Oceania Entries
 Jenni
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Posted: 24 November 2008, 2:06 PM
Just a reminder that if you can save $20 by entering the Oceania events by Friday this week, that's the 28th November. Do it now!
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Jenni
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Posted: 11 December 2008, 5:24 AM
Entries will be closing for Oceania tomorrow! Get your entry in now!
There are over 550 people running one or more event. The largest entry event is the Oceania long distance with 450 entries.
Tell your friends, as although this date has been ciruclated around clubs (actually yesterday's date I think) the website only says it will be too late after "mid-December". In fact mid-December means the 12th December so don't dilly-dally.
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Greg T
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Posted: 18 December 2008, 9:56 AM
Unfortunately there are no late entries - event to the supposedly "public" warm down races. If you didn't get your entry in before 12 dec then it's too late. Kinda begs the questions though why an email address was left on the website to answer any late entry queries ?
I can understand that the long, middle and short events would be closed. After all they are the serious end of the competition and I wish all competitors good luck for them. But surely as the warm down events are "public" (as described in bulletin one) then they wouldn't have such a long deadline beforehand ? as in one month !
Addison notes in the "charging for big events" post. To quote him/her "Our goal is to get people into orienteering. What better to do that than big events? Big events normally have atmosphere, good maps, good course setting and most of all recently they have had jack all people doing whites and yellows and even oranges." Orienteering seems to be static (competitor wise) and my experience here certainly doesn't enamor me with the sport's organisers. In these changing days and ages it seems that they are stuck in the dark ages. For someone that has only competed at their first big event (nationals 08) this year (because it was in my backyard) I thought I would have fallen into the category of those that would want to be encouraged to compete. With a frantic time over the last few weeks being under way too much pressure at work and the added time-constricting Christmas Events I clean forgot to enter before 12 December. To have to enter over a month before hand (I was only interested in the events in Otago because I happen to be there at the time) seems rather restrictive to growing the sport when we live in a time everyone wants to be able to just do things "now". Oh well, my fault I shouldn't have "dilly dallied"...
As for the answer I received, it was a little different in itself....
"Regular price entries closed 28th November and Late entries closed 12th December."
I guess the average joe public doesn't understand "unfortunately, sorry we cannot cater for any more competitors". By the tone of the sentence it's as if the customer (orienteer) in this case is just lucky that they are being catered for. It seems as though the organisers are all wound up about putting on "their" event. Nothing like the business customer service model these days when one can be flexible and the customer comes first...
I also asked a question in regards the note on the website about a post-event rogaine
Quote "After the Oceania 2009 orienteering events there will be a rogaine (Saturday 17 January) in Central Otago's spectacular Lammermoors".
No answer, and I note that the email address is still there for inquiries about entries as of today (18 dec). Obviously the organisers are very busy. No other mention about the rogaine on other websites that google is familiar with, if it does go ahead then I encourage people to enter, nothing like the big skies and stunningly brutal scenery of Central Otago. Mind you better have entered by now as it's less than a month away !
On a more positive note it brings home to roost how forward thinking, flexible and welcoming my local clubs are - OHV and WOC. I appreciate how they have accommodated people (mostly me) over the last year as we live in busy times and orienteering is something that I try and squeeze into what is a pretty busy schedule. I hope all competitors have a good run in what is some awesome South Island countryside. No doubt I'll have just as mush fun shredding the sweet singletrack that is Naseby on my mtb.
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Jenni
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Posted: 18 December 2008, 10:38 AM
Let's just say we've had some arguments in the organizing committee about how we should deal with late entries.
Greg email me. jenni dot adams at cantebury dot ac dot nz.
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ML
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Posted: 18 December 2008, 3:22 PM
Hi Greg. I, like you cant understand why the cutoff dates are so early for some of our events. While it is good for the organising club to know what numbers of competitors are coming to their event the stage that you really need to know exactly how many competitors are coming is when you print the maps and even then if someone is really keen to enter after the maps are printed surely its not too hard to print some on someones laser copier, there are plenty of these around. As an organiser (I controlled one day of the Tonic carnival at labour Weekend) I would much rather go to a bit more effort to get more people to my event than just take the easy way out and say no.
As far as start time slots are concerned a good organiser will leave some gaps to cater for last minute changes or start them out of their start box and if necessary make them unofficial, but at least they get to go Orienteering, this could make the difference between a newcomer continuing in the sport or going mountainbiking! We need to encourage people, not put them off.
I remember at another big event I went to a few years ago an extremely high profile well known NZ sportsman who was an occasional Orienteer tried to enter late and was told no, I havent seen him at an Orienteering event since then. Turning him away was just crazy as he was raising the profile of Orienteering just by being there.
I hope Jenni can do something for you.
Regards.
