Course of the Year
 Michael
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Posted: 1 November 2010, 12:27 PM
World of O (www.worldofo.com) is running a Course of the Year 2010 contest. Anyone can lodge an entry (though I think it would be courteous to check with the club that owns the map). We could have a formal or informal NZ contest based on the NZ ones that are entered.
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pete s
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Posted: 1 November 2010, 2:09 PM
It would have to be one of the Wayne Cretney races, or maybe great day o in Akl?
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robert06
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Posted: 2 November 2010, 9:12 AM
taranaki traverse?
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Tane Cambridge
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Posted: 2 November 2010, 2:35 PM
Nationals Sprint?
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Michael
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Posted: 2 November 2010, 3:47 PM
Well go on, choose a course and enter it in WorldofO. It's fairly heavily Euro-Scandinavian at present.
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xiaobao5200
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Posted: 3 November 2010, 10:26 AM
This message was edited by Ellmo1769 on 3 November 2010, 10:58 PM
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xiaobao5200
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Posted: 3 November 2010, 10:27 AM
This message was edited by Ellmo1769 on 3 November 2010, 10:58 PM
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Jamie
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Posted: 4 November 2010, 11:01 PM
Well we can at least discuss this a little bit.
My thoughts are that course setting is quite weak in NZ at the moment for a variety of reason, mostly that the map is often not the right terrain, size or quality. We tend to try and squeeze courses onto maps (this is particularly an elite perspective) which compromises the course.
The worst example of this I can recall off the top of my head was the Oceania classic event at Craigeburn.
Of the suggestions above, and the events I attended I think I agree with Pete, the Wayne Cretney race was very well planned, with lots of different challenges, tight loops and controls at the start, then plenty of route choice later on...slightly let down by the last two km on the elite course.
Nationals sprint....mmmmmmmm...not so sure;-) Didn't really make the most of a great opportunity in my book....damn better go catch the bus...
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Paul I
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Posted: 5 November 2010, 2:58 AM
a subject that should be out there for all to take note from. Maybe something in the nz O mag may get more notice... but anyway better here than nowhere...
in reality it's a tough ask to get it right for all of the courses, particularly on some maps, course setters/controllers mostly try their best which is to be commended, however there will always be different points of view depending on ones likes and dislikes. A great starting point for what defines a great course from a poor one might be to start a discussion on what orienteers really want in their course. Interestingly looking at the current World of O discussion with some of the worlds elite they want a course with a variety of terrain and vegetation, lots of technicle stuff and plenty of route choice. What they don't like is too much dead running with nothing to think about, courses that are too easy (like WOC2010 middle) and courses that are compromised too much just for the spectator/arena aspect (WOC 2010 relays).
I'd say that these views would be fairly unanimous for the majority of all orienteers around the globe.
Another 'like' that stands out is the surprise of new terrain.
Back to nz... we all know what re really loathe within a course, that is a control on a piece of map that is a bit dubious. That must be the No.1 thing to avoid at all costs. If in doubt move it out!
No.2 would be the hidden control.
It all sounds pretty easy really but often just keeping control numbers down limits your options significantly.
Some thoughts on a few of the major event courses I ran... (M40 course)
Nats 08 sprint (Henley), park sprint, very fast, last 1/4 too easy because once a train had formed it was all running speed and no orienteering :/
Nats 08 middle (Rangiora), Nice terrain great course combining all aspects 
Nats 08 Long (Te Wharau), a bit on the long side but thats ok, looks great on paper only let down by quite a few controls on some questionable bits of map detail 
Nats 08 Relays (Hapua Wetlands), very nice course, quite steep for a relay but impossible to avoid on that map
Oceania/nats 2009 Sprint (Lincoln Uni), Good map Good course, I felt that there could have been a couple of control placements could easily have been in trickier detail though
Oceania 2009 Relay (Kaiaki Beach), pretty good and tricky course but let down with a couple of controls on some hard to understand map bits, causing grief to a large number of runners
Oceania 2009 Loooong (Craigeburn), very tough course, which is better than a very easy course for a 'long'. Some controls were very hard to find in the scrub which is sort of due to the nature of the terrain :?
