National Badge Scheme

[sketchweppers]

With the advent of the new event structure and this year of transition, I would like to know if the National Badge Scheme is going to continue. Does anyone know anything about its future?
There has been some discussion about new ranking lists to go with the new event structure, but for us more run of the mill orienteers, it is more motivating for us to know that we are at a Gold, Silver or Bronze level, than to find that we are now 275th on the ranking list!
I know that we still have the colour coded badges, but is this going to widen to include short blue etc badges too? What colour is 'short blue' anyway? The par times for such courses are being published, but what exactly does this mean?
Badges are certainly important for my children. My M12 son got his orange badge a while ago; he is not yet ready to move on to light green, but would like to achieve a Bronze or Silver level at JM3/orange courses at regional events. It would give him something to aim for. So far nothing seems to have been published about National Badge Scheme, and the BOF website has not been updated. It seems such a shame if they get rid of the junior ageless badge scheme. Juniors could run any junior course at regional events anyway, regardless of their age.
Also, we are paying more to go to regional events, than we do at colour coded events. So far none of the three L2 events I have been to this year, have appeared on the ranking list. One of the L2 events didn't even have any toilets (one of the colour coded L3 events did). There were traders and caterers at one of the L2 events. We pay at least £2 extra per person for the L2 events - but what exactly do we get for our money? I've run just as good a course (on a pre printed map) at L2 events and it is cheaper.
Sketchweppers.

[graeme]

The event structure review proposed that the badge awards should continue, but I guess it has now vanished into the group looking at the ranking list. Since the same data creates the ranking list as was used for the badge awards, it would be straightforward to assign the equivalent of gold, silver, bronze for age.

Juniors were outside the remit of the review. Their courses haven't changed so there's absolutely no reason why anything else should have.

As for the old C4s being just as good as the old C3s, you're quite right, that's why they should be at the same level. Which they would be aside from the idiotic controller rule which nobody will own up to.

[seabird]

Don't have an answer to your main query, but my experience from the last 2 weeks orienteering bears out your experience of L2 as against L3 events.

Sunday 8 Feb. Regional event. 1 toilet tent, pre-marked A4 maps on paper in transparent food bags, nice enough event in relatively unchallenging terrain. si and an occasionally updated printed results display. Full set of course. 227 competitors plus a good number of pre-entries who did not start. EOD £9

Saturday 14 Feb Small local event; proper toilets on site, pre-marked A4 maps on good quality but not waterproof paper; transparent good gauge plastic bags available i.e. not floppy food bags. Pin punches and self-timing. Excellent 3.7k course (longest available) in small but complex urban woodland area. 4 courses. 93 competitors. EOD £2

Sunday 15 Feb. Large local event; proper toilets on site, pre-marked A3 maps on waterproof paper; si and up-to-the minute electronic results display; new area of no great technicality but a nice enough run - and route gadget shows mistakes being made. Easily the best facilities. 7 courses. 174 competitors. EOD £5.

Thoroughly enjoyed all 3 - the quality of the course/terrain was ranked in my opinion; best 14 Feb, 2nd 8 Feb, 3rd 15 Feb

The value for money ranking I would give as 1st equal 14 Feb and 15 Feb, 3rd 8 Feb.

The latter 2 events had also to prepare sufficient maps for all entries being EOD, and hence an unknown turnout, i.e. extra costs.

What we don't know is whether access charges came into any of the events. I would hazard a guess that they either did not or were not considerable. Basically we often charge higher for Regional events simple because of their status - but is there always any justification for that status?

[Scott]

10.3 There was a general discussion on the nature of incentive schemes related to events and it was agreed that this discussion should be continued by email in order to reach a consensus.

It was agreed that the reasons for having incentive schemes were:

• To recognise achievement. Example: completing x number of ‘yellow’ courses could gain a yellow badge/certificate
• To recognise competence. Example: completing x number of ‘yellow’ courses within the ‘par’ or ‘colour coded standard’ time could gain a yellow ‘star’ or ‘gold’ badge/certificate
• To motivate people to continue to participate and to improve their skills

It was agreed that there should be a national incentive scheme administered by clubs to recognise achievement and competence and discussion would continue to reach agreement as to what the committee would propose.

Although no email discussion has actually taken place so far, so this would be a good time for any thoughts/suggestions.

The Ranking List group is meeting next Saturday (email ankings@britishorienteering.org.uk if you've got any thoughts on that), and there's an agenda item for "Integrating the Ranking System with incentive schemes". As graeme says, the badge scheme uses the same data as the rankings, so - if someone can agree on how the badge scheme should work under the new structure - when the new BOF results database springs into being there's no reason why it shouldn't be possible to simply tap in your BOF number and see how many standards at each course/class you've achieved in the last year.

[SeanC]

Does this mean the new colours (short brown etc) are to remain.

If that's so I think it would be nice if we had simple awards based on the colours calculated by the computer.

eg Short Brown completed (completed 3 Short Browns without retiring)
Short Brown expert (in top 50% on 3 short brown courses)

(please come up with better names).

The computer should then automatically list award holders, then club captains can organise a big party for the winners.

This would also give an incentive for newish orienteers to go to regional events - it could be their assessment events.

Scott wrote "if someone can agree on how the badge scheme should work under the new structure".

I agree that the new badge scheme should work like this. Good luck getting the other 10,000 orienteers to agree to anything.

[King Penguin]

What's the difference between a short Brown and a Blue, or Green ? Are they not all supposed to be TD5 if the area can provide it ?

[Oldman]

The Ranking List group is meeting next Saturday (email ankings@britishorienteering.org.uk if you've got any thoughts on that), ...

I'm left wondering what letter you missed from the beginning of the e-mail address

[roadrunner]

I must say I've had similar thoughts to sketchweppers myself - but not having competed recently other than in city races I didn't bother posting on Nopesport. Certainly I found both the badge and colour-coded schemes a good source of motivation when I was developing my skills (as opposed to getting older, slower and more cautious ), and I'm amazed that we introduced the new structure without having even firm ideas in place in this area.

[Mrs H]

Erm! You lot always do this! I'm asking pretty much the same question in my CompassSport article (with a bit of a spin you haven't come up with yet - but it's going to arise as sure as eggs is eggs)

[graeme]

Here's my stuck record act again...

Yes we did consider the National Badge Scheme.
Yes it was in the recommendations.
Yes you can see what was recommended.
No it hasn't changed - you get your "Championship Badge" qualifiers at L1 events.

RTFM

http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/d ... GuideC.pdf
http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/d ... GuideA.pdf
http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/d ... Scheme.pdf

[roadrunner]

Here's my stuck record act again...

Yes we did consider the National Badge Scheme.
Yes it was in the recommendations.
Yes you can see what was recommended.
No it hasn't changed - you get your "Championship Badge" qualifiers at L1 events.

RTFM

http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/d ... GuideC.pdf
http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/d ... GuideA.pdf
http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/d ... Scheme.pdf

Reading (well OK, quickly scanning) these seem to show that the only age-class badges now will be championship ones. The others will be single-level, akin to the earlier colour-coded standards. But I thought that designating the new courses by colour had been scrapped? It still seems that we've lost something here.