Red courses at Regional Events

[sgb]

I'm sure this has come up before, but I'm curious.

Why is it that so many Regional Events have a Light Green course but no Red? As a university club, OUOC often ends up taking novices who are reasonably fit to events. And so we recommend that they do a Red, only to find that they have a choice between too short and too hard.

Now, one argument is that we should only take beginners to colour coded events, but our minibus goes to one event each weekend and the termcard and to be fair to the club we have a range of events: some close (limited colour coded half an hour away), some high quality (Bentley Woods) and some for novelty value (the Harvester). And whilst we probably won't take novices to Penhale in June, I've no intention of telling an enthusiastic newcomer that the next appropriate event for them is in just over a month's time!

So why is it that we can't just have a Red at all Regional Events?

[Roger]

White, yellow, orange and light green all map quite nicely onto the age-class courses so can be offered at no extra effort. Red does not, and typically needs to be planned as an extra course. (In the old-ish days it would require its own printing plate too, at considerable cost.) It often needs its own 'technical-difficulty 3' controls too, once it's got away from the area used by the orange course.

So the answer is that providing a red course requires extra effort. Whether or not the planner should make that extra effort is a separate question.

As an M21 novice and a road-runner, my own orienteering careeer started white, orange (at same event), blue.

[NeilC]

White, yellow, orange and light green all map quite nicely onto the age-class courses so can be offered at no extra effort. Red does not

M21N?

[RJ]

The fourteen course structure recommended for the Regional event contain (9) M21N/RED and (10) W21N.

We have included both courses in the Harrop Tarn event.... but so far we have not received any entries. That doesn't mean you throw them out.... we just need to keep planning them, advertising them, and eventually they will get an uptake at the Regional events.

They do involve quite a few extra controls, so it is not possible to just slot them onto the existing event.

So sgb, if you want to come north.... perhaps a bit of a drive....

[Steve]

Yes M21N fits the bill, and is the course that is probably easiest to drop for a regional event planner trying to reduce control count. I was going to leave it out at the last regional I planned, along with W21N, as the take up is very small. But at the Controller's suggestion I included both by using Orange for W21N and adding a few extra controls for Red/M21N.

We had no entries for M/W21N, but by EOD (I think) had 23 Orange and 10 Red finishers, which certainly justified the extra work on Red.

SGB has a good point - red is the place to start for a runner who can navigate a little, and there is a place for it at regional events - why should fit novices not be catered for when unfit ones are?

[graeme]

As an M21 novice and a road-runner, my own orienteering careeer started white, orange (at same event), blue.

I was more cautious than Roger (and had to wait while he was lost for hours on technical courses )...

White red M21C red M21C M21B M21B M21A

This route into the sport no longer exists ... and we no longer get any M21 novices.

Graeme

[NeilC]

Wimps. CUOC CATI followed by M19A the next weekend at Burnham Beeches.

[Nottinghamshire outlaw]

Whilst we are on the subject of courses for 'novices' or perhapps 'beginners' would be a better desription ...... the 21V (21 very short) may seem to be undersubscribed but is an important part of the progression for someone who comes into the sport as an adult, wants a technical challenge but is not a runner. This person may be the partner of a keen W21 and wants to do a 'competitive' class rather than EOD colour coded. The M21V is alongside the W21S (and other classes) at 0.44 of M21L whereas the M21S is 0.66 of M21L and similarly the W21V fits in with one of the senior women's classes. Neither of these V classes require extra planning and are on the guidelines.

So why are these classes not being offered at BOC and the Scottish Six Days - especially the latter as a holiday event? An M21V competitor in our club was told by the Six Days person who responded to the query that if he didn't want to do 21S he could do Light Green - very customer friendly. He didn't even get a response from the BOC people, apparently.

Whilst young adults do not really fall within the remit of the Junior Competition Group it was JCG which pushed for the V classes with beginner (student) orienteers in mind - sadly experienced orienteers are not always so developmentally minded.

[johnloguk]

First course was a blue, too clever by half, couldn't get into the map at all, overshot everything, I was obviously a faster runner then, didn't enjoy it.

Went back some time later and saw a red on offer, loved it, in fact I think I won it, ran a few more then started to get bored with the easy technicality.

Then ran a green on the Saturday, came 2nd, so ran a blue on the Sunday and came 6th. Browns from then onwards, slowly slipping back down the field eversince

We offer a "red type course" on our Summer League and it is often the most popular course.

[Stodgetta]

why are these classes not being offered at BOC

They weren't advertised/available at pre-entry, but we put a note in asking if Stodge could be transferred from 35S to 21V or a 4-5 km course n/c. We got an email from Judith yesterday saying he was on M21V along with 4 others.

May be worth an enquiry?

One of our new M21s: red (with orienteering girlfriend), orange (YBT final as M20), 1/2 light green (sidetracked by very lost group of kids), blue, M21L at JK...

[Adventure Racer]

I win - first ever orienteering event was a Western Night League night score. Did a couple of those, then at my first linear daytime event I ran brown - still remember trying to go when I was only supposed to be stepping into the first box (and subsequent comments when I explained it was my first event and I was on brown) Then again, I'm hardly typical, as I'd already won ARs as a navigator at that point!

I do remember thinking when looking at colour coded courses that red was actually a bit short for what was supposed to be a long runners' course. Not that I ever came across an event offering that when I was starting.

[Mrs H]

The problem is.... the numbers. I was very keen that red/21N and 21 VS should be available at SinS because I wanted it to be a totoally inclusive event. Red/M21N needs a seperate course as already stated - and out of 900 entries we presently have 3 takers in total - none on W21N and 2 on W21VS - but we are having to think very hard about splitting two other courses because of pressure of numbers.

As I said in this week's compassSport - Reds are Ok for specially targetted events but a waste of time otherwise and we would be better off targetting our efforts to retain the mmbers we have on a new very short technical course (turquiose ).

I'm surprised to hear they are not available at BOC or S6D as that is the sort of event where they might go well.

Perhaps it is down to communication - organisers need to publicise the Red course more heavily to those who might be intrested and those who might be interested need to tell organisers they are thinking of coming to events.

[Steve]

Red/M21N needs a seperate course as already stated - and out of 900 entries we presently have 3 takers in total

If you have colour coded EOD you may get more takers on Red.

a new very schort technical course

Darn, you corrected your spelling before I could take the mickey about continental courses being sneaked in at SinS

[redkite]

If we want to encourage young adults and kids at university to take up the sport long easy courses are essential. They need a stepping stone to the more technical courses.

My son does not orienteer but is thinking of doing a few events as someone at Bristol Uni is trying to get an O club off the ground. He would soon lose heart if he had to do a TD5.

Interestingly he is also tempted by the urban sprint races

[ange]

As someone who has been running W21V I have to say it seems to be pot luck as to whether I can enter it or not, and the responses do seem to vary. As others have pointed it out it is the same course as W45S (and others) so no extra planning required. I've entered 21S for the 6-days (lets hope I can go out in the forest by then!) but would have much preferred to run 21V.

I can also see the benefit of these courses to 21 newcomers who we really shouldn't send straight out on 21S (as I did to my other half after 2 oranges!!)