Why such a short start time window?

[RCB]

Why after all the course planning, controlling and setting up do so many events restrict their start times from 10:00 to 12:00. Often I'll encourage my wife and two kids to get up early on a Sunday and travel an hour to an event. No sooner than we have completed the string course and or a white or yellow we find that either my wife or I have to forgo the opportunity of a run because the start is closing. And for friends of ours who have come along to the odd local event (within half an hour drive) by the time they have had their Sunday lie in, returned from church or their kids football match there is no opportunity to take part. I fully appreciate that volunteers are keen to get home on a Sunday or Saturday afternoon but why don't clubs seek additional support at the event and perhaps have two or three shifts allowing starts to be extended. This might also reduce the pressure on the event registration and start teams allowing starts to be spread more evenly. This would also benefit those on congested courses giving them the opportunity to run on their own in the forest rather than being in that rather long chain of runners that we so often see. Longer event timings may also encourage food traders and Utrasport or Compasspoint to attend more events and best of all it encourages a more social event atmosphere. It works for MTB events.

My family are not running this morning as the local event start times are from 10:00 to 11:30! Please make O events a day out rather than a rushed morning activity.

[Red Adder]

The start window may be 10:30 to 12:30 but the event generally goes on to 14:30 or 15:00. Then the planner and his team who will often have been out since 7:00 or earlier placing controls (if not also much of the day before) have to collect controls etc (and in Nov to Jan it gets dark by about 16:30). In other words volunteers have put in a 10 hour shift just on the day (and probably something like 50 -100 hours before the event) so you can have your run. Thats why for most events the competition window is quite tight. [Also if you have a two hour start window & 8 courses that is 960 possible starts - not bad choice when many events now attract < 200 entries].

Of course the more people who volunteer to plan /organise/control events - or just help with tasks like control collecting in the gloom then the easier it would be to stage events and consider a longer competition window.

[frog]

I agree with red adder. 2 hours is long enough for most people to have split starts. If you had a longer time window for starting you wouldn't get the controls in before it got dark/ you were fed up and never wanted to plan/organise an event again.
Most other sporting events just have a set start time so 2 hours is quite generous.
I usually arrive towards the end of the start time as I hate getting up early on a weekend, plus there is less hanging around as most folk arrive in the first 15 minutes.
We've tried afternoon starts but find that just confuses folk and some people turn up at 10.30 and wonder where everyone is.

[epocian]

. This might also reduce the pressure on the event registration and start teams allowing starts to be spread more evenly. .

From my experience extending registration times would not make any difference
Peak time at registration appears to be in the first 45minutes then tailing off to a virtual trickle in the last twenty minutes before closing.

[NFKleanne]

I see no problems with the start window. I work till 9am and can get to most events in Norfolk by 11:30. The only problem being if I have to take my little people with me - but this is normally rectified by me doing my longer courses, then the kids doing their shorter ones at events in neighbouring areas (ie WAOC smile events and SUFFOC CATI) - they do not particularly like orienteering in winter and keep us both happy.

The alternative is we visit a POC (we've got four new ones for the summer- thanks Red Adder)

The biggest problem we have is getting enough volunteers to help at events - especially in the winter, with a stead fast group who help at most events - we also have some who turn up on the day (weather permitting) and offer to help, reducing the burden.

[AndyC]

Are we actually asking the right question? We've all got used to events being on Sunday mornings (with low key and two day events on Saturday) -would the afternoon or Saturday make more sense?

[andy]

Are we actually asking the right question? We've all got used to events being on Sunday mornings (with low key and two day events on Saturday) -would the afternoon or Saturday make more sense?

Saturday makes more sense in my mind, don't see why not.

For continuity sake afternoon doesn't work for a 'normal' 'long' event because as people have said above courses are still generally open and runners out until later on. In the winter this later on can often be getting close to dark hours. I remember a 6 days a few years ago when we were actually checking what time a guy was starting for the last few days because he had been last back on the first few days, by some way! Last start was 2pm... He had some epic runs.

