Course Planning 2011 COF Conference
Today s presentation What is a good course? Course planner s raw ingredients Cooking up good courses: Long / Middle What s different about Sprint? JWOC 2011 courses 5
Keep in mind Different types of event Training events Local events Championship events Different volunteer energy Different categories / classes 6
What is orienteering? The navigational skill, concentration and running ability of the competitors shall be tested. All courses shall call upon a range of different orienteering techniques. The aim of course planning is to offer competitors courses correctly designed for their expected abilities. 7
Expected abilities?? You can t set a good course unless you know the abilities of the competitors 8
Expected abilities How good are the M/W21? What about the juniors and the very young? Skill progression Sweden s Green to Black, 17 steps of skills development www.barebones.ca Resources Understand physical abilities What about those teenagers? How tough are the M21? What about the Venerable classes? 9
Today s talk About the Elite courses But, of course, many principles apply to all levels 10
Good courses Fun Determine who is the best orienteer Appropriate difficulty & terrain Fair (minimize luck ) Challenging (map reading, route choice, concentration, decision making, running in natural terrain, ) Respect the environment Media & spectator friendly 11
Good control sites Mark the start & end of good legs Specific indisputable spot (point feature) Not hidden the goal is a good leg, not a tricky control site. People at control don t give away control (hidden) People leaving don t give away control (dog leg) 12
Good legs Every leg must have a purpose Navigational challenge Route choice Change of direction Connect good areas / legs Better point to start the next (very good) leg Adding variety (3Ts) 13
Recipe for a good course Mix together, in appropriate amounts, the following ingredients: Navigational challenge Route choice Variation the Three T s Physical challenge Concentration demand 14
Ingredient 1: Navigational Challenge What is challenging? It depends on who we re talking about Half the reason we have lots of classes ;-) Progression of orienteering skills Long Term Athlete Development project 15
Ingredient 1: Navigational Challenge How to inject navigational challenge: Forest Detailed terrain Bland terrain flow of the terrain Example FWOC Club champs at Mt Laurie Urban Complex, curving terrain Twisting courses Different levels Example Sisteron, France 16
Navigational Challenge flow of terrain 17
Navigational Challenge flow of terrain 18
Ingredient 2: Route Choice Why have route choice? Essence of orienteering But not necessary for every leg Course planner s dream 2004 FWOC Club Champs How did he do it? 19
Ingredient 2: Route Choice Creating route choice is easy: Step 1: find an obstacle Step 2: make a leg that crosses this obstacle 20
Ingredient 2: Route Choice How to make route choice Need obstacles Terrain: hills, valleys, cliffs, lakes Vegetation: green Detailed terrain / navigational complexity Need alternatives Faster running / slower running Longer / shorter Safe / tricky navigation 21
Ingredient 2: Route Choice Should route choice alternatives be equal? All alternatives should be appealing Reward the ability to see good routes. Easy-to-see route should be not the best Course planners must be able to assess the alternatives 22
Ingredient 3: Variety The 3 T s: Vary Terrain Vary Technique Vary Tempo 23
1 st T vary Terrain Challenge orienteer to move and navigate effectively in all types of terrain Flat / hilly Many / few details Good / bad visibility Good / bad runnability Rocky / marshy / open Open forest / thick forest Wilderness / dense trails 24
2 nd T vary Technique Challenge orienteer to use a variety of navigation techniques Line / point / area features Along / across contours and line features Map reading / compass Different leg lengths Changes of direction 25
3 rd T vary Tempo Challenge the orienteer to run at appropriate tempo Fast terrain / slow Long / Short legs Easy / difficult map reading Downhill / flat / up 26
Ingredient 4: Physical challenge The other half of why so many courses Comes from: Distance Climb Terrain (vegetation, ground cover, etc) Speed Sprint minimal, to maintain high speed Middle normal Long tough 27
Ingredient 5: Concentration Sprint intense, absolutely no break! Middle very high Long high 28
Cooking up good courses To make a Sprint, Middle, or Long course, mix together, in appropriate amounts: Navigational challenge Route choice Variation the Three T s Physical challenge Concentration demand 29
Long Goal endurance, strength Main ingredients Route choice Variety terrain / technique / tempo Physical challenge Mix in a bit of Navigational intensity 30
Long Examples FWOC Club champs at Mt Laurie 31
Middle Goal navigational excellence Main ingredients Navigational difficulty Lots of twists & turns Small-scale route choice Mix in a bit of Variations in tempo Variation in technique 32
Middle Adding some spice One longer leg? Change of pace. 33
Middle Leaving a sour taste Too easy Not using best (most technical) terrain Lacking variety repetitive 34
Middle Examples Ebs Trails, Saskatoon COC Middle distance 35
Sprint Goal intense concentration Main ingredients Lots of twists & turns High speed Lots of route choices Lots of controls Mix in some Variations in tempo Variation in terrain 36
Sprint Adding some spice One longer leg? Decisive route choice. One climbing leg? Some stupidly easy legs Have runners achieve maximum speed at least once Urban or Forest or Mix? 37
