Comments on: Do we need clarification dots in sprint orienteering?

By: Liggo

Liggo — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 22:33:46 +0000

To keep the “old school” happy why not trial having both dots and control descriptions ? I think pretty quickly you’ll find that nobody uses the descriptions.

By: Cristina

Cristina — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 10:40:21 +0000

Several of the top orienteers have said they don’t read the descriptions in sprint (like D. Hubmann, “In sprints I don’t read the descriptions. Each glance at the control descriptions is one less glance at the map.”) I think it’s good that you can win by just reading the map as it’s a map reading running race, not a little lines of cryptograms reading running race.

By: Andreas Hall

Andreas Hall — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 06:29:06 +0000

I think that clarification points is a very good idea. Reading the control descriptions is not a part of the spirit of sprint orienteering, and nowhere is it mentioned in the IOF rules about sprint orienteering. The IOF rules (appendix 6) state that “Finding the controls should not be the challenge; rather the ability to choose and complete the best route to them.” I can´t see that reading the control descriptions need to be part of finding the best route.

By using clarification points we can stregthen the special charachter of sprint orienteering against other forms of foot orienteering: “The Sprint profile is HIGH SPEED. It tests the athletes’ ability to READ AND TRANSLATE THE MAP in complex environments, and to plan and carry out route choices running at high speed.”

Furthermore I think that the clarification points in the images above are too small and too close to the other features on the map, RouteGadget provides a better example of how to use the clarification points: https://www.facebook.com/177518995597572/photos/a.180287198654085.49663.177518995597572/944728755543255/?type=3

By: Ivar Maalen

Ivar Maalen — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 20:39:07 +0000

I think many of us agree to the statement made by Mårten B that needed information should be found on the map, not the control description, but how to achive that is a question with more than one answer. We should not forget one of the main objectives of sprint orienteering, i.e. to create demanding legs between simple and distinct control point details. The competition should be decided between the controls and not inside the control circles. The course setter and controller/advisor should always keep this in mind and choose control details that can be found in high speed, normally without any need for reading the control descriptions. Instead of introducing another grapical element on the map, the solution is awareness in the course setting.