Making "orienteering" more accesible

[Mrs H]

Yeah yeah (feeling a little tired and emotional having just been out celebrating young Neville's 18th Birthday) but rookie's right - I have hasdd a degree of success marketting events to newcomers (families in paricular) and I didn't dumb down either - it was all about challengeing the kids and helping them to be slf-reliant, healthy and rsourceful and meting the world head on - whoops have spilt red wine on the keyboard and the E dosn't work proprlery anym,ore

Kitch is usually my hero but I didn't much like the self-harming thing I must admit:? I think you have to be nice to yourself - because ife is hard enough as it is!

I love you all!

[Rookie]

ok, so that sounds like a degree of success to families of maybe not a running background, the race in question would be more aimed at already competitive runners, has an orienteering club ever actually put on a race with the sole intention of dragging some runners into the sport (20 to 40 age)?

ie. has any orienteering club put on a race equivalent to the one this thread is about? if that attracts people then why don't we (and it'l probably be a lot cheaper to enter as well, esp. for students/juniors)?
If it was actually hosted by an O club then anyone who enjoyed it would be more likely to try again, and maybe a more traditional format (but diversity in event type is good!!)

[Knee Deep Mud!]

On the 14th October you do a proper orienteering event at Hawley courtesy of BKO, and almost certainly not have to pay £10+ for the privilege! That said, I doubt you'll get the banana that is promised for the higher entry fee...

Not sure how good an advert the 'Orientator' event would be for proper orienteering, given that they openly advertise the fact that their 'accurate' map only shows 90% of the paths

[rosco]

I think making it expensive is important: when you don't know much about something you often judge it on how much it costs - "that's really expensive, so it must be really good" and conversely "that's really cheap it must be cack."

With the greater income from the expensive entry fees you can make a proper race with razzamatazz and make it seem really good. This is important to the people that might be interested in this event.

In speyside they run lots of summer kids events. The orienteering one is called Cunning Running and costs £8 for a wee kiddie. They are always full. The publicity never mentions orienteering.

[PorkyFatBoy]

Perhaps it's posts like Kitch's that dissuade many from posting and result in Nopesport being a talking shop for a minority.

Nope. It's posts like yours that put people off, especially when you have a go at the juniors for celebrating their success Adults and seriousness - that's what's turning Nopesport into a "minority talking shop".

Anyway, I'm now off to do one of Kitch's milder training ideas - finishing intervals doubled up with pain.

[Oldman]

Nope. It's posts like yours that put people off, especially when you have a go at the juniors for celebrating their success :roll: Adults and seriousness - that's what's turning Nopesport into a "minority talking shop".

Nothing I posted (and did not know it was juniors anyway) was anything of the kind, and if interpreted that way, you need to read things more carefully!

[Gnitworp]

Adults and seriousness - that's what's turning Nopesport into a "minority talking shop".

Nopesport Discussion Forum is entering its maturity as it develops into a nationally respected institution that allows allcomers to speak their mind (even if they're out of it ).

It is not a narrow-minded, sadly-limited, inconsequential chatgroup. It embraces both 'adults and seriousness' and the converse (youth and frivolity?)

[FromTheGrassyKnoll]

It is not a narrow-minded, sadly-limited, inconsequential chatgroup.

I'm not so sure of that. But I don't care. I enjoy it.

[J.Tullster]

Oldman wrote:

It's not congrats that's the problem: it's comments like "what did aunty lizzy get you" and "Woop".

Keep these puerile comments for the banter section please!

Kith's post certainly didn't put me off. It wasn't trying to order you to post comment on it. It was just an interesting quote and you could take it or leave it. That quote above on the other hand...

[LostAgain]

Nothing I posted (and did not know it was juniors anyway) was anything of the kind, and if interpreted that way, you need to read things more carefully!

Probably you should read what you were responding to! It was clear that they were congratulating each other and comiserating with others on their selection for Squad/Tours. Juniors..

[DB]

[quote="Rookie"]club's put on Come-and-try-it events quite often but how well marketed are they to people outside orienteering? Just putting it up on the club website isn't really any good since non regular orienteers aren't going to find it.

A fair point. I came across orienteering three years ago quite by chance, going for a run with a mate in local park and wondering what was going on (registration, kites etc).
Prior to that day i'd never heard of "orienteering" despite being a regular hillwalker and outdoorsy sort. Even having done a mountain marathon or two I was unaware of the sport.
Possibly trying to introduce the sport to the wider outdoor population eg article/ad in Trail or TGO may boost numbers. Trail circulates to large numbers over 100,000 i think. There could be the market.

[Tatty]

The TGO editor is Roger Smith, formerley of MV and agent of the original Sweatshop trader. Ought to be able to get him to do some articles!!

[Colm Hill]

If someone doesn't ask- its probably not going to happen.
Outsider sometimes puts in sections on orienteering but only when pieces are submitted! Editors aren't going to look for o stories when the market is still small scale

[DB]

ok maybe an article may not be possible, but certainly an advert. Not sure on the cost though.

[jenkinstoby]

Hello. i'm the person organising the Orientator. Many thanks for all the comments.

The objective of the Orientator is to introduce runners and triathletes to try something a little different. I recently did my first proper orienteering event with BOAC and loved it so much. The Orientator's supposed to be a cross breed of orienteering and running, and Yes is it simialr to a Score card event.

It's run on a commercial basis and therefore commercial rates for the hire of the land, insurance, all the marketing and what-not need to be paid for. [Runners are very happy to pay over £12 for a running event and even pay over £25 for the Nike 10k in London.]

We're not describing the event as an orieteering event and instead are attempting to make the race sound more of an adventure of scrambling across woodland.

The Widget the size of a biscuit sounds more descriptive than emit card. The map is basic and therefore event aims to test the athletes fitness rather than map reading skills. Anyone can find the check points easily enough, so the winner will need to be fit and savvy. We're also trying to create a team like atmostphere by encouraing people to work together whilst enjoying the outdoors.

So let's see. maybe we'll be able to introduce more people into orieteering