Waiting for Start-O

[DJM]

Got to the Start yesterday to be faced by massive queues on the Green and Blue courses and a 20 minute wait to start as a result. Had it been wet and cold, it would have been a very miserable experience indeed

This wouldn't have happened a few years ago as virtually every event I went to had pre-allocated start times, whether they were EOD or pre-entry races. It seemed to be easy to administer (sometimes self-administered) and kind to competitors too, especially if those who were late were simply slotted into the first available free space.

Is there a good reason why we seem to have abandoned this principle these days?

[andy]

I like what we have in Scotland, SOLs (Scottish O League, level B perhaps?) and above are pre-allocated start times, anything less and it's just a case of turning up and running, which is great because it gives you that flexibility to change plans last minute. Although in saying that there isn't usually a problem with getting a start slot on the longer courses...

[madmike]

One of the different requirements between level B and C events is pre-allocated start times so a level B event without them is non-compliant with the guidlines.

This may, of course, be down to the need to differentitate between 2 levels that are to all intents and purposes identical

[frog]

One of the problems is orienteers' tendency to arrive early for things. If you aim for the last hour of the starting time I've found there is less wait than if you turn up at the beginning.
I definitely don't want to introduce preallocated start times for local events.

[housewife]

Punching starts are an absolute godsend for those of us doing split starts. they should be available to those with kids in all but the british / jk imo. I don't mind waiting at the start one bit.

[drobin]

I presume DJM is referring to Nettlebed. There were 131 finishers on Green and 137 on Blue. An attempt was made to get people to start in blocks, and the start times were extended as a result - perhaps competitors should be colour-coded or given a sequential raffle ticket (there must still be lots of these in equipment sheds!) to reduce bunching?

[frog]

A block start was used for the Ed holyrood course for the ? blue course this year. You could have a wait your turn start if you wanted but the optional block start did reduce congestion and gave folk the option of knowing when they could just turn up and run if they wanted a head to head race, or just to minimise hanging around in the cold.

[DJM]

I presume DJM is referring to Nettlebed

Indeed I was! And those of us who do the Blue or Green course tend to notice queuing more than most. Sometimes things have been so bad that Start officials have reduced the start interval to 30 seconds in order to prevent exposure cases at the Start, thereby spoiling the race!

I guess what I'd like to see is a return to the old days where, when you registered, you were asked what start time you wanted. You then knew where you were and when to leave the warmth of the car on a cold winter's day ...

[mharky]

'm sure it wouldn't be too hard for someone (who knows how; I don't) to write a piece of software into online entries that lets you book your start time, much like booking your seat for certain airlines, or going to the cinema etc. This should also allow for people to automatically select suitable similar or split starts for families etc. When you see the entry list you don't see names, just the times that are taken/available (so people can't start just behind or just in front of their rivals to get a tow. On race day the officials can have a printed version of these lists with all the gaps that can then be filled in with on-the-day entrants. They then get given a paper receipt with their course/start time to take to the start, all online entries just go straight to the start.

[EddieH]

Even for eOD events, what's wrong with selecting your start time from a list and taking a slip with that time on to the start. If you are there you get priority - if not you queue as necessary.

I cannot understand why people fuss about not allowing starters courses that have the same first control as though it were the same course. Generally the relative speeds of the people is very different, and after all you arrive at some controls with someone else. No-one asks one to wait a minute because your next control is the same as theirs.

Having to wait in the cold for a W60 on green is daft. Last time this happened to me I caught them just before the control.

[mharky]

Oh dear, I remember that at the Darnaway event this year. I can't remember the specifics, but there were a few people to start at the same time, but someone had to wait to start because they had the same first control. Absolutely ridiculous. I was also asked to wait over a minute from the person in front of me. So I went past them about 100m after the start kite rather than at it...

[Arnold]

what planners normally do is put courses together on the same first control that have people on different speeds. So M21 with W40 not M35. For a colour coded with 7 courses it shouldn't be too hard to have different first controls for all courses anyway. For BOC with 30 courses it's another matter.

And if you hand out descriptions at the start then people won't cotton on who's got the same first controls unless they're very lucky...

[PhilJ]

i'm sure it wouldn't be too hard for someone (who knows how; I don't) to write a piece of software into online entries that lets you book your start time,

fabian4 has been enhanced to allocate start times and will be used at CROESO (it has been tested at other events), so no real excuse for not allocating start times anymore, just means more pre-entries, but isn't that the point - you pay a cheaper rate for pre-entry and more for eod - but get a guranteeed start time...I am sure this has all been discussed before.

[mharky]

The SI software allocates start times, but I'm talking about people being able to select their own start time for lower level events. As far as I know, no one does this, but in terms of technology it's done in many other booking systems.

[Paul Frost]

Given the amount of people that changed their start times for the JK in advance and then the other lot that wanted to change them on the day, start times can be a pain.
For organisers the hassle/extra work of having start times is bad enough at bigger events, I'm sure they won't be keen to introduce them to smaller events.

But here's a thought...
We normally try and separate similar performing people in start time allocation and in the examples shown above, is this with the aim of fairness?
Yet when we start elite competitors we find the 2 closest performing athletes and send them out very close together.