CompassSport Cup Final

[Scott]

It's not just that. A 16-hour first aid course is about enough to teach you the recovery position, CPR, assorted wound dressings, burns and crushes, etc. There's no way that they can offer you any meaningful training in which medication to give people, so by doing so you would be significantly exceeding your competence. And antihistamines can have some pretty serious side-effects if given to the wrong person.

The rules for first aiders (not just in orienteering) are that you can help people take their own medication, but you can't tell/suggest/advise them what to take, or give them anything to take that they don't have.

[lilywhite]

With Oli Johnson, Rob Baker and Matt Crane disqualified the results look a little different!

Oi, I didn't do any collaborating!

[Jon Brooke]

RJ, you said,

And get seriously sued if something goes wrong.It is classed as assault!!

I don't think this sort of comment should be allowed to just wash into our consciousness. It is this sort of glib statement that leads us deeper into the ridiculously risk averse culture that I'm sure all here can't stand.

Have you EVER heard of anyone even being prosecuted, let alone convicted, of assault for trying to administer first aid?

[Mrs H]

Ha ha ha - 4th in the nopesport league and RJ on the rampage - things are looking up

[Scott]

Have you EVER heard of anyone even being prosecuted, let alone convicted, of assault for trying to administer first aid?

No. The classic first aid legal example is the Anna Loyley case, which was settled out-of-court for an undisclosed sum - the issue there was whether the first aiders (from the SJA) had acted competently.

[seabird]

Many blocks of the map were generalised in terms of their runnability. As in most areas with such generalisations there were minor variations within some blocks. To have mapped these variations would have added nothing to the challenge of the event or added any additional control sites or reliable navigational features. It would however have provided innumerable extra hours of mapping time. We looked at whether it was worth mapping all this vegetation detail and concluded it was not.

Different age classes view the runnability of the same areas quite differently. For instance the Green Men and Brown courses both had the same direct line across an area marked as semi-open with the undergrowth walk symbol. The M60s I spoke with who chose the direct route complained bitterly about the brambles. Some suggested the area should have been mapped as Fight. The M21s found no significant impediment to progress.

As an M60 I take the undergrowth walk symbol to indicate somewhere to avoid, although in this case I had tested it and crossed the area successfully (walking) several times, so I think the mapping compromise got it right.

[JennyJ]

Racing is very different to collaborating!

[RJ]

Yes it certainly is...... particularly when you are from the same club, know each other really well, and train together.

[lilywhite]

They're doing the OMM together too. Makes you sick really.

[JennyJ]

RJ so are you actually coming out and saying that Oli and Rob cheated on Sunday?

[RJ]

No certainly not. I have absolutely no personal evidence to say that. Read the Attack Point. 'Nuff said.

The point of the whole exercise is to insist that the start list generation is fair and seen to be fair. With people from the same club starting close to one another.... that is not fair on the rest of the field when they have been separated by over ten minutes. As a competitior I wouldn't be happy being given a start time adjacent to a club mate, particularly in an inter club competition. But hey.... who cares? Lets just forget about it.... it is obviously upsetting too many people.

[seabird]

How to make a more equitable solution for future years?

All clubs know how many entry slots are available to them on each course. If like SYO they have more runners than slots then of course they should be allowed any available slots from other clubs, as per the existing rules.

Perhaps the guidelines should recommend that the additional slots should be reserved for the weaker runners in the team to avoid any accusations of "stars" collaborating.
How you determine who are the weaker runners is a bit more problematic; ranking lists; entry secs personal knowledge; club captain's assessment? you can be sure no two people will agree.

And, of course, the trouble with SYO is that they all seem to be "stars".

Congratulations on your well deserved victory.

[seabird]

A further thought;

Brown was easily the most heavily subscribed course this year.

How about a Black course for the M21s - then there would be plenty of start slots - even for SYO.

[NeilC]

As a competitior I wouldn't be happy being given a start time adjacent to a club mate, particularly in an inter club competition.

As a competitor I'm not too impressed by being given a CSC final start time one minute ahead of an SYO veteran superstar yet again. Last year Tim Tett, this year Charlie Adams. During the epic 2km path run leg I heard thundering footsteps behind me and glimpsed back to see a dark-haired SYO topped runner approaching and for a moment thought that it was Charlie about to overtake me for the fourth time . In fact it was Rob B, then about 100m later Oli glided past.

I was running with my -1 and +1 minute men for much of the course, it certainly helped but certainly wasn't co-operation. However if the stacking of additional runners at the later start times is deemed unfair then either
i) Other club captains try and fill those slots themselves
ii) Suggest a change to your regional rules group rep

[distracted]

However if the stacking of additional runners at the later start times is deemed unfair then either
i) Other club captains try and fill those slots themselves
ii) Suggest a change to your regional rules group rep

Why do we have to rely on rules to stop this sort of thing happening? Whatever happened to using a little "common" sense in decision-making processes...