Night-O and Ranking Points

[mharky]

Why don't night events get ranking points?

[madmike]

Because when they changed the ranking scheme NightO events were classified along with chasing starts as events that could produce strange results.

Was it the right decision.....

For me no - because the top in each age group in the daytime are also at the front end of the night champs i.e. people with the best fitness and technique

[mharky]

Was it the right decision.....

No.

Night orienteering is no more likely to produce abnormal results than a very technical course at day. The only discernible difference is that it's harder. Perhaps they were thinking it was unfair on people who can't afford good head-lamps. But then day orienteering is unfair on people who can't afford good compasses and good shoes.

Running at night is a little harder. But then the technical areas of the Lakes and Scotland are a little harder than the TD3 stuff in southern England...

I'd say that urban races are more likely to produce strange results due to the fact that elite runners end up running against very un-elite runners. A lot of the highest scores are from urban races.

[ianandmonika]

When you look at many of the events qualifying for ranking points, you really have to seriously question why the British Nights does not qualify. Night O is is real technical orienteering rather than a daylight semi-trail run.

[ifor]

Strongly agree, no more of a distortion than Urban events and in practice with the numbers limits it's only going to be 3 or 4 events a year at most.

Of course about 70% of my foot O is night events and 0% urban so I have a vested interest. After my performance last weekend I don't deserve any points mine you.

I am looking forward to Broughton Burrows on Wednesday night should be a proper challenge.

[Roger]

I've just done three night events with a Magicshine headtorch, replacing the Petzl Zoom that I used to use many moons ago. Either I've got better at it or the difference between a £30 headtorch (plus a bit for a halogen bulb) and a £90 headtorch is enormous, far outweighing the difference between a £50 pair of O-shoes and a £100 pair.

[greywolf]

Why don't night events get ranking points?

Night-O was one of a number of types of events (also: score, chasing start, mass start, relay legs) excluded from rankings when the new system was introduced a couple of years ago and it's probably fair to say it was the most marginal call.

Responses to the consultation exercise were evenly balanced for & against.

The available evidence from the previous rankings scheme was that night events did produce anomalous results - in particular from v small fields where one or two people getting horrendously lost had a disproportionate effect on points.

Given the limitations of the BOF software at the time, which severely constrained the RWG and caused a somewhat bodged implementation, it might have been a reasonable decision.

However now that the system has a threshold of 10 finishers (aged 16+ with BOF numbers) before any course gets points the anomalies should be minimised, and I can't see any good reason why night events are still excluded...

Of course neither Mharky or Monika would have got any points for their recent performances at the Scottish or British nights - maybe the availability of rankings points might persuade night aficionados not to schedule the two biggest events of the season on the same day (again) ?

[Adrian]

Was it the right decision.....

No

[ianandmonika]

And why didn't Monika get any ranking points - because her 1st control was 81, but it was decided to put an 0 in front on the control flag - she gets to what she thought was her control, but it's 180 (081 backwards) - so back to the start and in again to find the same thing!! After that it was a waste of time. Lucky courses were not voided?

[greywolf]

And why didn't Monika get any ranking points ...

I suggest you take that up with the organisers
However, there were only 7 finishers on her course, so even if Night O was eligible for rankings points, no-one on that course would have got any.

[ianandmonika]

It was a theoretical issue - nights don't qualify as ranking events.

[Gnitworp]

Ian would have got some nice ones

[LostAgain]

Was it the right decision.....

N0.

[The Loofa]

Why don't night events get ranking points?

It was decided by a working party consistently entirely of woosies who are afraid of the dark.

[madmike]

Loofa