On the Day Organisation
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Orienteering
Victoria
On the Day Organisation |
Thank you for offering to organise a Street Event - this information page provides some guidelines that might be helpful. It describes the "on-the-day" steps that you should follow on the day of the event. The steps are in time order. . .
General Information
Look after newcomers.
Be alert for first time street ‘O’ participants. Clubs should ensure that newcomers are made welcome and that some follow up takes place after the event. At 6.50 newcomers will be called to the assembly area and have the procedures for the series explained to them. They will be given their maps early and shown a typical control plate, to familiarise them with the procedure.
Avoid last minute announcements!
Have you ever been to an event where, just before the start, the course setter announces that control 13 has been changed because --- the chain was too short? You are then told "The control is not on the pole indicated on the map, but on the pole diagonally opposite, if you approach it from the west, and on the western side if you approach it from the east." Have you looked to see how many people actually listen?? That’s right --hardly any.!!!!
So? Any announcement prior to the start should be a last minute option, that should be avoided, unless something happens that can't be foreseen eg. the council removed the control point that afternoon.
About 4:00 pm
You should aim to have the controls out by 6.00 p.m.. Allow 90 mins at least to put the controls out; if you can start at 4.o’clock you should be finished comfortably by 6 o’clock.
All control plates should be on the ground, unless clearly indicated otherwise on the control description sheet.
Not everyone can climb fences. It is poor course setting to put a control on one side of a fence that requires climbing - don't do this.
Don’t confuse numbers 6 and 9 when putting out the controls .
Put at least 2 Control Plates at each control site.
When putting out the controls beware of making parallel errors - if someone else is putting out the controls for you, or there are a number of parallel or similar streets, there is a chance that on the day, the control might be put in an identical spot in a parallel street. It has happened.!! To reduce this possibility, using the control checklist at the back of this document is advisable.
About 6:20 pm
By this time you should have set up at the start location with:
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At 6:50 pm
Call for any newcomers- explain the procedure and give them a map of the event, so that they are not disadvantaged at the start.
At 7:00 pm - Starting Procedure
The Event Co-ordinator (Ken Moore or John Sheahan) will call the participants to come forward, and will make any general announcements relevant to the conduct of the Series. He will then introduce the nights course setter, to conduct the night's event.
What to say at the start of the event
To ensure that nothing is overlooked you should follow the procedure listed below.
| Map corrections - if any | As noted above, we must try to minimise this - but it happens. If so, announce the control number and the updated location or control description. | |
| Road warnings | It is mandatory to warn participants to take care crossing roads. You must indicate the direction of any major roads or danger points. | |
| Finish control reminder | Remind all participants to punch the finish control, and indicate where this is located. This will determine the finishing order. | |
| Call all Power Walkers and ‘A’ course runners to come forward. |
(i) Hand out maps, instructing competitors to keep the maps face down. (ii) When you think everything is ready ask "Does everyone have a map?" (iii) Announce “You must collect x out of 20 controls. Power Walkers must return by 8.00 (iv) Say "GO", loudly enough to ensure that the signal is heard by all competitors. |
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| Repeat for each of the other classes | . . . |
After the start
After all competitors have departed and serenity prevails you will need to:
| Count the tear off slips so that you can confirm that all participants have returned. | |
| Check the bunting corridor from the final control to the admin table to keep finishers in order. | |
| Have a map for each division on the display board and ask the first male and female to finish in each division to highlight their route choice. Competitors love to compare their route choice with the first to finish on the course they have just completed. |
As Participants Finish
| As participants finish number the control cards in finishing order. | |
| For score and power walker courses - you must be alert to time any Score Courses/Power Walkers who are late returning.-they lose points for a late return. It is very important that you record how late they are, and that they can see the clock to verify their finish time. The best way to do this is to write the time on their card e.g. 8:01:27 | |
| Note - there is no need to record the times if the Power Walkers finish before 8 o’clock. |
After the Event
| Give the control cards to the Series Co-ordinator - or to the person delegated by him. | |
| The event takings should be given to the nominated officer of the club organising the event. | |
| The equipment used should be returned to the club nominee. |
To provide feedback on this Web Page
If you would like to make an suggestions about the items listed in the above guidelines, please contact John Sheahan on 9889 2492 or send email to Geoff Hudson on hudson@bigpond.net.au
Above all - enjoy the challenge!