UK Cups

[mharky]

Last year only one guy in the national team got a complete set of UK points (8+final). The final only had 4 runners who can be considered elite, and again, only one member of the squad.

I can't see increasing it 9 races + final is going to make it any more competitive. Perhaps more crap people will get more crap points, but the top end will still be a joke.

There will be 2 more races included, but that won't change the fact that elite prima donas don't actually want to go to these races.

I see that the masters cup requires only 8 results from 19 races and no compulsory final.

The best way to get people to a race isn't to make it compulsory, it's to make it a good race on a good area at a good time.

[greywolf]

Hmm. All the BOF site seems to say is "The UK cup is held annually usually between March and June and is a competition for elite men and women orienteers. There are usually 6 to 8 races and the standings are based on a points system. Further information and past results can be found here." Takes a particular skill to compress so much misinformation into a couple of lines

There's no explanation of the purpose of the competition, or why those races were selected (maybe this is in some committee minutes?) - some of which are rather surprising - if this competition is for elites then why include an event which clashes with the SHI?

Would've thought 3 British Champs races, 3 JK races, 3 selection races, with the SHI as the final, would make a decent series - maybe 5 to score then double points for the final?

[ba-ba]

All I know about this year's final is that it's a new-to-O moorland (?) area in Lancashire (got a lift with the planner at this year's carcrash [for me anyway] final).

Someone mentioned last year that having the CSC final as the UKC final would have been much more fitting, the problem with this/SHIs as a final is that not everyone can ruck up.

Of course, having a final 2 months after the elite international season and 4 months after the UK elite season is a major problem.

hoping for a few more rubbish points this year , maybe from all 9 counters, the first 8 of which should be in the bag by the end of the WOC selections.

[Big Jon]

UK Cup used to get good turn out from elite runners (except eh overseas based ones), however in recent years it has become a disaster area - whether this is due to competitor apathy or ill-judged choice of areas I do not know. But it needs a radical rethink if it is to attract the quality of fields it did in the late'90's.

[graeme]

There's no explanation of the purpose of the competition,

Its purpose was to define the important races and encourage serious competitions in the new disciplines which were coming into World Cup. It lost its purpose once there were a whole slew of new "British Championships" at all distances in the spring.
Craney won the UK cup and the Australian Championships on the same day . Not sure if that says more about him or the UK Cup...