NOC Summer League Guide & Rules

Summer League

A series of about eight 'O' events held on Thursday evenings in high summer.

The informal nature of these events demands tolerance of planning errors, a sense of humour and presumed honesty by the runners. These rules try to cope with the problems small events may have.

Co-Ordinator

There is one Co-ordinator appointed by the club committee.

Pre-event tasks:

select venues and dates,
liaise with Fixture Secretary to obtain permissions
arrange planners
liaise with Mapping Officer to obtain maps
ensure planners have assistance to obtain equipment
discuss suitable types of courses with planners
publicise events by article in Black & Green and by flyers

Post-event tasks

final arbitrator on any disputes
process results
produce summary results article in Black & Green
The Co-ordinator may change the rules to suit unexpected situations, but this will only be by consultation with and agreement by the club committee.

Events Details

Registration is from 18:15 to 19:15.
Starts from 18:30 to 19:30
Courses close 20:30.
There may be a charge for maps, if there is one!
No provision for toilets will be made at any event.
Competitors take part at their own risk.
Whistles are compulsory at every event.

Courses

Each event will have three courses, one a standard Yellow course and two longer courses which, whilst they use 'O' skills, will not be straightforward colour-coded either!

Long 40-50 mins for the best competitors about 6k

Medium 35-45 mins about 4k

Yellow 30 mins for newcomers 2k or under

The longer courses may be Score or Timed events, use map memory, Norwegian, pace and bearing, corridor or windows, no map or partial maps or any combination of these!

The Long course will be more technically demanding; for instance a line course without controls, whereas the Medium will have a line with controls marked

At an event, runners may do both long courses if they wish, but will only be considered as competitive on their first run. The Yellow course will not interfere with the long courses, but other runners may regard it as unfair to prospect the area by running Yellow first.

Planners

Each event will have two or more planners.

Pre-event tasks:

visit the venue to select control sites
discuss type of courses to be planned with co-ordinator
produce any control descriptions, master maps and instructions needed
obtain blank maps from Mapping Officer or Co-Ordinator
checking and double checking each others work for accuracy and clarity

Day of event tasks

hanging controls and taping control sites
display master maps
display a sample control
erecting any signs leading from grid ref. to parking if needed

During event task

registering runners
explaining any special instructions
issuing maps
checking runners are carrying whistles
starting and timing runners
checking all runners have returned by course close time
organising search if missing runners

Post-event tasks

collecting controls, and removing tapes (everybody should help)
supplying raw-timings and correct control answers to co-ordinator
supply any results SAEs to the co-ordinator

Controls

Controls will be made from paper plates, hardboard or plastic bottles. No punches are used, instead the runner has to write down the answer letters which are found on the control itself.

All controls:

placed no higher than is necessary
visible from at least 270° of approach, except when nature of control site prevents this, in which case the control description must state which side of the feature the control is placed e.g. North East side. In no case will the visibility be less than 180°
visible when standing 10m away
also marked by 1 inch of red or white labelled tape at ground level
red or orange triangle or marking on each face.

Vandalism is sometimes a problem at the in-town events. This is why control sites are to be taped, and why special rules have been devised (see below)

The tape will show the answer letters if possible.

Age-Sex Weighting Factor

To enable everybody to compete on the same scale, the BOF standard step of 7% increase in times per age class away from M/W21 is adopted. It has been calculated that women take 4 minutes for every 3 minutes a man would take. This gives a table of Sex/Age Weighting Factors:

Age 10 11 13 15 17 19 21 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
Men 1.50 1.40 1.31 1.23 1.14 1.04 1.00 1.07 1.14 1.23 1.31 1.40 1.50 1.61 1.72
Women 2.00 1.87 1.75 1.63 1.53 1.43 1.33 1.43 1.53 1.63 1.75 1.87 2.00 2.14 2.29

For example a W40 taking 40:00 would gave a factored time of 26:09
and a M15 taking 35:00 would have a factored time of 28:27
and a M35 taking 30:00 would have a factored time of 28:02

Special Considerations for Timed Events:

There is no disqualification for a runner missing out controls.

Each un-visited control penalised at 5 mins each. (or at a rate notified by the planners on the control descriptions)

4 or more missed controls, that were actually present, is considered as a retiral.

If control proved to be destroyed, and runner marked card "XX" to indicate they had tried to find it then credit 3 minutes (or amount runner says if it took less time to decide)

Divide runner's time by age-sex factor to give weighted time.

