Score events - making them more enjoyable?

[SeanC]

I may be in a minority of 1 here again, but I prefer to have plenty of time to study my map before the start of a mass start score. I can then enjoy the planning the route bit unhurried (because there's plenty of time, no pressure to guess a route and get running), and enjoy the running (I can get going straight away and don't have to stop so often mid-route to re-plan options).

There's also sociability/team possibilities - helping your club mates plan their routes, or helping beginners.

Down our way we have lots of mass-start scores. At Kent Night Cup events we normally get < 1 min, and at the North West Kent events we get given them at registration. The idea behind the latter was to help newcomers, but I do find this format more enjoyable. Both events are great fun though.

[Lard]

Scores are not a friendly format for young families.

If you host a mass start score could you please make allowances for a 2nd parent to run after the closing time. This still enable the club to have a relatively short start window....
Better still offer folk a choice of a mass start score or limited cross country courses (like you say, most folk hate scores, blah!

[SeanC]

But they could be.

Firstly mass-start events are much more sociable, which is good for everyone including young families.

Secondly the younger kids could do junior coaching/orienteering games whilst everyone else does their run. The younger kids could get to know each other which would make it more likely that they would stay in the sport when they become teenagers.

In practice, most of these mass start events are evening/night events.

[alanbrett]

I think my answer would be different depending on the nature of the event.

If the event is a competition such as a regional association Score Champs, then 0 min.

If the event is a Level D aimed at newcomers/improvers, such as the NW Kent League and CHIG's (copycat) Saturday Park League to the sport, then I don't have an issue giving them out earlier. In fact for first timers, this allows them a chance to talk through the map with more experienced club members/orienteers. If you allow some competitors to preview the map and course, then you should allow all.

[NeilC]

If you allow some competitors to preview the map and course, then you should allow all.

Our policy is to open at the start (to test the full skill set), however if there are clearly newcomers present then no one seems to mind if they get to have a look beforehand, usually with an official explaining what needs to be done.

[SeanC]

Neil, I thought at SOG's (local colour coded events) you gave out maps at registration? Or has that changed? It's what gave me the idea for doing the same at North West Kent events. It's so much better for the intermediate <20 events so far competitor who still benefits from studying the map before the start from a coaching viewpoint.

[NeilC]

SOGs aren't score events. Our evening SONICs are, and at those the maps are given out at the mass start.

[madmike]

I may be in a minority of 1 here again, but I prefer to have plenty of time to study my map before the start of a mass start score.

no many people would like to but you are removing an essential element of the score - planning and replanning rapidly whilst running at close to your max - score events would be pretty boring for me if you adopted this method.

thanks but no thanks.

[SeanC]

Ah yes, SONIC's are very much like KNC's, or in both competitions sometimes. I guess these night events target experienced orienteers more, though they definitely appeal to the more adventurous newcomer. But I still prefer a relaxed plan of the route before the start, night events are hard enough.

[graeme]

It probably takes me about a minute to figure out the near-best route. Others may be faster at solving NP-hard problems.

Of course, you can't afford to give away a minute before you even start a race, so your only hope is to leg it off to a random nearby control and plan the rest along the way. By not bothering to think, you might randomly lose out, but that's somewhat better than guaranteeing to lose out by thinking at the start line. This additional randomness makes it less likely the best people will win, which many will find attractive.

The best "score" orienteering I've done has been score sections in the middle of a conventional course, because the balance between running hard and planning ahead is spread over a longer period.

[madmike]

The best "score" orienteering I've done has been score sections in the middle of a conventional course, because the balance between running hard and planning ahead is spread over a longer period.

no Harris Relay?Team Score is the best

[Snail]

Too many score courses I've done have just involved a clockwise/anticlockwise decision at the start, and then just run as hard as you can.

The "best" courses are ones that:
- have enough controls that even the top competitor won't cover them all
- have planning and/or a points system designed to tempt people to overreach
- have a start/finish near the middle of the map, in order to offer a choice of say 6 realistically feasible first / last controls. (If also a central car park this may be more suited to mass starts, to reduce conflicts between competitors and traffic).

Given these factors I would opt for 0 minutes every time.

[Snail]

Better still offer folk a choice of a mass start score or limited cross country courses

Absolutely - I suspect most clubs don't offer it because they think most people will opt for th cross country options!

Exactly the same applies at a normal cross country event, when its easy to just print a few all-controls maps. For some newcomers this is the most attractive option, but it's rarely offered. Advantages include that whenever they find a control they know where they are, they can develop to finding harder controls at their own pace, and be out for whatever time they are comfortable with (subject to the closing time).

[DaveK]

Better still offer folk a choice of a mass start score or limited cross country courses

Absolutely - I suspect most clubs don't offer it because they think most people will opt for th cross country options!

Yes, possibly, but the rationale behind our Kent Night Cup midweek winter evening series, which Sean mentions, is that the one hour mass start format allows us to hold an event over a given timeframe and, as importantly, provides an opportunity for some socialising and a meal in the local pub afterwards! We often get 30/40+ turning out which is not so bad down here! Good training and a little boost for the local economy.

[maprun]

The best penalty system I've come across used a sliding scale for lateness. Something like 10 points for each minute for the first 5 minutes late, 12 points for each minute late from 6-10 minutes late and so on. The penalties and incremental increases were set so most competitors might pickup a few extra points if they went over 60 minutes and depending on their abilities and remaining controls it might be worth coming back up to 15 minutes late. There were very few finishers with the same points total.