World Cup Finland

[andy]

Assuming only 1 team from each country to count, GBR currently lying 3rd!
Just spotted little hoddy in the 'mix' too

[andy]

although Scott could do with giving Cat more of a gap to the Swiss team...

[Spookster]

Good run from Murray, 30secs down on the top 3 but still all to play for

What a great format, can we get some more in the uk please?

Yes, looks like the first two have got away from the pack, but the rest of the placings are all to play for. And I reckon we're 3rd nation, even though we're 5th place after 3 legs...

[andy]

And I reckon we're 3rd nation, even though we're 5th place after 3 legs...

aye, with Norway DQ anyway. Cat needs a good run with Finland and Switzerland behind!

Really awesome to see both Ruth and Peter being very very competitive

[andy]

Uh oh, Wyder has caught Cat already

[andy]

5th (4th nation), that's pretty good, well done everyone!

[denbydale]

5th place -great result

[Freefall]

Excellent - would help if we had a time delay on GPS tracks so that they tie in with the TV delay. Would also be nice to know where the cameras are and which control they are looking at (and in which direction). Bigger competitor numbers would help. Will look at a few fences for Forres and Nairn?

[maprun]

Can't believe I'm writing this ..... that was entertaining!

[andypat]

Very decent result. Looking forward to rerunning the GPS when I get finished at work. Whats the verdict -could we do enough to medal? Really positive that we completed given the risk of mispunch.

[maprun]

There was so much going on that a good TV commentary needs 2 or 3 people, with one person constantly watching the GPS and adding comments on different pre-analysed route choices as they occur.

[maprun]

Excellent - would help if we had a time delay on GPS tracks so that they tie in with the TV delay. Would also be nice to know where the cameras are and which control they are looking at (and in which direction). Bigger competitor numbers would help. Will look at a few fences for Forres and Nairn?

Interesting commentsfrom World of O below (italics) about the large amount of forking and complex route choice variations from an arena/TV spectator point of view compared to Turkey.

World of O quote:
Again there were a lot of fences – and a lot of forking – the exact opposite of the first unofficial World Cup relay in Turkey earlier this year were the runners and spectators complained that there was not enough forking – and that the orienteering was too easy.

In theory both forking and complex route choices are a good thing in these types of relays, but in this race the Finnish organizers probably listened too much to the comments after the Turkey mixed sprint relay. Now it was very difficult to understand who was in the lead – and to spot when the mistakes and wrong route choices were done – and even after the relay it is difficult to know if the different alternatives were really equal time-wise and who missed where.

Due to the complex forking, TV commentators (and probably most spectators) missed some of the key points in the relay, like for example Lena Eliasson’s large mistake on the second control on the last leg, her wrong route choice towards the end of the first loop, the wrong route choice (I think) of Emma Klingenberg on the first leg, and so on. There was simply too much happening. But for the runners, this must have been great fun!

Was the balance of complexity about right and could the commentary team have been better prepared? Any thoughts?

[andypat]

Many of the competitors seem to think they overdid it with the fences, especially the unnatural ones - I think this is a fair point.

WRT forking I think the key issue for spectators is knowing who is in the lead. I dont think anyone outside O (and a few of us inside O) really would understand about long/short gaffles etc.

The solution to that for the mixed sprint relay might be really precise planning, and having set points on the course where everyone is equal where you can measure everyone against each other.
eg controls 4, 8, 12 and handover. Controls 1-3, 5-7, 9-11 would in effect be subsidiary controls from a commentary perspective.
They might already be doing this- I didnt see the coverage.

[EddieH]

With runner still to go in the assembly do the commentators need to be a little careful not to give everything away? Announcing which controls are common seems to be a rather big piece of information to be certain of before you start.

[andypat]

Thats a fair point Eddie. I guess i was thinking of tv commentary rather than loudspeaker onsite.

I presume the runners in quarantine wouldnt have access to tv?