Trail-O in Focus

[awk]

One of trail O's problems, if it is to be a serious 'sport', is its inherent intellectual limitations....[etc]

Now there I definitely part company with Nemo! Whilst there may only be one right answer, you've got to find it, and find it many times. On top of that, you don't have unlimited time: many competitions have been decided on the timed controls, and if (as I think Kedge suggested) elite Trail-O goes down the route of timing all or most controls, then the pressure really will be on! I don't think there is anything lacking in the mental demands of trail-O - indeed in many respects it can be tougher!

The fact is that there are many activities that are far less intellectually/technically demanding than Trail-O. One could argue that this can include a lot of MTB-O and Ski-O - after all they rely primarily on route choice rather than fine navigation. As an earlier Guest suggested, foot-O on easier terrain may come into this category too.

[mharky]

AWK, unless you have done any SKi-O i don't think you can really comment on how difficult the navigation is. Undeniably the route-choice element is massive, but try keeping your way on this course at top speed when everything is white...

lots of maps here: http://www.moscompass.ru/news/spb/

[kedge]

AWK, I'm not sure that Elite Trail-O would want to go down the road of having all controls as timed controls as a matter of course. The logistics of that, and the manpower involved would be just too great. But if Trail-O were to make the Paralympics, it might be forced on us to

a) speed up the time it takes to complete a course. The organisers/TV would probably draw the line at all competitors taking 2 hours or so.

and also

b) to remove any semblance of cheating.

Competitors were seen to be using mobile phones in the middle of one international event. That is also why now, instead of each competitor carrying their own pin punch as used to be the case, we now put a punch some 10-15m beyond the decision point, which must be used for that particular control. This means that it is no longer possible for competitors to confer in the forest and compare ideas before punching, another practice which has been noted in the past. Similarly, wheelchair bound competitors who need an attendant 'pusher' to negotiate any steep inclines etc, have to use one provided by the organisers, rather than using their own, who might be an expert Trail orienteer able to give advice.

[Guest]

Now there I definitely part company with Nemo! Whilst there may only be one right answer, you've got to find it, and find it many times. On top of that, you don't have unlimited time: many competitions have been decided on the timed controls, and if (as I think Kedge suggested) elite Trail-O goes down the route of timing all or most controls, then the pressure really will be on! I don't think there is anything lacking in the mental demands of trail-O - indeed in many respects it can be tougher!

The fact is that there are many activities that are far less intellectually/technically demanding than Trail-O. One could argue that this can include a lot of MTB-O and Ski-O - after all they rely primarily on route choice rather than fine navigation. As an earlier Guest suggested, foot-O on easier terrain may come into this category too.

The mental demands are not sustained and, at most viewpoints, you are making decisions at your leisure.

Yes, timed controls do introduce a true 'orienteering type' competitive element into it, and, as I said in an earlier post, making every control a timed control would be introducing an essential missing element, i.e., making quick decisions against the clock.

[Nemo]

Obviously, the last posting was mine.

[mharky]

Instead of saying the same things over and over again, why not find out who makes decisions about Trail-O and e-mail them your opinion, sensibly.

[awk]

AWK, unless you have done any SKi-O i don't think you can really comment on how difficult the navigation is. Undeniably the route-choice element is massive, but try keeping your way on this course at top speed when everything is white...l]

Done a little bit many moons ago (about 15 years now!), so I'm sure things have moved on a lot since my febrile efforts! Wasn't meaning to cast aspersions on either of these two sports, both of which I've found tough and really exciting, but just wanted to acknowledge that these three disciplines aren't always the perfect mix either.

Thanks for the link.

[FatBoy]

unless you have done any SKi-O i don't think you can really comment on how difficult the navigation is. Undeniably the route-choice element is massive, but try keeping your way on this course at top speed when everything is white...

Can't say I've done SkiO but speaking for MTBO which apart from the whiteness I feel you can draw parallels with I would actually agree with AWK. Yes finding small tracks at high speed while juggling route choice for the next 5 controls is not easy but I wouldn't say as taxing as foot O in complex terrain.

[awk]

AWK, I'm not sure that Elite Trail-O would want to go down the road of having all controls as timed controls as a matter of course.....

Makes sense. Just goes to show that there is nothing wrong with the competitive element, if people are trying to find ways of cheating to win!

Maybe one answer to this debate is that we should be trying to use different ways to make orienteering more inclusive. Whilst some of us might feel that Trail-O needs a more physical element to boost its appeal (e.g. more emphasis on time limit for course completion?), whether it does or doesn't, surely doesn't preclude experimenting with other styles. I wonder whether it would be possible to host a wheelchair-O style race for instance alongside a sprint-O. The points about highspeed wheelchairs being let loose are certainly something to be aware of, but maybe worth a bit more than a thought?? After all, if foot-O can have an increasing variety of styles, why not O for those with disabilities?

It might be that diversifying off such a small user base is not productive, but on the other hand, it might attract other people with disabilities in to the sport, who might then feed into Trail-O etc?

[John Morris]

It seems to me that anyone with a highspeed wheel chair has probably got back into sport of some kind already (I don't see many of them zipping around Sainsbury's ).

It also seems to me that combining a stop/start Trail-O event with eyeballs-out Sprint-O will give rise not only to planning challenges but also to safety nightmares - the combination of self-absorbed personal pantechnicons and self-absorbed hurtling heroes seems less than ideal...

We might (a) introduce more people to sporting activity, (b) make fewer demands on planners and helpers and (c) sustain fewer injuries (and claims arising therefrom... ) if we (say) associated simple Trail-O challenges with String Courses or arranged them in a reserved lane around the perimeter of a parking space (Sorry, Mharky, I said that two pages ago... ).

And being seen to focus our efforts not on the disabled elite (or, if you wish, elite disabled) but on those yet to get sport (back) into their lives, we would gain (well-merited) attention, respect and (possibly) funding.

So, all in all, we might achieve more while expending less effort. Which could be a sound orienteering principle.

Just a thought...