Oceania 2009 Middle (Humpty Bumpty), Good course, I felt some of the controls should have used some finer detail. A funny day weatherwise going from stinking hot to freezing in minutes as the southerly came in
Oceania 2009 day 8 loops (Naseby), Fantastico, perfect terrain, perfect course, loops, arena, the works
Nats 2009, sprint (Epsom Campus), middle (Jessie's Delight), long (Telephone Track), relays (Woodhill South) Amazingly i found all four event courses very good with good variety, use of the maps and well thought out courses. well done to all involved )))
2009 Tonic, Day 1 (Beautiful Hills) Great course on a tough map, though personally i would have enjoyed the extra challenge of a little more in the 'native' section, but that might just be me!
2009 Tonic Day 2 (Whites Line) in my book my course lacked a couple of longer legs, otherwise ok :/
Nats 2010 sprint (Roxburgh Tailings), great to have a bush sprint! nice course, i felt a couple of legs had a bit too much track running, however it was a sprint course. Would be a fantastic middle map
Nats 2010 middle (Bannockburn) Tough, tricky and Awesome for a middle, had to think ALL the time, that surprise of new terrain)
Nats 2010 long (Butchers Dam), sorry but i think our abilities were underestimated somewhat. Nice area. I could see the setters ideas but i think my course should have included a couple of really short legs on the tight rocks, and definately at least one long legs 'across' the slope. Something needed to be done to slow down what was essentially a runners course. 1:15000 map ?? not sure. also some of the contour wiggles were hard to understand, bit of confusion between water ditches and gullies sharing the same blue dashed symbol
Nats 2010 relays (Naseby East) Great tricky relay course, away from the often too yellowie-orange coloured courses, resulting in close racing between lots of teams. No 1 for most courses did cause a lot of panic and problems a people had to immediately jump into the deep end feeling very confused by some uncommon vegetation terrain and very little other things, but all good
Other observations, as much as a great novilty, i believe 'the maize' is a bit on the bingo side, ithas destroyed many a good race!
One Auckland OY Coastal Classic, was a bit over the top on the coastal theme, we all know there's only so much of that s*** one can handle! though we were warned a little.
Another OY on South Woodhill involved a leg with a routechoice through the quarry, if you had local knowledge you would have avoided it at all costs, but not me i tried to be smart but ended up in thick cuttygrass and gorse gallore :[
I'll be the first to admit it's not as easy as it appears, personally guilty of setting some courses a bit too much on the long side. But we never stop learning.
Looking at the above courses maybe we are not so bad after all ???????
God i hope this long entry isn't rediculous or i might crawl away and hide again
This message was edited by Paul I on 8 November 2010, 11:53 AM
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Michael
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Posted: 7 November 2010, 12:52 PM
I like the way that the World of O contest focuses on good courses, and requires the submitter to give reasons (and the map). Not too many NZ courses on there at present.
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GeneO
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Posted: 7 November 2010, 1:26 PM
This year for me...
best long: QBD at Telephone track
middle: Nationals middle was on amazing terrain, which makes it easier to set a good course on, but it was the best.
sprint: EIT at STB. Again an awesome area that was used to its potential.
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Michael
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Posted: 1 December 2010, 4:59 AM
The overall winner was the 2010 Jukola Relay. It got twice as many votes as the runner-up, which was the Norwegian Long Champs M21.
The New Zealand winner was the City Safari, by dint of being the only entry:-))
World of O now has a competition running for the Orienteering Achievement of 2010. Unfortunately submissions have closed, but you can still vote up to 6 Dec. Unlike the maps, most of the nominations were made by a panel of experts with only one chosen from viewer submissions.
But what about NZ's Achievement of 2010? As with World of O this doesn't necessarily mean "top COMPETITIVE performance".
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HeadHoncho
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Posted: 1 December 2010, 7:41 AM
For me, it's Angela Simpson's 6th place in the sprint at WUOC. (and IMHO is the top competitive performance as well)
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Martin
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Posted: 2 December 2010, 3:30 AM
NZ's Achievement of 2010: perhaps being accepted to host three World Cup races in 2013
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