Red courses at Regional Events

[EddieH]

AR, at my first event the long course was 8.0k - Only 5 miles was my reaction - I did it and was hooked. My next event was M21L.

However there is a runner in these parts who definitely beat us both for gall. His first events were the Deeside Night League (see CompassSport) - nad this year he beat me in one of them

[JimB]

Another option, instead of colour coded courses, is a Western Connecticut rules event. Essentially a score course, with staggered starts, but no time limit. Find 5 controls and you've done the beginner course, any 7, the intermediate, etc. There should be a suitable spectrum of control difficulties. Participants needn't declare ahead of time which "course" they're doing. It can be less frustrating than a normal course for the less confident, because if they can't find a control, they just move on. Easier for organizers...one course to set and print. Include a few easier distant controls, and you have something for the runner newbie, who can also try a few harder controls on the way back in for fun. No pressure; good learning. Too easy? Do more. Too hard? Do less.

[ifor]

AR, at my first event the long course was 8.0k - Only 5 miles was my reaction - I did it and was hooked. My next event was M21L.

However there is a runner in these parts who definitely beat us both for gall. His first events were the Deeside Night League (see CompassSport) - nad this year he beat me in one of them

AR has got rather good in the dark himself. A very hard fought night season this year with him getting an early lead on me, which took till the last event to settle.

Ifor

[sgb]

It seems there have been two threads of responses to my initial question about the availability of red courses. One being that not many people would do them and the other that not many people progressed through them en route to becoming frequent orienteers.

#1.
I think that these courses should probably be seen to some extent as loss-leaders. It may well be that those who do reds will only do so a couple of times before moving on to Light Green and badge events, but that first stepping stone is a vital one if fit novices are to enjoy their first runs. Thus the time cost to clubs in terms of planning and extra controls may be more significant, but the payback in gaining new members may also be significant and make the outlay worthwhile.

#2.
Many people have said here that their routes into orienteering weren't a typical progression through the colour coded system. This may be true of many people (indeed, whilst I started on a red, I then spent a week overshooting controls in the Lakes, and then bumbled around an M21L at Pembrey and the Varsity Match at Jarfalla!), but I wonder whether contributors to nope have progressed despite, rather than because of, the system. (Within the University clubs) it's very easy to take aside a newcomer, check that he or she enjoyed his or herself, give a few words of encouragement and recommend that he or she's done well enough to try a slightly more challenging course next time. And as a result, we find people either love the sport and stay with us, or decide it's not for them and do something else (which is no skin off our nose).

[SeanC]

I'm being a bit provocative here, but a club putting on a red at a regional event is providing a loss leading new member recruitment service primarily to other clubs. Clubs focussing on their own development might therefore consider targetting their own new members - by putting on more local events, training events, social events etc.

Agree about nope examples. It would be interesting if we could find out where and why less naturally talented/more typical adult newcomers drop out, and whether or not the availability of a red makes a difference.

[Fataga]

A loss leader it may be, but with the BOK Trot charging £11.00 for a red course on the day, I cant see many losses being made !!!

I would suggest that this ceratinly isnt encouraging newcomers to give it a try.

[Steve]

I started with a Red course (SMOC Bucknell C4). I joined SMOC and the next event being club champs I decided to have a go at the Green champs course (WAOC Maulden C4). Then it was Blue (HH Ashridge C4) and on to thrashing around Browns and M21Ls.

I was a 36min 10k runner when I tried the Red, and couldn't believe the longest "simple" course was "only" 5k ish. I also couldn't believe how long it took me, although I was 2nd or something. The SMOC people were really supportive and I probably wouldn't have tried the Green without their encouragement.

So, I too think the Red course is a key way in to the sport for fit novices, but also getting good advice and support is essential for progressing. If there had been no Red, I would probably have done Green as the idea of a 2.5km course (Orange or LG) was just too bizarre (I have since discovered Sprint O!). And being Bucknell I may have spent a long time thrashing around brambles and dense pine forest and generally not enjoying it. It would probably not have put me off but this may not be true for all. (BTW I now defend Bucknell as a classic star-junction area!)

And I think that offering Red courses at Regional events is entirely legitimiate, but they probably won't be entered by newcomers (for whom regional events are a bit daunting despite EOD colour coded) but by the committed "Red" orienteer - the runner who likes a go at orienteering now and then but hasn't developed sufficient orienteering skills to enjoy TD5 courses - and who prefers to enter on the day.

[Stodgetta]

I've just looked back through our results archive for the last 3+ years, and the only event (district or regional) where we didn't have a red course was the CSC round.

We have always had takers for the course, with numbers varying from 2 - 25. A large minority of the runners are independents (several are now club members and no longer running reds), and the day we had 25 was because a minibus load from Manchester Metropolitan Uni turned up (giving us notice in advance so we could print more than our standard 15 red maps!!).

As a club, we wouldn't be without our red - for that extra control or two it takes, it has to be worth it.

[sgb]

Hurrah for Chasers!

[Tatty]

All SCOA Leagues events have a Red course. Personallyi do them at times when I want to run, whereas if I did the Green I'd probably walk at least half the course!! At District events down here we occassionally run out of Red course maps!! Certainky worth putting on.

[swat]

All our district events have Red courses, there's never loads of people (about 5 to 15) on them but enough to make it worthwhile offering. Our last regional event had a red course - there were 11 runners, 6 were already members of an orienteering club, 5 independents. No extra controls were needed to include this course. We didn't however offer the new W21N class - this did seem like a bit too much effort to create a whole new course half way between Orange and Red. We did get one entry on the day for W21N so included this class on the JM3/JW3/Orange course.

As well as relative begineers, Red courses also seem to attract more experienced orienteers who are maybe coming back from injury and want a longer run out over less committing terrain.

[EddieH]

Moravian have nearly always put on reds with a smallish take-up. However recently we have been targetting a local running club with some success, (and have even got some o do harder courses and join the club.)
We have 4 "forest runs" on marked courses every summer which has been fantastic for running clubs in the area, but only moderately so for us. This year it has been decided that at 2 of them all entrants will receive a map with the following week's red course printed. We are intending to have a runners v orienteers challenge with a straight total of the 2 relevant forest runs and the following week's event.

It will be interesting to see how it goes.

[Sloop]

The MDOC Committee has voted to charge Colour-Coded rates for M21N and W21N as a general principle.

This saves the awkward situation of a novice couple turning up and one getting a Red at CC rates and the other having to do an N at Regional rates.

[roadrunner]

We are intending to have a runners v orienteers challenge with a straight total of the 2 relevant forest runs and the following week's event.

We've run something like this for a few years now, but with a slightly different format. We have a mass start, and everyone does a 3k cross-country run, followed by picking up a map and doing an orange-standard orienteering course. Scoring is in terms of the order you get back, and the winners are decided on the basis of first three men and first two women (or similar). It gets pretty good support from the two orienteering clubs and two running clubs that take part, and the orienteers don't always win

In terms of how I started orienteering, I did a red course first (but would have done a green if it had been available), followed by a green where I got so lost I ran off the map on the way to the first control (but still completed the course).