Is it time to ditch the word "Orienteering" from our sport?

[epocian]

Adrian wrote

I agree that jargon terms like "event", "course" and "control" are just as problematic. I sometimes use "competition"/"race" and "route" for the first two, but I'm never quite sure what the easy-to-understand word for "control" would be.

Would 'checkpoint' be more understandable to a non-orienteer?

[SeanC]

That's what I use when explaining the sport, but am reluctant to do so in publicity as this has even more rambling/scouting etc connotations (at least to me).

[mharky]

Well maybe if we translated things properly we wouldn't have such a problem.

Kontroll punkt = Check point
Gaffeling = Forking
OL = Navigation running

[Roger]

A tale, starting not-so-many years ago when my son was in the Cubs:

Cub programme: "Monday xxth, orienteering at Wittenham Clumps"
me to Cub Leader: "what are you using for a map?"
Cub Leader: "oh, we'll photocopy some OS maps"
me: "I'll draw you a proper orienteering map if you like. You have got permission from the landowner, haven't you?"
Cub leader: "no"
landowner: "yes, we'd be delighted for you draw a map and hold a Cub event there, but please don't go off the paths because it's a nature reserve"
(following a successful Cub event)
landowner: "yes, you can hold a local club event and go off the paths but please keep out of these three small areas where there are newts"
(later, with no newt damage)
landowner: "yes, you can hold a Saturday morning event"
(several Saturday events and evening races later, including several instances of
Club Member who works nearby and trains there at lunchtime: "I have updated map")
landowner: "yes, you can have two schools coaching days there. The car park can take the seven minibuses and the children can use the toilets in the visitor centre between xx:00 and yy:00"
school teacher: "the year nine girls have been raving all week about what a great time they had orienteering and the boys can't wait to have a go"
To be continued next year.

[awk]

I really can't see us getting into litigation with the various groups and individuals who misuse, in our view, the term orienteering.

Especially as not all of us think they are misusing it. It's we who have taken the word and applied it to the sport - it's basically our mistake, nobody else's!

In German speaking countries they use the word "Orientierungslauf", i.e. orienteering running. In France, they use the phrase "la course d'orientation", "la course" meaning the run or race. As Mharky points out, in Sweden they often use "OL", the L standing, I understand, for loper (sorry don't know how to do the o with the line through it), or runner/running.

So, at the very least, we should be taking part in "Orienteering Racing" - and maybe BOF should become BORF, and/or BOR (better than a nasty smell, anway!), running not applying well to either MBO or Ski-O.

Personally, I don't like Map Racing - after all, we don't race maps!

[Gross]

My description to non native English speakers is 'forest running'.... but since the UK is going down the road of running mainly in towns & cities then I guess that won't work

[Big Jon]

Hey Gross- don't tar all of Britain with the same brush. Maybe England is going urban, but here in NE Scotland we are generally sticking to the forests - they are nice, they are complicated and there are lots of them, so no need to visit the tarmac too often.

[schnitzer]

What is the motive behind this debate?

It concerns me slightly that it may be more than just simply that we think other people might enjoy the great outdoors in the specific way that we do and that they should have a decent chance to find out if they actually do or not.

If non-orienteers ask me what I'm training for or what I'm doing at the weekend I say a 'race'. Agreed. I'd like to think that is because it is a race against other competitors doing whatever as fast as possible i.e. an accurate description and not because I care what other people think. Of course I'm not going to encourage the misconceptions but I'm also not going to hype it up like it is the coolest thing in the world. Wake up call, it's not. We are weird. We get up early at the weekend, dress up proper strange, go out running in rain, mud, brambles, get all intellectual and geeky and a lot of us have glasses and beards.

If you delete the 'rain, mud and brambles' bit it sounds a lot like going to church... and what religious people want is to preach, spread the word, expand. Is that a bit like what this debate is about? How do we preach better? Let's start the church of orienteering. We can even have our own version of the bible, change the words so that Jesus was an orienteer, walked on marshes, cured TBE and turned water into High5 and bread into a Wilfs. Ok so I'm going over the top, but let's not get all X Factor and use advertising/marketing bs to suggest that our sport is something it's not. Let's not be fake, let's not be spammers. Let's be proud.

[awk]

Maybe England is going urban,

I think if you look at the fixtures in England, you'll see that vast majority are terrain based. Yes, urban races are on the increase, but they represent a very small minority of fixtures on the calendar.

[Clive Coles]

Orienteers have a habit of going round in circles ~ why not go back to the beginning of time .

When I started my O club was Mole Valley Map & Compass Foot Racing Society. We all knew what what the sport was about in those days.

[binman]

Maybe England is going urban, but here in NE Scotland we are generally sticking to the forests

Just compiling GRAMP's calendar for 2011 - included in our 54 events/activities will be an 'urban sprint series' next September, so, Big Jon - Tarmac-O is getting closer...

But just to prove we've not sold out completely:

Enter for the GRAMPIAN MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE now - two days in November without a road in sight, more details here: http://www.grampoc.com/gmc/index.htm

(Due a cock-up on the scheduling front, I'll be in Venice - seems it's clear where my current preferences lie...)

[andypat]

Orienteers have a habit of going round in circles ~ why not go back to the beginning of time .

When I started my O club was Mole Valley Map & Compass Foot Racing Society. We all knew what what the sport was about in those days.

Thats catchy Clive - I cant think why you dropped it.........

[Tatty]

It was a nightmare when typing up results

[AndyO]

schnitzer wrote "We are weird. We get up early at the weekend, dress up proper strange, go out running in rain, mud, brambles, get all intellectual and geeky and a lot of us have glasses and beards."

Surely we've left that stuff behind us by now? the dress is very suitable for the terrain we're running over, and we don't cancel a race if it rains. We're no different to other running sports in that respect, and no-one calls them "weird", not even when they dress up in rabbit outfits, Superman costumes, or diving suits (now THAT'S weird)

As they said in The Commitments, we should stand up and say "I'm an Orienteer and I'm proud!"

[EddieH]

Quite right Andy. And up in this part of the World I don't get any of this "wierd" rubbish, nor among many the idea that orienteering is a leisurely activity. In fact far more people seem to be put off because of the idea that it is much too hard for them.

I am an orienteer, for me it is the greatest sport in the world because I love maps (many people simply don't). Mind you I always tell people that I am racing.