Prizes; Spot the difference

[NeilC]

My suggestion is that instead of everybody bringing their sarnies to the event, or buying food of Wilf's, everyone pays for their food in their entry fee. They then are entitled to some of the grub /drink layed on by the outside caterers timed to co-incide with the prizegiving. This is just an excuse to get everyone together at the same time so that orienteers can socialise. The social side is a big missing ingredient in orienteering and one of the main reasons for the decline in the sport in my opinion.

Sean,
The SEOA AGM in June will have free food and drink laid on - spread the word and see you there.

[Tatty]

Sean - how long are you prepared to wait in the Wilfs queque. I think I stood for 45mins at the JK Relays last year?

[CHS]

This year the YHOA junior squad are running an Energy bar for all your quick food and drinks needs. We'll be serving tea, coffee, a selection of soft drinks as well as cakes and energy bars.

As seen at the British schools this year. Our aim is to cut the queues!

[graeme]

Sean - how long are you prepared to wait in the Wilfs queque. I think I stood for 45mins at the JK Relays last year?

"Nobody goes there anymore - it's too crowded"

[Gnitworp]

it is the British Championships, not "Happy Holidays"

Oh and Jim, don't try any of that "inferior people" malarky round here - remember, Mother Theresa and Nelson Mandela never ran the long course in their lives - still doesn't make them "inferior people" does it?

On the contrary, I'm led to believe that Nelson Mandela was a nifty navigator round the exercise yard during his 35 years' incarceration.

[FatBoy]

I haven't read all of this but don't think this has been covered. Where do the 21L courses fit in? BOC start lists as is common show more on M21E and M21S than M21L. The women's are about even for all 3, although more the size of M21L than the two larger M21 fields.

Of course the M21L falls into the category of "not the british champion" despite being an L course - which I'm happy with. I don't run Elite because I'm not Elite, it's not that I couldn't go the extra km or so (easily - it's speed I lack not stamina).

So what's people's opinions on this? When I was first M21L it was the most popular course by a large margin. My first BOC at M21L at Newborough there were 2 M21L courses and only about 20 on elite. There's the much talked about drop in 21's full stop, but now M21L is only the 3rd most popular M21 course! We could drop M21L and make everyone run elite, but what's the point in that - make it consistent with all the other courses and have the premier course for the age class the L course?

[Gross]

Elite is only a name.... it means nothing really except as a lable to those who think they are but aren't. Open would be better... but the name 'open' suggests anyone can enter & there should be some restrictions on who can run... not looked at the entry numbers but 60 on open sounds good.

Having said that the Sprink Cup this weekend in Denmark has a big elite entry with start times of 1 min through the snow & 2 men's elite classes. The Spring Cup website suggests there will be 10 - 15 cms of snow in the forest:

http://www.springcup.dk

[NeilC]

No easy solution I suspect. M/W21Elite may be open but of course M/W20E aren't.

Splitting BEOC from BOC has been discussed many times. Has the advantage of being more likely to produce true champions, but suffers from problems with attendance/profit etc.

Last year's BEOC Middle and Short champs at Sandhurst were great, everyone from 12-60+ ran the same (or parallel) course. It looks like the short might be doing the same this year but the middle appears to be offering shorter courses for juniors/veterans. Presumably for financial reasons?

[SeanC]

Tatty wrote

"Sean - how long are you prepared to wait in the Wilfs queque. I think I stood for 45mins at the JK Relays last year?"

I'm not an outside caterer, but it seems to me that if everyone pays a few quid for prizegiving food as part of the entry fee, the outside caterers, whoever they are, can prepare bucketloads of sandwiches, cold snacks etc the day before or on the morning of the event. Food could be served half an hour before the prizegiving. Since there would be no payment on the day the outside caterers could give out the food pretty quickly. A barbie might be pushing it for the BOC I guess.

If the prizegiving has something more to offer than just prizegiving, more orienteers will go and orienteers will socialise more and the winners will get a bigger cheer. This doesn't have to be food I guess, this just seems the most obvious to me, plus could involve minimal extra work for the organisers if outside caterers are used.

[NeilC]

If the prizegiving has something more to offer than just prizegiving, more orienteers will go and orienteers will socialise more and the winners will get a bigger cheer. This doesn't have to be food I guess, this just seems the most obvious to me, plus could involve minimal extra work for the organisers if outside caterers are used.

Sean,
Can I put your name forward as a potential prize-giving team leader for JK2008? The free food and drink approach hasn't worked in the past for BOF AGMs but perhaps could.

[guest]

Nelson Mandela was a nifty navigator round the exercise yard

Surely that would be a short course

[HOCOLITE]

The free food and drink approach hasn't worked in the past for BOF AGMs but perhaps could.

I'd hardly call the BOF AGM a social event. That goes for all AGM's, there is always a problem getting punters unless there is something really controversial. Cheese & Wine or a Bar can bribe a few

[SeanC]

Neil wrote

"Sean,
Can I put your name forward as a potential prize-giving team leader for JK2008? The free food and drink approach hasn't worked in the past for BOF AGMs but perhaps could."

Neil, I assume you're not teasing me here (there was no wink). I might regret saying this, but ... OK then (potential only at this stage).

Possible outcomes
- Concept of food at prizegivings rejected as too expensive for orienteers
- Long running thread on nopesport entitled "moan about JK entry costs"
- Long running thread on nopesport entitled "moan about food at JK"
- Orienteers leave their tupperware in their cars and talk to each other (you never know.... )

2008's a while away, this could be tried out at one of the other big events before then....

[Gnitworp]

Nelson Mandela was a nifty navigator round the exercise yard

Surely that would be a short course

No Long - he had 35 years to run it!

[John Morris]

Neil C wrote:-

"Sean,
The SEOA AGM in June will have free food and drink laid on - spread the word and see you there."

Does this mean that there will be more than the usual 6 people present?

Or will it be one bottle, 6 paper cups and 6 segments of a large pork pie...