Not enough Officials!

[PeterRiches]

I am in a club (TVOC) where we are lucky to have many experienced orienteers, who can and do offer their time and expertise. Indeed, it is quite hard to get a job planning our events currently.

When it comes to outside controllers, then we too have had issues and indeed have had to use our own people on more than one regional event over recent years, we actually tend to use our own controllers for most colour coded (level c) events. Not ideal, but there again, we are probably less tactful and more demanding with friends.

The trouble is, when you want to step up, take the course and offer your time, you keep finding yourself blocked by requirements which are not essential.

For instance, I know a little about organising and indeed entries (very little!), simply put I don't want to know more, it does not interest me in the least and as I sepnd 60% of my working life in front of a screen, no way am I doing that at the weekend.

So BO, remove the need for me to organise, or know about pre-entry and computerised results and just maybe you have one more Group 2 controller, I have already done the course.

Let people do what they enjoy and therefore what they are likely to be good at, then maybe this shortage could be short lived.

The controllers job should be quite simple:- Safety, fairness, and quality should be the issues, too often they are not.

There is no need to have this post in large font

[Mrs H]

There's no need to shout

But I do agree with you - particularly about people being good at what they enjoy and vice versa.

[Philip134]

Exactly my position! I have done a grade 2 controllers course, and even the more recent safety course!! Although I say it myself, I am a whizz at starts and not bad at mapping; but I have no interest at all in organising.

I have controlled regularly at grade 3. I am sure I could make a good job of a Grade 2 job, but it ain't going to happen under the current system.

[NeilC]

The controllers job should be quite simple:- Safety, fairness, and quality should be the issues, too often they are not.

Fairness, safety and quality also refer to organisational matters not just the course in the forest so there needs to be some expectation that a controller has an idea of how an event runs. There can be alternative ways of demonstating this knowledge and asssociations can consider applications that don't always tick all the boxes so why don't you (and Philip 134) go ahead and apply for "promotion" and see what they say.

[Gnitworp]

The reason for a controller is to ensure that the courses are fair, safe, appropriate to category, and above all else, that the controls are in the right place. They provide an invaluable (essential) second opinion in these matters. In my experience most, quite rightly, interfere little in other organisational matters, leaving other issues to work according to the streamlined, well-honed systems within most clubs.

We used to call them Course Vetters; a much better description in my opinion

[IanD]

Whereas Controller and Planner actually need to do most of their job in person, and Organiser can delegate. So you can meet BOF Organiser requirements by being the organiser in name only, delegating 100% of the job to one or more others (provided they are happy to do the work without getting the title).

[Clive Coles]

I think one of the problems we have had with many of the ideas that have come from BOF in recent years is that they ( or their working parties) assume roles and responsibilities are covered by volunteers in the same way across all clubs in the country.

No wonder therefore, when they seek to direct and enforce a blueprint, there is discussion and dissent.

When dealing with volunteers you need to harness their strengths and back off when rules become the problem. It's pointless to state Controllers or Organisers must provide this or that. What we should be defining are the roles and responsibilities that need to be covered.

Its for the club to arrange how these tasks are resourced. It's perfectly acceptable IMO for roles to be split. If we keep our members working within their comfort zone they will volunteer again.

BOF do need to be facilitating and supporting the development of best practice. We will however not achieve this by dictat.

[70plus]

Having been a grade-2 controller for 30+ years, and had the task of appointing controllers for NWOA badge events for some of that time, my impression has been that it is usually easiest for clubs to find planners, harder to find organisers, and sometimes a controller can be a real problem, especially within the 'other-club' guideline. As a controller is an essential official by the Rules, technically an event could be barred.

My personal preference is for controlling, then planning, and finally (some way behind)organising; fortunately many other orienteers think differently. But I have a suspicion that these days some may wonder if a controller actually does anything. Mapping and planning software has almost eliminated many of the old faults that controllers had to watch for. Gnitworp mentions the need for controls to be in the right place, but at one time a controller had first to satisfy himself that the map showed enough 'right places'.

