Junior Badge Scheme (again!)

[Becks]

I've talked about this before a multitude of times on Nope but it's something that's still very much at the the forefront of the Development Committees mind. There's a few questions to be asked about the scheme and it would be great if I could get some feedback - Serious stuff please juniors!

The first part of the review is to look at whether the ageless system satisfies more people or whether it simply confuses things, to put it very basically. Are the links between Colour Coded ability, ageless and age classes enough. Does anybody outside the coaching world even know what the step system is and what all these ideas are based on?!

Secondly, it's the question of whether the present badge systems work as incentives or whether they're just confusing. If you don't think they do work, what you you put in their place? Anything at all?

No BOF bashing please this thread - and please direct your Juniors to have a look at this thread and make some replies.

[Guest]

I find the ageless classes quite confusing and my children prefer age classes as they know more or less straight away what standard they've achieved.
If they want to run up they can or they can do B classes.
It's even worse that there are age classes at National events but not at regional. Also the rest of the O world use age classes - sometimes to individual years.
Give us age classes!

[Guest]

I agree with the previous author.
Ageless classes is just the Colour Coded system by another name, and the children know it. It only serves to confuse things, especially when the childrens ages aren't shown. My children like to compare themselves against children of their own age.
Also, why have three types of award when two will do.
Lets just have Colour Coded and Age Classes.

[helen]

I'm not a fan of the JM/W classes either. Its complicated a lot of rules about standards etc (I'm sure the standards were wrong at the bok trot because the JW5S course had been calculated in the way of a B course, using the Long, not in its own right. Same on JM5M and JM5S.) A lot of people have got confused about the system. In other sports you have to compete in age classes all the time, and in 'O' there is still flexibility at Colour Coded (sorry 'District') events.

[Jo]

1. I find the JM/W thing very confusing and don't really know what I'm meant to do all the time. I didn't see what was wrong with the normal age classes in the first place as you can run B or n/c if you have a reason as not to run your correct age class.

2. The badge systems - confusing!

[Jene]

age classes defo......i dont even pay attention to the badge scheme nemore cos 1) i dont understand it.....and 2) cos i'm not that gr8, i can run down.....but dont want to (dont think that really made sense) but yeah......age classes were waaaaaaay better

where could you find out what standards you achieved, i have no idea what standard i've ever reached in 'o' cept at the scottish 6 days when you can get the badges there.

[helen]

well that response seemed pretty unanimous!

[Guest]

It is a difficult debate.
On the subject of the badge scheme. Personally I never payed any attention to it. I always knew how well I'd done on the people I beat and how I ran myself. I'm sure there are many juniors who feel the same. However if there are some juniors that feel it's an incentive, then maybe it's a good thing. However if it's not an incentive for many, it must be a bit of extra work keeping track of who's won all the awards and sending them out. I suppose it makes a way of deciding who can run what at YBT, but going by what's been posted on the forums, there seems a fair amount of confusion over that. Wouldn't it be easier to say these age classes run these classes, and that's that?
I think the ageless sytem's OK. It gives newcomers the chance to do a course which is right for them. It also means fewer courses to plan, and allows juniors to compare themselves also against some of the adults running the same course.

[Jene]

also cos its JW5 S/L i always want to go for the short...jus cos its still my technical diff, n im jus lazy........but my course 'should' be JW5L really, well, if i want to count for nethin least ways

[rob f]

I disagree with 1 thing about it, and that is that as soon as you get a gold you have to move up to the next level i.e 3-4. This means that an unconfident junior may feel the pressure of having to move up an age group, which doesn't encourage them to carry on

[Jene]

and dont make up less good older juniors feel to gr8 bout competing against ppl 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 (?!) years younger than us

[J.Tullster]

That last guest post was me oops. I think you could do without the agless sytem which obviously confuses a lot of people. Just make national events and important badge events age class, and anything else colour coded. Simple. Just because it's a colour coded event it doesn't have to detract from the standard of the event, i.e area, planning etc

[Jene]

what do they do if say, only 2 ppl ran the course......can they still give badge standards?? only i thought they were calculated on the average of the 1st 3....

(slightly irrelevant possibly....but im just looking at my badge standards now)

[Doug T]

i think that the JM/ JW are good but there is too many of them in my opinion.people end up sometimes end up running class because its easier so they aren't challenging themselves.
i actually like the fact that you can compare yourselves with older or younger people because it allows you to try and beat or challenge people from different age classes.

[Fiona]

Younger juniors like to achieve badges in all sports & activities. It is a good incentive to keep them coming back for more, but how is a 9 or 10 year old supposed to get gold on say JM/W2 when they are always running against 12 or 13 year olds, who may be new to o, but are always going to be much faster runners. All other sports have regular competitions in age classes & we risk losing juniors with this scheme.