Course Planning Sprint Leaving a sour taste Lack of route choice Allowing runners to relax Too technical (reduces the speed too much) Lacking variety boring 38
Sprint Examples Fish Creek 2009 National Team Selection races Forest sprint / Tempo changes / Route choices Fundy Park - 2008 COC Champs Terrain changes / technique White Earth - 2006 National Team selection races What is wrong with this course? Fixed version Whistler 2010 Barebones Fun why? 39
Psychology Early controls Orienteers overly excited, rush decisions Fatigue When tired, orienteers lose concentration Late controls Close to the end of a race, orienteers relax too soon 40
Psychology Be aware of orienteering psychology and set appropriate challenges For beginners, help them out perhaps For advanced courses, challenge them more But don t be mean or devious Fun, Fair, Challenging 41
How to be a loved course planner Make people feel good about their orienteering, that they were given interesting challenges and that they solved them well. Lots of variety (terrain, technique, tempo) Minimize climb Nicest parts of the terrain Fair Appropriate for your competitors 42
Course Planning: Rewards The most fun aspect of organizing an event Lots of time in the field Fun when people enjoy themselves on your course Learn a lot about orienteering Bonus: You become a better orienteer 43
Good courses are good for the sport The End 44
BONUS SLIDES That was the end of the presentation What follows are randomly ordered slides about Course planning If you have any questions, please contact me: Adrian Zissos adrian@barebones.ca (I love to talk about this stuff) 45
Course Planning: after the race Talk to the runners to see: what skills they have How they approached each leg What they enjoyed most Especially talk to different age categories / different experience levels than you Especially talk to the kids Study competitors route choices 46
Wrong approaches #3, 4, 5, Not setting Sprint-style course for a Sprint race Not setting Middle-style course for a Middle race Not setting Long-style course for a Long race And so on ;-) 47
2007 Nova Scotia: Course Rules COF rule book Technical rules Course standards (winning TPK, number of courses, and so on) IOF rules www.orienteering.org/rules.htm More of the technical rules More course planning principles Especially: 16.2, 19.3, 19.4, Appendix 2.3, 3.4.2, 3.5.1 48
2007 Nova Scotia: Course Materials & Resources There aren t many Experience Talk to people after races to understand their skills and what they enjoy Read articles, websites Use your Controller Ask someone to review your draft courses 49
2007 Nova Scotia: Course Websites Canadian Orienteering Federation www.orienteering.ca/r&s.htm International Orienteering Federation www.orienteering.org/rules.htm Course Planning Principles www.orienteering.org/footo/wmoc_handbook_2002.doc British Orienteering Guidelines Environmental concerns, estimating course lengths, many other great references 50
2007 Nova Scotia: Course Final Product Maps of each course (weather-protected) A few master maps Extra control descriptions Controls in the terrain in the proper place Water on the course Course planner notes in the meet information 51
2007 Nova Scotia: Course Tools Mapping software: OCAD Course planning software: eg: CONDES Printer Special papers 52
Course Planning as training Prepare for competitions on existing map Allows you to practice Route Choices Helps you become comfortable with the map and general nature of the terrain Better route choice Recognize alternatives better Make better choices 53
O-Ringen 54
2007 Nova Scotia: Course Bringing it together Make draft courses Test Finalize courses, specify water stations Flag all control sites Map layout for each course Print maps for each course, master maps, control descriptions 55
2007 Nova Scotia: Course Testing the courses Run it yourself or have others run it to judge Enjoyment Winning time / length Challenge navigation / physical Map accuracy especially attacking controls 56
Types of Course Planning Different types of races Sprint Distance Middle Distance Long Distance Relay Score-O Night-O Super-long and so on 57
Three O disciplines Sprint fast, visible, easy-to-understand for spectators. High speed, intense concentration. Middle fast, accurate orienteering for moderate amount of time. Small errors can be decisive. Long all challenges, including route choice, endurance, navigation. 58
Technical difficulty Sprint: tends to easy Middle: consistently difficult Long: mixture of difficulties as a rule but remember Variety 59
Route Choice Sprint complex, requiring high concentration (lots of turns) Middle small & medium-scale route choice Long significant, including large-scale route choice 60
Long Distance: Long Legs Build Long Distance courses around good long legs Look for obstructions (cliffs, lakes, valleys, etc) and make a leg that crosses them 61
Type of Running Sprint very high speed Middle high speed, requiring adjustment of speed Long physically demanding, requiring endurance 62
Terrain Sprint very runnable (open forest or park) Middle technically complex Long physically tough, allowing good route choice 63
Map Sprint ISSOM. 1:5,000 Middle ISOM, 1:10,000 Long ISOM, 1:15,000 (elite) and 1:10,000 64
Common mistakes: wrong process Beginning course planners often make a course by starting at the beginning and making the first leg, then the second, and so on. Tendency is to sameness of legs Beginners often look for good sites to put a control, then join these control locations. Instead you should find good long legs and then combine them with shorter legs. The course will not be created in order 1,2,3 65