[SeanC]

It's funny, today I came away from a local event with the start window that RCB mentions (it may have been the same one? Addington Hills?) thinking that it was a really good event but would have been even better with a smaller start window. It would have given club members a chance to socialise as a club rather than ones or twos, and much better for newcomers coming to their first few events to meet lots of us rather than than hope they spot someone they've already met.

I may seem harsh on families with two keen adult orienteers, but Southdowns have the most successful local series and largest number of families around my way, and I'm pretty sure their local "SOG" events have a 1 hour start window.

We've gone even further at some of our Saturday park type local events, making them mass start score starting at 11.30. For the two keen adult orienteers type family it means one has to sacrifice a run to go with the children. However these events are really easy to organise so we can put on twice as many. And a mass start/finish event is very sociable, and gives opportunities for coaching before or after the event.

Long term, I think if the local events can increase participation then that means more district/regional events with big start windows and courses to suit all.

[PG]

so many events restrict their start times from 10:00 to 12:00

RCB: Most planners/controllers aim to have the courses ready around half an hour earlier than the first start, with the half hour available as contingency. Often helpers will start before 10:00. If you have a special requirement to start super-early and are prepared to start under whatever conditions are given to you (which might include a risk of controls not being checked), then many organisers will be sympathetic to you starting before the first official start. It certainly won't hurt to ask.

[Sunlit Forres]

It's funny, today I came away from a local event with the start window that RCB mentions (it may have been the same one? Addington Hills?) thinking that it was a really good event but would have been even better with a smaller start window. It would have given club members a chance to socialise as a club rather than ones or twos, and much better for newcomers coming to their first few events to meet lots of us rather than than hope they spot someone they've already met.

I agree with SeanC. Our "Saturday Morning League" events are run with a 1-hour start window. We have a 2 Km yellow course for kids plus a TD3-4 course with a 25-min winning time suitable as a long 'sprint O' for the experts and a realistic challenge for adult beginners and developing juniors. They've proved very successful and have become an enjoyable club social gathering, with everyone getting the chance to meet up and chat before helping clear away so we can all go off to the footie in the afternoon.

If we can increase membership by doing events like this we'll end up having to extend start windows at the bigger events because it'll be the only way of fitting everyone in.

[frog]

The shorter time window for events sounds interesting and I can see how it might encourage more socialising and maybe make holding events less arduous for small events with low turnouts.

[Copepod]

We're a couple of keen childless orienteers - my partner far better than me, so he can do a Brown in the time it takes me to do a Green. In addition, one or other of us often mind a child or two (or go roung string or white with them) while parents run. Occasionally, this has caused confusion, where we are seen with a very young child, by someone we have seen for over a year, who assumes the child is ours. When visiting the Midlands, we sometimes have 3 generations running, as my mother has taken up orienteering after becoming a grandmother. I can't believe were the only people without young children who are happy to look after children young enough to be kept an eye on.

[SeanC]

The other thing about small events is that there's often a big range of speeds on a small number of courses. Therefore you can have start intervals of say 30secs without causing too much following as the faster runners will quickly pass the slower ones. Though personally I like some head to head racing at local events - more fun and gets people talking to each other after the event.

The mass start score is the way to seriously simplify the organisation IMHO, though it obviously makes the orienteering quite a bit easier. A few months ago I organised one, left my house at 8.30am, was back by 2pm, only 2 helpers were needed.

[mappingmum]

A 2 hour start window can be challenging when your kids are younger and the parents are not super-fast brilliant orienteers. Add in a start which is 15+ minutes away and a remote finish . . . . . .that SOL at Dumyat is a good example 2 years ago. The hill was littered with parents sprinting back to the cars so their other half could arrive at the start late, but just before the start closed.

But we've only missed a start once and have learned that one parent has to start as soon as the start opens to have any chance of everyone getting in their run.

[Tatty]

I remember a BOK Trot, many years ago with a 2 hour start window, 30 minute walk to the Start, 30 minute walk in opposite direction from finish. Hubby ran M35L, first start and wasn't back before I had to leave for the last start. Gave baby to the finish officals, telling them I had to go!! Theey were very accommodating and looked after him. None of our Club mates were there to help us out!