BOF road shows

[EddieH]

What a fuss. The Scottish Champs is sometimes further from me than any Wales to East Anglia trip.

And the old Midlands Champs rotated round Wales, WM, EM and EA. It (the day champs) was once on Pembrey although a block of finish times got lost, so my given time was totally wrong

[ryeland of doom]

"for a tiny, generally middle class, minority complaining about what many would see as a modest increase for a fun run when tens if not hundreds of thousands face loosing their jobs over the coming months."

These are not exclusive groups. I have been priced out of most of my leisure interests in recent years - orienteering continues to provide a quality product at a fair price, thanks to all who have resisted the temptation of following the silly charges of the newer adventure running sports.

What is going to be needed in the coming years are low cost and local sports facilities. We can and do deliver.

[Neil M40]

Agree with Andypat, I have competed on Midlands Champs before, my query is the whole geographical boundaries of the competiton, supposedly mandated by BO?

The geographical boundaries of the competition were mandated by BO back in the 1960s, or possibly early 70s. The area championships and some of the trophies that go along with them have a long history.

I will probably be going to Sheringham because it is a National Event and because it is a pretty good area. I am not eligible for the Midland Champs.

[AndyC]

My complaint is simple (despite the fact that I have no chance of actually being in a position for it to matter) I was born in the Midlands (lived the first 25 years of my life there) -sleep 4 nights a week there -have competed in more events in the Midlands than the NE this year but I am not eligible to be "Midlands Champ" because my club is in NEOA. If I was born in Scotland or Wales I'd be eligible for their championship even if I left the day after and only returned on the day of competition.

[Gross]

Scotland & Wales are countries. If you are born there then you are clearly Scottish or Welsh. There is no Midlands country... you can't claim to be Midlish.... you can claim to be English... but as there is no English Championships it don't matter too much...

If you are really worried about it (a bit sad really) then join a Midlands club

[alterativly get BOF to act as a Federation of four countries & form an English OA... then you'll get an English Championships ]

[AndyC]

Don't you know I'm a founder member of the Midland Liberation Front? And I'm a BRUMMIE -my first allegiance!
I might join a Midlands club -but then I'd be ineligible for the Northern Championships on the same basis -a Scot could be eligible for both a Midland Championship and Scottish one if he had the same position as me.
Residence or Birth are much more sensible than club registration -Take Rugby League "State of Origin" Birth/Residence/Club all can decide who you can play for.

I'd also point out that historically (Middle Ages) the Midlands was a seperate country to the South or Northumberland with its own kings and it has been suggested that the English Regions should have the same level of democracy as the Scots and Welsh with their own assemblies.

As I said I have no chance of winning a championship but EQUAL RIGHTS please.

[mharky]

I'd also point out that historically (Middle Ages) the Midlands was a seperate country to the South or Northumberland with its own kings and it has been suggested that the English Regions should have the same level of democracy as the Scots and Welsh with their own assemblies.

Wow, you must be a history teacher or something...

[AndyC]

I'd also point out that historically (Middle Ages) the Midlands was a seperate country to the South or Northumberland with its own kings and it has been suggested that the English Regions should have the same level of democracy as the Scots and Welsh with their own assemblies.

Wow, you must be a history teacher or something...

if I was I'd have remembered that it was called Mercia , lasted until around 1017 and that we used the Saltire (with a yellow cross) as a flag. The name is still around not least as the Mercian Regiment and Mercia Radio.
There are apparently a couple of real independence groups so "Come the Revolution"

[Marco Polo]

Andy
A university or closed club membership might be enough..

[Adrian]

[Adrian wrote]My point was rather that there shouldn't be any Midland Championships at all.

or Southern or Northern or Scottish?? How ridiculous can one get!

It's hard to argue with someone who puts words in my mouth. Clearly, there's no problem with the Scottish (or Welsh) championships. The problem is England. The regional (SW, EM, EA, NW, etc.) championships make sense, but is it really necessary to have a level between regional and national? I ask this in the light of proposals that are being made to combine a series of national events into a British (or English?) league.

Actually, I think it does make sense to continue having Northern and Southern Championships, as something for English orienteers to compete in between the regional and British levels, but all English BO members should be eligible to race competitively at both.


btw, I'm sure the event at Sheringham will be well worth going to and I hope the extra publicity from this discussion will increase the number of entries http://www.norfolkoc.co.uk/

[mikey]

Taking this thread even more off track - is there a Midland Night Championships scheduled for this season? I haven't been able to find one on the fixtures list.

[ryeland of doom]

When I started orienteering there were regional championships (national in the case of Scotland) rather than the rather lack lustre nationals. Wales did not have a championship of its own, and was lumped in with the South West - St Gwynno in 1974 was the first I went to, followed by Quantock Forest (Southern bit) in 1975. I think it was Merthyr Mawr next, but not sure.
Other "pairings" were the three northern regions, E & W Midlands (come to think of it, why were there ever two Midland regions?) and SE and SC. East Anglia may have been tagged on to the Midlands. These were Events and very much looked forward too.

[awk]

Wales did not have a championship of its own, and was lumped in with the South West - St Gwynno in 1974 was the first I went to, followed by Quantock Forest (Southern bit) in 1975. I think it was Merthyr Mawr next, but not sure.

I have a certificate in my files from the Midland Championships held on Merthyr Mawr in 1976.

I've been doing a bit of trawling amongst my back copies of The Orienteer, and this is what they reveal:

1970: no South-West or Welsh Championships (WOA not formed until 1971)
1971: Joint SW + Welsh Championships
1972: A Welsh Championships, but no SW Champs
1973: separate SW Champs and Welsh Champs
1974: again separate, but SW Champs only rated C3, being held at a Badge event near Plymouth. The Welsh Champs was a C2, held at St Gwynno
1975: joint SW and Welsh Champs in the Quantocks.
1976: SW join the Southern Champs organising circuit; WOA took over a postponed Midlands Champs, originally scheduled for Leicestershire but suffering from gale damage, and hosted it on Merthyr Mawr (the 1975 Midlands was also postponed...to Feb 29, 1976!). From 1976 WOA are in the Midlands Champs circuit.

[EddieH]

Surely the answer to all the agro that this is causing is to revert to all these events being open. A numbers of people managed to win the full set. I feel sure that if they were made open the higher status that BOF wishes to give them (by calling them level 1 or soon A) might be backed up by actual the punters concurring. Otherwise there is a real danger they will subside like national events did.

[awk]

Surely the answer to all the agro that this is causing is to revert to all these events being open.

Graeme will correct me if my memory is faulty (it all too often is, it seems), but I'm sure that, going all the way back to the Event Review Group recommendations, we envisaged the area championships being open, in the same way the Scottish Champs is open, but they award prizes to the Scottish Native Champions (native being a slightly wider definition than simply being born in Scotland). So, yes, agree - it should be possible to win the full set.