOF's obsession with making orienteering spectator friendly, but by the needs of elite orienteering as a whole. Increasingly elite orienteering bears little relation to the sport as practised by everybody else (I know, that means I must be old and can remember what it was like before following became part of the sport)

[Homer]

Hear, hear.
I agree with everything Neil says.
But then, I'm an old git too!

[harry]

This is a shame. The UK Cup was originally designed to bring all the top people together for quality races, at that time National events were the thing and had variable, dwindling fields, now the UK Cup seems to be going the same way. A lot of the top men live abroad but there must be a higher standard of GB women (and most live here) than there ever has been (has there ever been 6 women in the top 20ish in a world cup race before?)
But perhaps inevitably the only UK Cup races that reflected this were the JK and BEOC short/middle. ie the selection races.

But flogging yourself round 11 races domestically plus domestic relays, World Cups plus Tio Mila, Jukola, Spring Cup, training camps etc is not the best season plan. I think the fact World Cup and WOC are both every year is probably another factor here.

I hear comments like the "end of the year/season" already and it's only May! Is it time to have a 2 stage season again like the Swedes? Perhaps less races in the jam packed Spring with a few in the autumn? The SHI will be back in the autumn this year why not revive that a bit by giving it UK Cup status? People will say that is unfair because not everyone can get picked...

A more even geographical spread would help too.

It's a shame for those who perhaps aren't going for WOC to be thinking the year/season2005 is over right now and there is nothing else to go for later in the year.

[Godders]

I'd agree with all of Neil's comments too and with Helen's comments about having a 2 stage season.

This is the first time I've not run as many races as I can count in the UK cup since it started. Reason has been the distance of the races from Edinburgh and not being prepared to spend time and money travelling to them, especially when they were biased towards running rather than navigation.

[gg]

can anyone be bothered to work out where me or baker need to finish to win? i can't be arsed - too much like maths

[Becks]

Obviously the dwindling participation has served me pretty well, as someone who's made it to enough races to count, but yes, it is a shame. I will probably finish in the top ten having raced in a mediocre fashion, simply for enough races. It's great when asking people like college for money but really, it feels like a hollow achievement.

[Homer]

GG's comment about sums it up!
If he can't be bothered, then who else?

The UK Relay League seems to have gone the same way, judging by the plee for entries on the BOF website.

[Matt p]

If you did resort to a 2stage season do you think that people may then complain about the season being too long. True you could have a break xmas time but then would it be like two lots of pre season training i.e. before autumn and before spring. I guess even in the current season there will be peaks and troughs in fitness depending on peoples priorities.

Personally being a non elite I think a more prolonged season with races spread out more evenly over a longer period would be beneficial. This season I did nothing until around March/April. Then I decided I liked orienteering and now I find myself with few (big) events until the Scottish and so my enthusiasm will most probably drop - as it will next autumn if there are fewer events. If the events are more evenly spread then people who get involved may be inclined to keep going if there is another large event in a few weeks time.

Apologies that this has nothing to do with the UK Cup.

[Neil M37]

can anyone be bothered to work out where me or baker need to finish to win? i can't be arsed - too much like maths

If you finish 14th or better then you will win whatever Rob and Neil do. For Neil to win he has to win the race and for Rob to finish worse than 13th and you to finish worse than 33rd.

I take no responsibility for having got my sums wrong. This is the most excited I have been about the UK Cup all year.

[Nails]

I'd better get the man traps loaded into the car then. Jeeze thirty third Graham -now thats what I call a miracal.

And as for mr Nixon junior why do i find him in the M21s category.... hmmm methinks resting up for the big relay-off.

[gg]

33rd out of 28? could be tricky

[Ed]

re if only 5 races count for men, I was working on the software a couple of weeks ago to make sure it could generate the required results if needed, and in testing that generated the current 5-to-count standings for the men.

Basically it made very little difference at the top, I think there was maybe one change in the top 5 and in the range 5th-10th one or two changes. I've hopefully got some time to work on it middle of next week so I'll maybe post what the standings would be for comparison if I actually do manage to get that sorted.

I'll maybe try and work out a way for next year to program a "what they need to do to win" function to add a bit of excitement? I'll maybe even manage to have the whole site properly finished by the start of next year...

[Nails]

exactly g.

Well at least you update your website ed....

[gg]

so i just have to finish - and what ar the odds of rob winning?

[harry]

Yeah i'm not suggesting a long season going on and on and on from march til november but simply having a march - may period during which there are a few uk cup races and again late august - october. - like the swedish season. it would work well fitting around international calendar i think and because there would be less races jam packed together eg. spring cup, jk, busa, beoc, beoc, beoc, tiomila perhaps people would hold them in higher regard and target/travel a bit more.

For example if this season's UK Cup had been
JK 1 + 2
BEOC Sprint Middle and Long
Winterfold

and then

er..
SHI or something
and a "final showdown" UK Cup weekend in October with a Sprint middle and long and a banquet so everyone can have a jolly good knees up, slap each other on the back and dance the night away..

That's still 10 races and (hopefully) a better field at everything - this is still very southern biased but i'm talking about this year's existing fixtures. (and a made up one at the end!)