Faster than a speeding bullet?

Sprint orienteering is a version of our sport that requires high speed running and lightning-quick decision-making, and today’s running speeds can apparently (almost) outstrip the newest SI timing technology. At a recent international competition, one runner who finished was found to have missed a control that was located only a short distance from the previous control. The runner claimed that he had indeed visited the control in question, and had also punched it, using his SI-AIR (SIAC) stick. Since an SI-AIR stick displays a record of the previous control for three seconds after punching, and cannot record any new punching until that time expires, the runner maintained that he had been running so fast that his punching of the ‘missing’ control must not have been captured by his stick, which was still in its unresponsive state after the previous control.

The officials calculated that it would have been physically impossible for the runner in question to have covered the distance between the two controls in less than three seconds, and his protest was therefore denied. Nevertheless, just to be on the safe side, the International Orienteering Federation has now mandated that two sequential sprint O controls cannot be closer than 25 metres to each other, instead of the previous lower limit of 15 metres.

Volunteer recognition at the provincial championships.

Volunteers are the life-blood of our sport. Despite what some recruitment blurbs might suggest (e.g. “all you need is a compass and a pair of running shoe”), orienteering is a very complex sport, for both competitors and organizers. That complexity requires the involvement of many different people, working as volunteers at many different levels, to ensure that we all have a satisfying orienteering experience at each event. Often these will be the same truly committed people, working at a range of tasks year after year – for everybody’s benefit.

Starting this year, OBC plans to identify and honour our most dedicated volunteers in a ceremony at the annual Provincial Orienteering Championships. If you know someone in your club who has been a real stalwart in working for our sport over the years, and deserves to be recognized in this fashion, be sure to point this out to your club executive.

Each club can submit one nomination each year, and those nominations will remain active for the next two years, if they are not chosen the first time.