Metro Sprint Series Guidelines

 

Setting Guidelines

 

Check the area out.

 

Maps must be field-checked as changes are frequent. At the very least the course and route-choices must be checked on the ground, preferably after a previous visit to the map to gain a general feel for the area. Lots of control hanging-spots may not be on the map eg. Light poles, signs etc that could be described as “car-park corner” etc.

 

One course… 12-15min winning time ie. approximately 3km.

 

Except for State Sprint Championships with two courses, one for women and one for men, both with 12-15min winning time. ie. 2.5km and 3km.

 

One minute start intervals.

 

State Championships will have to have start times for the anticipated top 5 or 10 runners spread evenly through the field.

 

Sprint-style orienteering has two main facets:

 

1 – maximizing use of technical areas of (usually) buildings;

 

2 – looped / spectator-friendly courses.

 

The courses need to have numerous controls, around 20 seems pretty normal, with a mix of direction changes to keep competitors focused – it is very easy to exit a control down the wrong side of a building when leg directions chop and change. Avoid long legs unless there is definitely route choice or something challenging about the leg or it immediately precedes a very technical bit of the course – otherwise it is just a boring run. Utilise legs through areas of the map with covered-areas and underpasses and complex path networks that require close map-reading - but ensure at all times that the choices are fair and clearly seen on the map.

 

In this format of orienteering there is minimal running time but lots of waiting around time either before racing or after racing. To keep spectators (family/friends/public) interested it is great to have a course where the runners are seen a few times with legs passing by or visiting a spectator control. Even a 170 degree turn dog-leg is allowable as a spectator control!

 

Courses should not at any time include crossing busy roads or encourage the cutting across of flowerbeds / out-of-bounds. It is the setter’s responsibility to set to avoid the temptation. Try and make it awkward to take controls out of order (no SI here).

 

 

The start and finish should be as close as possible to the registration table without disrupting newly-arrived people and the parking area.

 

Organising Guidelines

 

Equipment set-up on the day should be essentially as per the Metro Series to keep it familiar to both competitors and organizers.

 

Registration is from…

 

Start times are from…

 

There will need to be a person dedicated to registration as people will be registering and running over an elongated time period compared to Metro Series events. Registration will require a registration sheet of pre-printed start-times and blank space for writing in the person’s (group’s) name. This start time must be written on their punch card.

 

The start and finish need to be clearly marked with signs and the finish with bunting/tape down the chute. Once again there will need to be one person manning the start and another the finish with synchronized watches. (Combining the two into one location may be fraught with confusion as groups of runners finish together at high speed while others are starting). Use early finishers to help with timing if you need to. Start needs a clock clearly visible to people waiting.  (There is a cheap large faced kitchen clock in the tentavan).

 

 

Finish person needs to write times on the card as they finish or as soon as practicable in the case of multiple finishers.

 

Control cards get hung on the string in order – one string for male, one string for female. Age categories are irrelevant until the State Championships.