Isms, schisms

[geomorph]

Is track athletics a good analogy for O?

In many ways golf is better, where a prolonged test enables the most consistent performer to prevail.

Golf against the clock would be even more similar to orienteering - almost identical.

Exactly (except you are allowed to walk the course first, and varying the hole position only gives limited variety between rounds)

And the differences in golf formats are more like score vs cross-country

But against the clock..... then Tiger wood win every time

[mharky]

No sports are a good analogy for orienteering, except for orienteering, that is just like orienteering.

[Patrick]

Maybe someone in the IOF reads Nopesport...

The IOF is currently conducting a project in order to evaluate various aspects of the Elite Events programme in foot orienteering and in particular the World Orienteering Championships. As part of the project, we are seeking the opinions of different target groups in a number of questions relating to the EE programme. We are asking for your opinion, and would be grateful if you could give us a minute to complete the questionnaire.

http://www.orienteering.org/i3/index.php?/iof2006/news/iof_elite_events_survey

Have your say where it may actually make a difference!

Patrick

[Red Adder]

At least O doesn't have the slow play that bedevils golf. I don't no which is worse - playing behind an amateur who takes 3 minutes viewing each putt from every angle when he would be just as effective if he just shut his eyes and duffed it in the general direction of the hole (it works for me) - or the pro who idly waitis for 5 minutes for the green to clear and then starts his 17 point set up routine. I'd happily strangle both !!

[awk]

Agree with Mharky - the analogies aren't very helpful here, especially with golf which, to my mind, is the complete antithesis of everything I enjoy in orienteering.

FWIW I'm not sure about what should happen at WOC level, other than I agree with those who think it should revert to no more than every two years. However, what I do appreciate is that the drive that introduced Middle and Sprint racing at elite level, has meant that we are starting to have much greater variety and interest in domestic orienteering. Without these new formats, we as a family would have almost certainly given up by now, but instead we're enjoying all the different disciplines more than ever before. Whether one person wins all of them or not at WOC is in this context neither here nor there: they are sufficiently different to create wider ranging appeal (with some people liking all, some liking less), and to that extent it's probably a good idea to have a range of separate disciplines at WOC,the pinnacle, and with maybe some tweaking, the current range looks pretty reasonable.

As to the luck element, I don't go along with Gnitworp's arguments one little bit. I don't believe that longer races reduce the luck element - rather there are more opportunities to get lucky, with one or two people thus having the chance to get extremely lucky (or unlucky!). There's some luck in every sport; every sport has stars who've won everything except the Worlds or Olympics because they've lucked out in one way or another each time. That's life. To my mind, the winner of the Sprint is every bit as good as the winner of the Long, and no luckier.

[Copepod]

I'd happily strangle any golfer! Golf = a good walk spoilt; golf course = land that could be better used as a park, with a permanent orienteering course and / or a few races per year.

[SeanC]

Municipal courses aren't so bad. SO used Tilgate golf course for a night event last year, and Birchwood Park always let us park and use their foyer for free. Also I'm told some parks (like Knole Park?) use golf courses as a way of generating money to pay for their upkeep.

But generally would be good to move them to wasteland and replace with championship standard o areas.

Sorry, a bit of thread drift, please return to the original subject.

[mharky]

please return to the original subject.

Grumble, grumble, grumble.... back in my day...