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The wrong approach #1 Joining cool control features 67
Wrong approach #2 Leg 1, Leg 2, Leg 3 68
Process: Course shape / layout Identify the best parts of the map Look for major features in the terrain that will affect route choice Make some excellent long legs Consider where water stations will be Add lots of changes in direction (figure 8 is good) 69
Process: map printing Layout Printing 70
Common Mistakes: boring course Lack of variety Always the same type of problem Always the same length of leg Never any change in direction Remember to vary the 3Ts: Terrain Technique Tempo Use proper planning steps Build your courses around a few excellent legs 71
Common Mistakes: too easy Inappropriate challenge Too easy for advanced or too tough for beginners Too easy is more common Catching feature before the control Simple navigation Dog legs Study skill progressions for all levels BONUS you become a much better orienteer! 72
Common mistakes: boring shape Avoid all legs the same length syndrome Have lots of changes in direction Consider figure of eight shape 73
Common mistakes: climb Avoid short uphill legs with no route choice Avoid unnecessary climb Make climbs interesting by setting long legs across the slope this gives route choice and navigational challenge 74
Common Mistakes: on the edge Avoid control sites close to unbounded edges of the map This invites people to run off the map No way to relocate Stay 100m away if possible, unless edge is bounded by road, stream, etc 75
Common Mistakes: no route choice Things that don t necessarily provide route choice Navigationally difficult leg Left / right alternative Route choice comes from real alternatives Safe or risky Straight or around Short or easy 76
Common Mistakes: Control sites Control site must be specific When using older maps, or maps you don t know well, plan courses using solid features Boulders, contours, other things that don t change Don t use vegetation, one-line contour features, or anything else that you suspect is inaccurate 77
Common mistakes: too much work Too much work for planner & helpers Water controls too difficult to get to Remote start/finish locations More controls than necessary 78
2001 Barebones Course Planning Contest 79
Ingredient 2: Route Choice Comparing alternate route choices You must understand how quickly people move in *this* terrain Passable - you can eye-ball it (guess) Good - you can calculate (informed estimate) Gooder you have previous results Goodest you test-run 80
Speed in Terrain (elite male) Dark Green 10:00 min/km Light Green Marsh Open Forest Small Path Field Big Path Road 7:00 min/km 5:30 min/km 5.00 min/km 4:00 min/km 4:00 min/km 3:40 min/km 3:20 min/km Uphill Add 1:30 min/km per 10% Downhill Less 0:40 for up to 20% Add 2:00 for 30% or more 81
Diversion: Course Length Our goal: target winning times BUT How do you know how long people will take to run your courses? You might not care ;-) Depends on your specific terrain Depends on who will be there Get one class/category right, then use Excel 82
Relative Speeds (winning TPKs) M21 1.00 W21 0.80 M35 0.93 W35 0.71 M40 0.89 W40 0.67 M45 0.84 W45 0.62 M50 0.79 W50 0.57 M55 0.74 W55 0.53 M60 0.68 W60 0.48 M65 0.60 W65 0.44 M70 0.53 W70 0.39 M75 0.46 W75 0.35 83
Course planner s ingredients To make a good course mix together, in appropriate amounts: Navigational challenge Route choice Variation the Three T s Physical challenge Concentration demand 84
Process: Preliminary Steps Choose a map Identify best areas of the map Choose suitable locations for Assembly Area / Finish Start Parking Beginner courses Obtain permissions Be aware of environmental issues <2007 COC s Eb s Trail> 85
Process: Preliminary Steps Choose a map Identify best areas of the map Choose suitable locations for Assembly Area / Finish Start Parking Beginner courses Obtain permissions Be aware of environmental issues <2007 COC s Eb s Trail> 86
Psychology: sad but true If they make lots of mistakes in a race, orienteers will complain about the map and especially about the course planning. If they have a good race they will believe they are excellent orienteers and that you are a not-bad course planner 87
Interesting! Mistakes are most often made on: First control Second control Second-to-last control Hmmm. 88
Psychology: early controls At the Starting line, orienteers will be nervous, excited, adrenalin-charged. They will rush decision making and navigation Leading to mistakes on controls 1 & 2 Will you take advantage of this? 89
Psychology: late controls At the 2 nd -to-last control orienteers will relax and loose concentration This is a good time to provide a challenging leg 90
Psychology: mental fatigue When orienteers are more tired they are likely to make mental mistakes After a climb Late in the course So give mental challenges at these times 91
Psychology: tempo Orienteers have a hard time changing Tempo (red light / green light) Generally they will not slow down enough for detail terrain or to make an important route choice At times they will be overly cautious and not go fast enough So provide many tempo changes Detail navigation at bottom of hill (force them to slow down) Short fast legs followed by long route choice leg Eb s Trail Middle course review 92
Psychology: technique Orienteers have a hard time changing Technique Generally they will have trouble, for example, in a switch from highly detailed terrain to bland, vague terrain They will, in particular, often be too careless going into vague terrain. So provide many technique changes Some sequence of technical controls in highly detailed area followed by a longer leg into a vague area NAOC middle 93