Mandatory crossing points

[distracted]

I agree with those who say that all the information that you should need should be on the map. Then you have no excuse if you pass through an out-of-bounds or cross elsewhere from a compulsory crossing point, as you're going against what was on the map.

As for the relay issue, on my gaffle on the Men's Premier the road looked the fastest route for the first part of the leg in question. I saw the OOB marked and pushed my way out through the green to the track instead. If something is marked OOB it usually is for a reason... just because you don't remember why/haven't been told doesn't give you scope to go running straight through it.

[HOCOLITE]

Guest 88
No doubt you'd be without cagoule when they are compulsory, and without a whistle when they are compulsory. Don't you even wish to know anything about the area, or whether there are special symbols on the map etc..... It takes the organiser a long time to write the final details and they don't enjoy doing it, but they contain crucial info for the competitor, and I expect are necessary for BOF insurance cover. I suspect if you had an accident with reference to something that was mentioned in the details you'd not be covered as you would have been told. I suggest you get yourself into the habit of reading them. You might find they help your orienteering too.
I agree with previous statements that the competitor cannot remember everything from the details but if important items are highlighted then they will twig the memory when seen on the map.

[RJ]

Sometimes it's possible to plan to avoid OOBs being abused, other times not. But either event safety or access constraints are being protected by their identification on the map and in the final details.

We don't want the consequence of infraction of an OOB to be the injury of a competitor(s), the loss of the area for the future, or a list of disqualified runners. All of these should be avoided by appropriate dissemination of information.

The programme is OK generally for this purpose, but notices at the event, in particular in start lanes are better. And with the relay of course we have the PA, ideal! Discussion here, of course, highlights the problem and may lead to more people paying attention in future.

As an after thought..... if the road had been removed from the competition map would that have avoided people considering it as an option?

[P2B]

I am guilty of crossing the fence on the individual day in the wrong place . As a helper, I had been concentrating on my relay registration job rather than my run and consequently had not read the details. (I know I should have done). I did not realise the crossing points were compulsory. I got a nice shock from the fence though as I was half way over. It did occur to me as I was planning my route that the crossing points may be compulsory, but I looked at the purple line between controls and it did not go through the crossing point, which I would have expected it to do if it was compulsory... Just a thought. I don't think I damaged the fence (which I know is not the point) but apologies... and this is not a gripe - I thought the course was pretty amazing (and tough!)

In these days of all the event info on the web, I rarely print off final details. I mainly take a cursory look, maybe at travel directions to make sure I'm going to the right place and then print off my start time. When we used to receive hard copy info in the post, I'd spend Saturday dinner or Sunday breakfast looking over them. Again, I know it's me that's at fault here, but just another thought on the changing nature of the way information is presented/absorbed.

I didn't run in the relays and haven't seen the map, but if I see a road which is marked OOB, I naturally expect the verges to be OOB too... am I missing a big point here? Or have I been choosing random routes all these years due to a misconception?

[Jethro]

I have been reading with interest the comments on this thread both as a competitor at the BOC individual and as planner for Harvester 2006. I always read the final instuctions from cover to cover, go over them again highlighting the important bits for the benefit of myself and the rest of my family, and have a quick look at the highlighted bits the evening before or in the morning. Now, even allowing for this meticulous approach, I sometimes find it difficult to recall during the heat of competition what the exact instructions were regarding fence crossings etc and always tend to err on the side of caution. It may be that I just have a bad memory, but I don't think I am alone in experiencing this problem. I feel this is due to a certain amount of inconsistancy between different events. Taking the BOC individual as an example (and before I go on I thought the planning was excellent!)I feel it would have been better to have had any uncrossable fence marked with a purple line and all OOB's areas covered with purple hatching (even if already hatched in black). I discussed a route with an M20E (not my son!) who had chosen a route along the road and past houses on his way to control 1. He was wondering if this route was legal. My initial reaction was yes as the purple hatching stopping on either side of the road made it look as though this had been left as a corridor. It was only on closer examination that I started to wonder if there was a way out at the other end. As someone who is red/green colour blind I sometimes have difficulty picking up the differnce between green forest and the colour used for settlements particularly when running in shady forest. Considering that I stood for several minutes debating the rights and wrongs of this route it is unrealistic for someone to make an instant decision in the heat of competition and/or to turn back once they have been tempted onto that route.
I therefore think that there should be consistency between different events and that a "belt and braces" policy should be adopted. Full instructions beforehand but also full instuctions on the map which leave no room for doubt.
It has made me a bit nervous about my courses for the Harvester!

[Gross]

It has made me a bit nervous about my courses for the Harvester!

Yeah... but if you screw it up then I'm sure a quiet word with the local sheep farmer will work ok & you can send him out to repair any damaged fences & walls.... no one will know & we won't tell:)

[Guest88]

I've now found the map of the relays and the road was pretty obviously hashed out in purple, not purple crosses.

Can't believe that I didn't notice any of the purple hashing when I look at it now, it looks pretty unmissable. Maybe I would have noticed it if it had been black - can't say - was obviously not at my most attentive....

[HOCOLITE]

Oh can't we take the route through the farm house and pick up a cup of steaming coffee in the process

[Jethro]

I will be nervous about the sheep if you are coming to the Harvester Gross!!!

[Gross]

Don't worry... promise to borrow a pair of your wellies

[Fratello de Pingu]

I didn't see any purple crosses on the road on either day.

Maybe the communication on the map could be more idiot-proof. Say, bigger purple crosses on the road. A big purple arrow pointing to the road and big purple text on an unused section of the map saying "OOB-DANGEROUS ROAD". I would be more likely to notice this.

the road that i was talking about had red hashings on the map, extending slighlty beyond the road for all of you thinking that running on the curb was ok

[Rich R]

Yes that road was very obviously out of bounds. At one point the hatching went a good 30-40meters into the forest. People who used it either knew they were running in OOB or where just following a pack and hadn't looked at their map, which is a totally different dicussion.

[Guest88]

Well....I was navigating and looking at my map and I went on the road.

I wasn't aware of the purple hashing on the map until I looked at my map today.

If I had been aware of the purple hashing and still went on the road, then I would not admit to going on the road as this would make me a deliberate cheat!

[Fratello de Pingu]

as it was you, and all those who folowed the pack, were just cheating by mistake

so if David Beckham were to have a spiked drink or something just before the world cup and got caught no one would care because it was done by mistake

I think i understand the logic

[tim sleepless]

as it was you, and all those who folowed the pack, were just cheating by mistake

so if David Beckham were to have a spiked drink or something just before the world cup and got caught no one would care because it was done by mistake

I think i understand the logic

I'm not sure I understand yours..

The definition of "Cheating" requires intent.

However, intent is not necessary to for rules to be broken, and for the rule breaker to be therefore vulnerable to whatever punishment goes along with them. Even if there was no intention to break the rules (ie cheat). Sometimes harsh, but fair.