Special Considerations for Score Events:

If control proved to be destroyed, and runner marked card "XX" to indicate they had tried to find it then credit score value of control and 3 minutes worth of their adjusted score. (i.e. 3/40ths or 3/60ths)

If destroyed control was also a bonus, no system can be devised to decide if the runner would have been able to reach the bonus control, so the early return rule (below) will at least compensate. (If early in race, runner wouldn't know it was a bonus control, if late in race, runner probably wouldn't be able to backtrack anyway)

If returned before time allowed expired, and collected max. score allowing for destroyed controls, extrapolate score as though more controls were available.

Length for Age Factor

Recognising that adults can run further than juniors (and seniors), it is assumed 15 to 45 age classes inclusive will run Long, and everybody else will run Medium. To compensate for this, if you run up, your time or score will be credited by 10%, if you run down, debited by 10%.

Calculating the Results for an event

The Long and Medium courses are combined into one set of results by applying a scaling up factor which is for score events the ratio of allowed time and for timed events the ratio of effective lengths (i.e. adding 10m per m of climb)

The winning time or score from the combined results is worth 1000 points. Other runners will score pro rata.

Results

Sufficient printed results (one set per family) will be made available at the next event. Runners may supply their own SAE to the Planners or Co-ordinator if they don't expect to attend any following events, or if it is the last event.

Calculating the Result for the Summer League

Competing Planners/Organisers will have 1.25 times their average score for the season added at the end of the season for each event they assisted at. This applies however many planners there are for the event.

Winner is best total for any 5 events.

A small trophy will be presented to the winner at the next NOC event, and mementos to the two runners-up.

Examples:

Score Event

                      Late
                      Penalty
                      or                                Sex-   Length
                      Early   Net   Destroyed Adjusted   Age      for  Length Weighted
    Class Time  Score Bonus   Score Credit    Score   Factor      Age   Ratio   Score  Points

Long (50 mins)
A   M40   49.30 510   +5      515   +20        566     1.14                       645    1000
                                    +31
B   M13   46.30 430           430              430     1.31     +10%              620     961
C   M35   48.52 460           460              460     1.07                       492     763
D   M40   49.50 430           430              430     1.14                       490     760
E   M40   50.00 380           380   +20        423     1.14                       482     747
                                    +23
F   M45   51.45 420   -40     380              380     1.23                       467     720
G   M40   52.12 380   -60     390              390     1.14                       445     690
H   M45   48.36 310           310              310     1.23                       381     591
I   M21   44.25 300           300              300     1.00                       300     465

Medium (40 mins)
J   M11   39.45 280           280              280     1.40                1.25   490     760
K   W40   41.15 320   -40     280              280     1.53     -10%       1.25   482     747
L   M13   36.58 190           190   +20        224     1.31                1.25   367     569
                                    +14
M   M45   38.40 240           240              240     1.23     -10%       1.25   333     516
N   W35   37.22 190           190              190     1.43     -10%       1.25   306     474
O   W13   36.56 100           100              100     1.75                1.25   219     340
P   M13   31.48 40            40                40     1.31                1.25   65      101

Timed Event with 1 vandalised control on the Long

                                                       Sex Length
                                 Destroyed Adjusted    Age    for  Length  Weighted
    Class Errors   Time  Penalties  Credit     Time Factor    Age   Ratio      Time Points

Long  (5k +125m: effective length=6.25k)
A   M35           79.52               1.30    78.22   1.07                    73.14    998
B   M45  miss 2,  88.39      15.00    3.00   100.39   1.23                    81.50    894
         3,7
C   M40           96.57               3.00    93.57   1.14                    82.25    887
D   M40  miss     87.30      10.00    3.00    94.30   1.14                    82.54    882
         3,7
E   M40          113.53               3.00   110.53   1.14                    97.16    752
F   M40  miss 2,  79.27      disqualified                                                0
         wrong 18
G   M45  miss 2,  84.25      retired                                                     0
         3,25,28
H   M40  miss 7,  92.19      retired                                                     0
         8,13,28
I   M40                      retired                                                     0

Medium (3k + 90m : effective length=3.9k
J   M13  miss 8   55.09       5.00            60.09   1.31           1.6      73.08   1000
K   W40           81.09                       81.09   1.53  -10%     1.6      93.21    783
L   W15          100.54                      100.54   1.75  -10%     1.6     101.29    721
M   M40           71.17                       71.17   1.14  -10%     1.6     110.03    665
N   M11          105.22                      105.22   1.40           1.6     120.25    607
O   M13          110.27                      110.27   1.31           1.6     134.54    542

Age	10	11	13	15	17	19	21	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70
Men	1.50	1.40	1.31	1.23	1.14	1.04	1.00	1.07	1.14	1.23	1.31	1.40	1.50	1.61	1.72
Women	2.00	1.87	1.75	1.63	1.53	1.43	1.33	1.43	1.53	1.63	1.75	1.87	2.00	2.14	2.29