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rob.g
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Posted: 18 December 2008, 3:48 PM
This a pathetic situation, and unfortunately more likely to affect newer people or overseas people. It is such bad PR, and I beleive the NZOF should put a rule in place to cut this crap, as they are also losers in this situation with fewer levies coming in. Maps cost so little, and our club always print 4 to 6 extra maps per course to cater for last minute entries, because we don't want to lose ANYONE from an event.
At Oringen with the luxury of 15000 plus entries they can change your grade or take an entry the night before. They just charge a bit more.
Wake up you guys running this event, and change your stance.
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Greg T
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Posted: 19 December 2008, 12:08 AM
Jenni has it all sorted..Magic..end of story...I wish everyone the best for the serious stuff and can't wait to get lost in Naseby ! For my level of expertise in the technical stuff it's not if but when....
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addison
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Posted: 19 December 2008, 12:21 AM
A few interesting comments here!
If we are to be a bit more professional, I say accept late entries but just do what Oringen does and charge more.
But in saying that, with orienteering events - often mistakes occur due to the pressures placed at the last minute. When you are having to keep editing your finalised entry list, things get messy. We have a bit of small sport syndrome in this effect, as everyone thinks that because they know the organiser that they can be slack or a bit demanding on things which are small fry. We've all done it, we're all going to do it... it's just one of those things.
I think money talks, we've shown that making it cheaper to enter well in advance rewards those who are planned. Making it more expensive, but not above and beyond, at the last minute is worth it as well. Because to be honest, those late entries are 75% profit aren't they?
It is a bit of a funny situation though isn't it. We have for years allowed late entries, and have allowed for a culture within our sport of it all being ok - so when an organiser (like this event was before Jenni got involoved) decides to put their foot down (as is their right to) there is an uproar because its against the culture that has developed.
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nick
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Posted: 19 December 2008, 1:05 AM
Thats not the only reason there is an uproar. The comments clearly show concern that barring entries works against the growth of the sport (and without providing any substantial benefit in return).
I would have thought that current computer technologies make amending start lists etc reasonably straight forward? (yeah, thats an assumption!) On the other hand, late entries (and particularly on the day entries/changes)*are* an additional burden on the organisers, and they do risk errors (which then take more work to clean up). So its only fair that these entrants pay extra for being a pain in the backside.
You are absolutely right to point out that a late entry is more profitable. A switched on event-organiser would have a smooth system to cream it off late entries. They might even encourage it; flip it on its head: instead of "entries" and "late entries"... "early-bird entries" and "entries"? So, a discount if you're early instead of a penalty for being late - deliberately loading your entries into the more profitable category.
And when even the late entry bizzo is too much hassle or just won't work or whatever, as a final resort there is always unofficial status. everything else is already in place - Mr Late Entrant only needs a map and an empty start slot.
PS: good on you Jenni for responding so quickly.
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Jenni
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Posted: 19 December 2008, 1:50 AM
What we need is someone who's only job is doing the late entries then it's not so hard. As the controller/planner of three of the events I've asked for vacant starts in the start lists so it is quite easy to put the late ones in (as they do in Sweden).
But the trouble is at the moment is that the people doing entries and start lists are flat out, and have been working past midnight all of the last week on Oceania (as well trying to put in next year's grant applications and go to their chidlren's prizegivings etc etc...)
It's kind of funny when you send an email on orienteering about 1am and you get a reply straight back but it's been happening quite a bit this week!
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Jamie
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Posted: 19 December 2008, 2:05 AM
This issue isn't new. I have already witnessed one club torn apart by it and would hate to see another. I think it actually stems from people not really wanting to do jobs but feeling obliged to and then thinking "stuff it I'll do it my way then". Too few people doing the work (irony that Greg T,if its the Greg T I'm thinking of, is a newcomer to the sport who has shown plenty of willingness to help out with different things).
Is there a lateral solution? I see that W3 doesn't even have pre-entry except for elites. Presumably they don't have set start times. Will be interesting to see how this works in practice for a larger event.
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nick
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Posted: 19 December 2008, 2:18 AM
online entry shifts the workload onto the entrant
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Greg T
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Posted: 19 December 2008, 10:47 PM
Interesting points raised, if you want some perspective from someone who is more from the outside of the sport then read on:
I believe if you want to entice people into the sport from others then you really have to have late entries as that is what people have come to expect in all othere events. Granted there is a bit more work involved for O but as Jenni has shown there are tools that the controller can use to accommodate those who aren't so well organised.
Aye Jamie you've picked me already, in the short time you've known me you know I try not to do things by halves. So in this situation it's give and take. I help out at Duntroon and then get to run at Naseby. I didn't want to be too much of a pain in the backside....
And I sympathise with the organisers,good on you for sacrificing yourselves at this time of year. I know when I organised Wile E's Revenge rogaine in Wellington a couple of months ago I burnt the candle big time. I know what it's like to be squinting at computer screens at stupid hours of the morning...Most of that was being a sucker and deciding to use cryptic clues. Whether they are worth the effort.. well I'm sure I could create another discussion on that so why don't I
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