 jeffg
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Posted: 10 July 2012, 6:06 AM
Hear hear, but doesn't Mike still run for PAPO?
I agree with most of what Mike has suggested. I even think the majority (maybe not all) of junior and 10 year senior age classes will fit appropriately into the current schedule of courses (but certainly differently to the way they are arranged in 2012).
The problems arise with allowing age-class athletes to run up a course. Even with a weighting calculation you still compromise fairness when you try to compare athletes running different courses. I've experienced this with my time on the NZOF selection panel; comparison across courses is often necessary and is sometimes helpful, but even with something "objective" to use for comparison like km rate, on occasion it can be very problematic (with a big V).
But all is not lost. I still think that a course-restricted age class competition could operate together with a course-only competition, for those who felt strongly about what course they wanted to run. It's a bit like the "fastest time" in regional or national competitions. Most OY competitions use one or the other, and as Michael Wood has explained to me in the case of WOA, they can flip flop between them every few years, which I think would be good to avoid.
One important point that I think John is making is that the OY competition represents a level of quality and consistency of course planning and controlling that is important to preserve. Whatever scoring system we deem appropriate, I think the OY name means more than just a regional competition of arguably diminishing relevance.
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