Event and Technical Standards As formulated by the GOC Technical Sub-Committee – For comment by GOC Clubs ---------------------------------------------- The following is a proposal for a revised framework for Orienteering Events organised by Gauteng Orienteering Clubs. The proposal’s scope includes changes and re-definitions to the event calendar, including the Short Course and Colour-Coded series, the Gauteng Performance Logs, expected winning times for courses, as well as rulings and standards for orienteering event organisation. It is intended that the proposal comes into effect at the start of the next orienteering season, i.e. October 2007. This documents aims to be a single, comprehensive guideline for orienteering event organisation within the province. ---------------------------------------------- OVERVIEW The Gauteng Orienteering Clubs (GOC) association comprises four clubs: - Adventure Racing Club (AR) - Rand Athletics Club Orienteers (RACO) - Rand Orienteering Club (ROC) -
University of the The GOC officiates the running of the sport at provincial level under the auspices of the South African Orienteering Federation (SAOF). Although it remains the responsibility of the member clubs to organise events and maintain their own membership, the GOC shall co-ordinate: - a provincial event calendar - a provincial performance / ranking ladders (logs) - annual provincial championships in short, classic and relay formats - an annual awards dinner - technical standards for event organization, planning and controlling for events organised by the clubs. EVENT CALENDAR The GOC event calendar shall recognise various types of events. These may include: - training events - novelty events - competitive events (including Championship events) Competitive orienteering events organised by GOC clubs shall abide by the SAOF’s ‘Abridged rules of Orienteering’ and the GOC’s ‘Event and Technical Standards’ document. Novelty and training events may also choose to abide if suitable within the event structure. Competitive events shall comprise various orienteering distance types and be used to determine the provincial performance / ranking ladders. The orienteering distances types shall be: - sprint distance - short distance - middle distance - classic distance - ultra distance (the Long-O and Mountain Marathon Championships) A GOC event calendar shall be published in the latter quarter of each calendar year and shall include all events from 01 January to 31 December for the following year. PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS The GOC shall co-ordinate the annual presentation of a Gauteng Orienteering Championships in the following disciplines: - short distance - classic distance - relay The GOC shall appoint member clubs to organise the competitions under the auspices of the SAOF and governed by the SAOF’s ‘Abridged Rules of Orienteering’ and the GOC’s ‘Event and Technical Standards’ documents. Although the provincial championships shall be open to all, eligibility for championship titles and awards shall be limited to paid-up members of SAOF affiliated clubs (min 30 days standing), holding SA passport or permanent resident status. PERFORMANCE / RANKING LADDERS The GOC shall maintain two separate performance ladders, one for shorter distance events (Short Course Series) and one for longer distance events including all championships (Colour-Coded Series). Men and Women performance ladders will run independently. Training and Novelty events shall not be included in the performance ladders and shall thus also be free to determine their own course categories and winning times. These events should fill up gaps in the calendar, particularly in the October to December period of each year. GOC clubs are encouraged to host regular events on the event calendar on so that orienteers have access to regular training opportunities. Only paid up members of a GOC club may score performance points. Individuals competing in groups will not score points. In the case of a group or non-SAOF affiliated club member winning an event, the next individual SAOF affiliated competitor will be credited with the maximum score for that event. Only members of GOC clubs shall be recognised on the performance ladder and awarded winners prizes at the end of the season. A family performance ladder will be calculated from the Short Course and Colour-Coded points of the top three members of a family. For the purposes of the rankings, a family must be immediately related, with at least one junior (M/W20 and under). The objective of the scoring system is to determine the best Orienteer in a specific age group, irrespective of the classes these competitors enter in age group and colour-coded events. An individual’s age grouping shall be made according to the competitor’s year of birth in line with the SAOF’s ‘Abridged Rules of Orienteering’.. A) SHORT COURSE SERIES (SC) The Short Course Series shall run approximately from January to March of every year. The series shall comprise of six (6) events, including a single series final. Four (4) events shall count for the Short Course Performance Ladder for each individual. This series shall comprise: o sprint distance events o short distance events The determination of sprint vs. short shall take cognisance of the event terrain and map and adhere to expected winning times (see Table 1). Sprint events should ideally use a Sprint Specification (ISSOM) map. The series shall ideally comprise an equal number of sprint and short distance events. The following courses shall be offered at SC events: o a men’s course o a women’s course (groups to compete on this course) o an optional novice course if the above two courses or the area is deemed too difficult for less experienced orienteers. The points scoring at events for the men’s and women’s course shall be as follows:
The points scoring at events for the optional novice course shall be as follows:
