City Race Series 2007

[Simon E]

THIS IS JUST A SUGGESTION: I haven't talked to any of the organising clubs about it yet so don't get too carried away but...

Given the success of Oxford, what about the following series for next year,

14 Jan: Lincoln Park Race
24 Feb: JOK Chasing Sprint
6 April: JK Sprint Race, Bristol
14 May: British Sprint Championships, Scarborough
(End May: York City Race???)
(8 Aug: Something on Scottish 6-Day rest day???)
(3 Nov: Oxford City Race???)

Something like a UK Cup scoring system.
Classes as at Oxford(M/W Open, Vets, Supervets, Junior)
Target of about seven or eight races, 4 to count.

[mikey]

That would be absolutely brilliant.

City racing rocks.

[lincolnsteve]

That sounds like a great idea, if the events are already in place then why not!!

Would need to know sooner rather than later if this is a serious idea as i'm deep in the planning stages of Lincoln City Race.

[gg]

It's a great idea and possibly fits in with 'a' vision of where British Orienteering should go. Also good would be world class sprint spec maps, plenty of atmosphere at each race, maybe some sponsors etc...

Thats a lot of work though....

[Becks]

When Brooner gets into work (lazy slacker) he should have something to say about this idea.

[Kitch]

The idea of a City race series is great.
but make it a genuine planned and co-ordinated series of urban races, don't just bastardise existing races. I'd hate it if the JOK sprint came out of the forest.

[Neil M35]

I like the idea of a city race series. I also like the idea of a middle distance series and a long distance series along similar lines.

Do away with regional events - these are generally meaningless and in many age groups do not really provide much of a competition. Bring the national events up to scratch** and make them into a coherent series. Also have a national series of middle races and as suggested sprint races. Do away with the ranking list - have national rankings for sprint, middle and long based on the 3 series of 8 races only.

Also as Kitch says the whole fixture list should be structured with the series in mind - not a series tacked onto already existing fixtures.

And below the national series level there would be lots and lots of District events, with Black courses if they are appropriate, overprinted maps and electronic punching.

** by which I mean don't allow National Events on substandard areas. Clubs/regions which in the past have struggled to find decent areas for long National Events may be better able to find good sprint and middle areas - eg Rowney Warren was a fantastic race last year.

[brooner]

Not wanting to say too much as theres only been tentative groundwork so far but Simon E has just described something similar to what we at Nope towers are already planning, a UK urban race series which presents challenging orienteering and can be used as a vehicle to attract publicity and sponsorship to the sport (and has to some extent been welcomed by Mike Hamilton).

The oxford city race on Saturday definitely showed the potential for these types of races, and I'm sure (having never been there myself) that the York race has for many years done similar.

These are events that can be run throughout the year across the country, without some of the difficulties that vegetation and access imposes, so embrace it and use it to sell the sport.

We will be contacting a number of races already planned for next year regarding this, but as Kitch says don't intend to include forest based events, it will be urban based and we want to bring to orienteering the sort of profile that the rat race has brought to adventure racing, without losing the essence of the sport.

If you would like to assist us, in the organisation/planning of an event, mapping, suggesting possible venues or in any other way please get in touch - brooner / wattok @ nopesport.com

[Wattok]

As brooner has said this is a project that team nopesport have in motion. We are looking to organise an Urban Orienteering series next year around the UK. We have the backing of BOF on this one. The format is being discussed but the idea behind it is:

Series of races with a good spread over the UK
All races will have an urban section to it
Create as much media (local/natiional) interest
Good prizes
Razamataz!

We aim to ask clubs to offer to put a race on in their area and hope from these offers we can get a good spread - all offers welcomed! We hope to take some suitable existing races in the series so as not to overload the already busy fixture list. The format is still yet to be decided and the whole series is in its early planning stages, but keep an eye out for this in 2007...!


The over-riding aim of the series is to get orienteering into the public eye and create a better/more modern image for the sport as well as create an exciting series with big prizes for current orienteers.

[Gross]

Sounds like the rebirth of PWT on a national level!!! Yipee.....

[andy]

i don't know how widely known the location of the 'sprint' race on the rest day at the 6 days is at the moment but we're trying hold it in a town (won't name names just in case i'm not meant to). the committee are just trying to ensure that the area of the town we want is fully accessible for what the event would need.
i can mention this at the next committee meeting for spey 2007, but i don't see it being a problem to make it an event in this series should the idea come to fruition.

[johnloguk]

Stunning idea indeed, bring it on, I just hope the plans can come together fast enough for Lincoln to kick things off in January, not that I'm biased or anything, but it will be stunning.

Lincolnsteve is more involved than I am, he's the planner, but I know that some sponsors are already committed, and a high profile series like this will be just what we need to bring a whole lot more on board.

We have a great assembly/start/finish area, and hope to confirm access to something very shortly that will blow people's minds.

Oh, and what shoes are best on vertical cobbles?

[tendon]

and no conflict with Natural England - heralds the future of the sport (in southern England)?

[Simon E]

Well that was a bit more positive than I expected

My initial list was very much based on what was already available. You also need to avoid too much extra travelling and fixtures congestion, at least until these races become the main reason for going rather than the add-on attraction. Scotland was a guess on my list, but it's good to hear that there might be something suitable. I'd agree that keeping away from forest-based events is a good idea, but I'd allow urban parks (Battersea and Campbell Park, Milton Keynes for example). I'm not sure we're really talking about a sprint race series. Oxford was more a middle race, and given the right area you could make it even longer if wanted, even if you only had an A3 5:000 map.

If you can get 2007 to hang together on what is already available plus a bit of arm-twisting I reckon that 2008 could see a properly pre-arranged series. We're already looking at options for JK2008 in the South East.

Whatever happens, the final of the 2012 series needs to be around the Olympic Park in Stratford.

[Ravinous]

JOK Chasing Sprint is the day before MV National Event/FCC, so on Saturday 24th Feb 07, and is at Leith Hill. This is pretty much 100% decided and I hope people will agree that not all the top Sprint Races of 2007 should be in urban areas. Online entry and invitation will be available in a short while at the usual http://www.jok.org.uk