In trying to ensure fairness, a controller must do what he can to improve the planned courses, looking at them from a competitor's viewpoint. That is where I concentrate my efforts; I do tic-tac with the organiser to check that things are on track, but when I am happy that he/she knows what is required I leave them to it - they will usually be more locally knowledgeable. And most runners will put up with lousy weather, messy parking and slow results, if they have enjoyed their courses.

So I wonder why controlling seems so unpopular; it can be great to explore a whole area checking 80 or more control sites (instead of the 15-20 on a normal course) especially if one can choose a day of good weather. Where are all those recruits we so badly need? BO should not deter them by rigid requirements.

[graeme]

So I wonder why controlling seems so unpopular;

When I'm planning, I try to get someone who wont be around for the event (or mapper, or organiser). Finding someone to run around the controls, or even a few courses, is pretty easy: it's just a training run.
This always gives me great feedback: when you test run the courses as a planner you've already thought through the route choices and visited the sites. Typically, you end up thinking it's too easy.
Sure, there are less interesting parts of the job like checking the printing, dealing with protests checking the control is appropriately visible etc. but there are lots of people who can do a great job as course vetters.
So I dont think controlling is unpopular at all. By contrast, becoming a controller is a very tedious process indeed: that's where the bottleneck is.

Having been a grade-2 controller for 30+ years

This says it all. Unless you're uncharacteristically modest surely you should be a grade-1 by now?

[PeterRiches]

Spot on Graeme, becoming a controller is a pain, not the course that is fine and of course needed, but some of the ancillary requirements left me thinking I would rather control C & D events.

[frog]

Organising is our club's least popular job. We have lots of folk (mainly blokes) keen to fiddle with mapping and planning softwear, but few people wanting to phone and email people and do all the little jobs involved in organising.
If they start making organisers go on courses we'l have no-one willing to organise.

[SeanC]

Out of interest, what do you have to do to become a controller* and then a level 2, 1 controller?

* Not that I am volunteering

[Scott]

From Appendix C to the Shiny New Rules:

Grade C

• Organise a competition registered with British Orienteering within the previous 10 years.
• Plan a minimum of 3 events, with at least one at Level C, and at least one within the previous 5 years.
• Complete a British Orienteering Controller Grade C course.
• Complete an accredited Safety course.
• Be appointed to the Grade by their Constituent Association.

Grade B

• Successfully control a minimum of 2 events at Level C within the previous 8 years (one within 4 years).
• Successfully plan or co-plan at least one event at Level B within the previous 10 years.
• Successfully organise or co-organise at least one event at Level C within the previous 10 years.
• Complete a British Orienteering Controller Grade B course.
• Complete an accredited Safety course.
• Be appointed to the Grade by their Constituent Association.

Grade A

• Successfully control a minimum of 2 events at Level B within the previous 8 years (one of which within 4 years).
• Successfully plan or co-plan at least one event at Level B after becoming a Controller Grade B and within the previous 8 years.
• Successfully organise or co-organise at least one event at Level B within the previous 10 years
• Complete a British Orienteering Controller Grade A course.
• Complete an accredited Safety course.
• Be appointed to the Grade by British Orienteering Rules Group.

[70plus]

No, Graeme, modesty doesn't come into it. I have deliberately avoided the stress of looking after top-grade events, because of the extra workload, responsibility and travelling. It hasn't prevented me doing the odd thing like the Elite Short races in 2003, or the JHI. But they were only on the scale of a good old badge event ...

I did plan the JK relays, way back in 1984 - on the basis that it was something I would do once only.

[70plus]

If I remember rightly, I qualified as a grade-2 controller in 1975/6, and I'm pretty sure that I got through all the hoops on the list above, except the Safety accreditation, which is a recent addition raising some grumbles. Since then I have given or assisted at a few controlling courses. I suppose that by controlling a level-2 (old C3) event about every 12 months, I will have kept my hand in; but I feel pretty sure that my organising ability has not been adequately tested.

Some have said that a controller should remain reasonably active as planner, organiser and competitor, in order to hold on to his grade - but I doubt that BO could afford to insist on that?