EYOC 2011

[buzz]

Best results from Chris and Aidan 20th and 22nd in M16 but over a minute down. Aidan looks to have recovered from his ancle sprain two weeks ago.

Maps up as well - looks fairly straightforward but quite a few miss-punshes.

[Scott]

A lot of M18s appear to have punched mispunched on their #15. Looking at the M18 and M16 maps, I would guess that M18s were punching at the M16 control instead, which is in the same dead-end alleyway but not quite as far down. Seems a little unnecessary

[229]

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[Eeyore]

I didn't respond to Rockaldo last year as there seemed little point.

This does not make any sense whatsoever. None. If you didn't reply last year I suppose you would have conceded to the fact that my reply was sufficient but exactly one year later you bring up exactly the same point which infers that you still don't get it.

No, I didn't reply last year as it is quite clear that your view is strongly-held and different from mine. However, I'd like to think that that we could have disparate views and respect one another for holding them.

I would be grateful if you could explain to me how the athletes will benefit from arriving before the competition like you said last year "even one more day would have made a difference" ie what you want them to be doing there as far as training goes. Otherwise I look forward to this next year.

Whilst it may be difficult, for valid reasons such as exams, for people to travel earlier, I don't see why some of the team couldn't travel out earlier in the week if it suited them and they were prepared to pay for the extra accommodation. I wonder if they are ever offered this option. I have never suggested that the athletes should go out training immediately before the event, but I feel that some familiarisation on the terrain in the area must be beneficial. As the other countries seem to arrive earlier they presumably believe it helps too.

[buzz]

Live Results working today.

[Roger]

it doesn't matter if there were fifty controls down there, if you don't check your codes you're an idiot

...or you're deep in oxygen debt and you've succumbed to the pressure in what's probably the highest-profile international race of your life.

Pressure does strange things to people. Time pressure makes good chess-players commit blunders that they'd be ashamed of at slower time limits; Rory McIlroy fell apart at the Masters this year; footballers miss penalties horribly despite scoring reliably on deserted training grounds; exhausted marathon runners can't follow simple instructions. Learning to step up from a Sunday jog round the forest and deal with the physical and mental pressure of international racing is all part of these athletes' development, so that they can come back next time like Rory at the Congressional.

Being dubbed an idiot won't help.

[buzz]

Something to cheer in the long event today Florence finished in 4th on D18 - brilliant result - well done!

Top brits in the other classe Rhona 25th D16, Peter 28th M18 and Aidan 34th in M16 (Aidan apparently lost 6 minutes up to control 2 so recovered well).

Good luck for the relays!

[Lard]

A bloody brilliant result from Florence!

Well done lass from Yarkshire! All your own doing n'all.

[229]

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[buzz]

I'm not sure what you think is the best way to enforce that people check their codes, but anyone who does so is an idiot and needs to be criticised until they learn how to do it. It's NOT difficult, it IS essential.

I've no idea who you are 229 but I hope you never have anything to do with coaching orienteering.

I refrain from calling you an idiot because its offensive but from your comments you don't have a clue about elite orienteering or coaching it.

Orienteering is essentially very easy, but orienteering at speed under pressure in a foreign country wearing your own countries kit is a very different skill which takes years to get right and each individual athlete needs different types of practice, encouragement and criticism.

I hope that any youngsters reading your comments treat them with the disdane that any knowledgeble athlete or coach would.

[229]

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[Big Jon]

"Orienteering is simple, its doing it at speed that is difficult" Bjornar Valstad - World no 1 for several years in late 90's and early 00's.

There is nothing idiotic in misreading a control description. As long as the error is taken as a learning opportunity and the mistake is not repeated.

Please learn some basic coaching and some humility before branding anyone, especially a junior, an idiot.

[madmike]

229,
details on coaching courses are here;

http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/index.php?pg=172#oldlevel4

suggest you do a coaching course pdq so you can understand where Roger and Buzz are at!

Edit: Big Jon types faster than me!

[AndyC]

Checking the Contol Code is a basic element and one that we all have to ingrain in our technique -so testing it in juniors is a valid exercise.
Getting it wrong is like a 180 degree error -we all do them and feel stupid but maybe we learn.
I'm tempted to start a poll "Have you ever mispunched because you didn't check/misread the control code --Yes/No"
We'd detect the brilliant and the less than truthful.

BTB I punched the wrong control on two courses last year - 1 was my fault completely -the other I claim mitigation

[SJC]

I'm not sure what you think is the best way to enforce that people check their codes, but anyone who does so is an idiot and needs to be criticised until they learn how to do it. It's NOT difficult, it IS essential.

It is also essential that planners don't plan courses which deliberately try to trick competitors into miss-punching. Anyone who does so is an idiot and needs to be criticised until they learn how to plan courses properly. Having two controls so close together down the same dead end path was always going to lead to disqualifications, and from a planning point of view was totally un-necessary. Orienteering is about reading the map, not the control descriptions.