At the Short Course Series Final, a 120% points premium will be given to all competitors. At this event, the top ranked individuals after the previous 5 events will be seeded and start the event in reverse chasing order after the rest of the field. A series prize giving shall be held immediately after the Short Course Series Final. The following age categories shall be recognised: Overall (floating trophy), Junior (M/W20 and under), Senior (M/W21), and Veteran (M40 / W35 and older). B) COLOUR-CODED SERIES (CC) The Colour-Coded Series shall run approximately from April to October of every year. The series shall comprise of approximately fourteen (14) events. Seven (7) events, with a maximum of 4 championship events, shall count for the Colour-Coded Performance Ladder for each individual. Eight (8) championship events shall be recognised, comprising the Ultra-distance Long-O and Mountain Marathon events, as well as short and classic distance Gauteng, middle and classic distance Western Cape and short and classic distance South African Championships. This series shall comprise: o middle distance colour-coded events (run in colour-coded categories) o classic distance colour-coded events (run in colour-coded categories) o ultra distance championship events (run in age group categories) o provincial and national championship events (run in age group categories) The determination of middle vs. classic shall take cognisance of the event terrain and size of map and adhere to expected winning times (see Table 1). The series shall ideally comprise of an equal number of middle and classic distance events. The following courses shall be offered at colour-coded events: o brown course o blue course o green course o light green course o orange course o an optional red course, with long distances on par between brown and blue, but easy technical navigation on a par between orange and light green. The points scoring at colour-coded events for the male and female course winners shall be as follows: o brown 1000 points o blue 800 points o green 600 points o light green 450 points o orange 350 points o red 500 points Points for the remainder of the field will be calculated as a percentage of the winners points compared to the winners time. If an individual competes in a colour-coded category well below their normal orienteering standard due to injury, illness or other, and subsequently wins by a significant margin in the lower category, the controller of the event at his / her discretion, may in addition award maximum points to the 2nd place competitor. The remainder of the competitors shall score points according to the 2nd place competitor’s time. Any objections shall be directed to the GOC for further ruling. The following courses and categories shall be offered at championship events (including Long-O and Mountain Marathon): o Course 1: M21A o Course 2: M20, W21A, M40 o Course 3: W20, M50 o Course 4: M16, M21B, W21B, M60 o Course 5: W16, W35, W45, Long Novice o Course 6: W55, W65, M70 o Course 7: M12, W12, Short Novice The points scoring at championship events (including Long-O and Mountain Marathon) shall be as follows: o M/W21A categories 1200 points o M/W21B categories 800 points o LN / SN categories 500 points o All other categories 1000 points Points for the remainder of the field will be calculated as a percentage of the category winners points compared to the category winners time. A series prize giving will take place at the annual awards dinner after the completion of the Colour-Coded Series. The following age categories shall be recognised: Overall (floating trophy), M/W21, M/W20, M/W16, M/W12, W35, M40, W45, M50, W55, M60, W65, M70. The following awards shall also be made: Family Award, Most Improved Orienteer, Spirit of Orienteering, and The Wally Award. WINNING TIMES The following winning times are recommended for Sprint and Short Distance events:
The following winning times are recommended for Middle and Classic Distance events:
The following winning times are recommended for Championship events:
EVENT STANDARDS The following standards shall be maintained in all orienteering events organised by GOC clubs and all members of these clubs: Maps: Organisers shall ensure that the orienteering map conforms either to ISOM (International Standard for Orienteering Maps) or ISSOM (International Sprint Specification for Orienteering Maps). Map Printing Quality: Organisers shall ensure that orienteering map printing is of a good standard. In cases where colour-laser printing is used, the organisers shall ensure that: o The map paper is not too glossy, making it difficult to read in sunlight. o paper thickness is neither too thin, nor too thick. A 120g/m2 thickness is recommended. o the map paper does not disintegrate too quickly when wetted by sweat or water. o the printing does not crack or flake when the paper is folded repeatedly. o printing colours match ISOM and ISSOM colours. Specific attention must be paid to brown (e.g. contours) to ensure that they are not too faded, nor too red. Map scale: The following map scales shall be used for orienteering maps:
If a map scale of 1:15’000 is used in a championship event, 1:10’000 maps should be provided for all classes W/M16 and below and W45/M50 and above. Climb ratio: The height of climb on an orienteering course in relation to its distance shall not exceed 5% (i.e. 50m of vertical climb for every 1km of course distance) except in the Mountain Marathon Championships. Water points: If the estimated winning time is more than 30 minutes, water shall be available at least every 25 minutes at the estimated speed of the winner. Start intervals: Unless extremely large entry numbers deem otherwise, a minimum start interval between competitors on the same course shall be set as follows: Sprint and Short (2 minutes), Middle and Classic (3 minutes), Championships (4 minutes). Families: Unless given specific permission by the controller, immediate family members may not start within 15 minutes of each other on the same course. Emit timing: A back-up timing system shall be used by the organisers of an orienteering event in case of queries or errors within the electronic timing system. Organisers shall also provide competitors with backup labels for their emit cards. Results: A complete and finalized set of results shall be published and distributed by the organisers within 3 days of the completion of the event. COURSE PLANNING GUIDE The following recommendations are made to course planners in deciding on the distance, navigational technicality and physical technicality of different courses. Distances are to be used as a guide only and will vary depending on terrain type so as to conform to expected course winning times and the event type (e.g. middle distance or classic distance).
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