Do you want a medal or what?

[housewife]

Strangely enough, I seem to have the W35 trophy, dispite not running the w35 course. It was better than the previous year, when I specifically asked to enter M35 and beat all the M35s (and M21s) but got no trophy at all!

[graeme]

It was better than the previous year, when I specifically asked to enter M35 and beat all the M35s (and M21s) but got no trophy at all!

Snap!
I'm pretty cynical about trophies, but I was pleased to get this one. The engraved winners list goes back to 1966 (Kjell Rokke, since you ask), and I found I last won it in 1990. So just the 24 years to get it back - is this a record?

[Arnold]

I think we could do with a big old clean-out of courses and championships that no-one really runs in or much cares about

Do we really need Short courses except perhaps at Scottish and JK? If needed, provide colour coded courses for those who want a shorter run
Do we really need area champs like the SEOA champs? What's the point in awarding trophies to the only entrants in a class? The fact it's a champs event doesn't seem to attract any more entrants anyway.
Do we even need the Southern champs? Not many entries in a lot of classes too so are the winners really the best ones in the south?
Not even mentioning other races like the Southern Nights etc

In France until quite recently even at the annual champs they only had 10-year age classes (and no short courses) - now it's 5 but still no short.

Look at road races - everyone does the same course and then maybe there are prizes for every 10 years if that?

Surely it's better for everyone - runners, organisers - to have fewer, better used courses than lots of little ones. Even at the British it's a bit OTT - 29 courses for 1400 entrants, that's not even 50 per course on average.

[SeanC]

Surely orienteering isn't so shrunk a sport that it can't manage regional championships?

I think one problem is that competition rules get codified and change far too slowly. Maybe many competition would benefit from a rule that every 5 years all rules should be replaced? Picking on the SEOA long distance championships (just to repeat the plug, this Sunday, beautiful Ightham Common, not far from M25/M26 junction), a set of rules like this might work better than giving a prize to every age category.

Prize 1: Open - Black course.
Prize 2: M35 or older or M20 and under, or any woman. Brown Course
Prize 3: M45 or older, or M18 or under, Short Brown course.
Prize 4: Any woman, Short Brown.
Prize 5: M55 or older, or M16 or under, Blue Course.
Prize 6: W35 or older, or W20 and under, Blue Course.

And so on....

That's a lot less prizes, but more worth winning.

Some additional prizes for those unlikely to win based on position would help raise the profile. Eg prizes for the most improvement since last years race, based on ranking points.

Arnold, would you find this more motivating than the current system?

Some of these competitions also need marketing. SEOA used to have a magazine many years ago which helped to market its competitions and publicise the winners. Now it must rely on clubs who may have other priorities, and a little information pushed on a website or via email can easily get lost in the sea of information. I guess the modern equivalent would be driving publicity and encouraging interaction through an active Facebook page, like OLady does with JK2015?

[mharky]

One of the many attractions of the Scottish O League is the colour-coded based course system. There are only 12 courses, with all the classes distributed across these (seeHERE.

To get SOL points you need to run a course/class you are eligible. But you can enter any course you wish. I've often run down to simulate a middle course, or when coming back from injury. There are always lots of people to race and compare yourself against. And there are some very strong intra-course inter-class rivalries on the go

[yted]

I'm not bothered about the medal but I do love the glory... and the size of the field is irrelevant. Winning the Yorkshire Champs against Peter Haines and Ali Wood is hard enough - I'm 65 next year but it won't be any easier against Pete Gorvett, Tony Thornley, Richard Paine! And that's just Yorkshire.
But if the oldest class was 55+, it would remove the chance of winning (for me) - I'd still enjoy the run but the competition would be over. And I'm sorry but I do like winning. And it's great to add your name to a list on the trophy of great athletes from the past.

[SeanC]

But if the oldest class was 55+

Just in case you misunderstood me yted, and you were referring to my suggested SEOA champs simplification, the "and so on... " bit was meant to mean
Prize 7: M60 and over. Short Blue course
Prize 8 ...
Prize 9...
and so on until all the courses are used up.

Entry on the day and cars with younger children or M/W60+ get special parking at the Crown Point Inn which does a nice Sunday carvery*

* Also entry on the day, but also best to pre-book

[buzz]

There are always lots of people to race and compare yourself against. And there are some very strong intra-course inter-class rivalries on the go

Mainly Housewife v The Old Men

[Big Jon]

There are always lots of people to race and compare yourself against. And there are some very strong intra-course inter-class rivalries on the go

Mainly Housewife v The Old Men

I object - I'not an "Old" man, just an "Old-ish" man - the Old men are all at least 10 years older than me

[cbg]

And will remain that way

[EddieH]

Exactly Jon. You will always be a young thing to me.