Apparently the IOF is thinking about adding new events to the 2003 WOC. The new events would be a "sprint" distance (which I guess must be even shorter than a "short" distance) and a mixed relay with short distances.

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), May 23, 2000

Answers

The spring events might look something like the Stockholm City Cup. The link is below (click on "Ettap *" and then on "Banor" to see the maps):

http://www.stockholmcitycup.a.se/

-- Michael (meglin@juno.com), May 25, 2000.

It sounds interesting, especially for spectators. It does mean a long week though of racing if you expect people to run in multiple events, perhaps with qualification heats plus finals. I like the idea of a sprint race best. It appears to be a different type of beast from the other races at the WOC. Maybe you will finally get people who can specialize at that. I would be interested to hear what the expected winning time for the sprint would be. The mixed relay doesn't sound like anything particularly unique, but more like "filler" material.

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), May 24, 2000.

Actually, I like the idea of the mixed relay. They may well not do it well, but I'm pretty partial to the idea of the WOC relay having just one category (rather than Men and Women), and each team consisting of three men and three women.

The "sprint" would be, I'd guess, Park-O, which I have no objection to, though neither am I all that excited about it. I can't imagine it would get anyone all that tired. But adding both events would make for either a very long or very crowded week.

-- J-J (jjcote@juno.com), May 24, 2000.

I think a sprint event might be interesting if it was different enough from a short event. I'd like to see a sprint with winning times of something like 10-15 minutes.

The mixed relay seems fine, too. I don't know what the best format would be, but it might make O' unique. Are there any sports that have teams where men and women are on the same team? (I don't consider figure skating a sport).

Adding other events would make the WOC event long (and more expensive). Maybe the added events could be done on even years and the classic and relay champs on odd years.

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), May 24, 2000.

I hadn't understood what a "mixed" relays was, but a men-woman relay is alright I suppose. I don't think I'd like it to be the only relay certainly. I don't think I'll go into why I feel that way.

Some other sports do have men and women on the same team, but maybe these are not "big" sports like orienteering. I think in tennis men and women may play doubles, that is two people, a man and a women on a team playing against the same for the opposing team.

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), May 24, 2000.

Sounds like they're trying to add events that would be Olympics- friendly. I'm not too keen on change, I must admit, and I wouldn't want to run a sprint event myself. The mixed relay is interesting, but I agree with Mook that I wouldn't want it to replace the standard relay. Seems to me that IOF is just mucking around with the sport in order to get it into the Olympics. I guess I'm old school. Luckily, I am pretty sure my WOC days are over, so this won't directly affect me...

-- Peggy (Pdickison@aol.com), May 26, 2000.

Can you imagine baseball being made more exciting on TV? Instead of tagging a runner out why not just bean them with the ball. The base runner could wear a hockey goalie's blocker as one of his defenses. The runner could also knock a baseman off the base to considered safe. Make it more gladiatorial. . Baseball fans and players don't want something like baseball, like hockey, or whatever. They want the traditions of the basic game.

The essence of Orienteering is the run by yourself in woods with map to get to the end as fast as possible in a test of endurance. Do away with long distance runs, too boring. The marathon is too long - cut it to 100m.

Seems to me the Scandinavians have figured it out with events like the Tio-Mila to make it fan-friendly and exciting for the runners. "Spectating" an O-event is difference (more relaxed, more like the pace of a baseball game. . ) The net radio reporting works. TV cameras, with much advise from organizers like those from Tio-Mila events, could suggest good ways to record the race.

Anyway, the Olympics are going to pot if the main emphasis is good TV coverage. Tradition can be thrown out the window. Fencing was one of the original modern Olympic sports - it too is under attack for being too hard to follow (no, the slow-mo cameras can help the uninitiated eye to follow the action; it's the complex interpretation of who attacked first and when the counterattack is ruled OK or not. . .).

As many people have said over the years, it wouldn't hurt orienteering at all if it was NOT part of the IOC.

Counterpoint: but the sport is not growing in North America. . .

-- mean gene (gmw@ukans.edu), May 27, 2000.

The Park World Tour organizer's have published some more detailed information about how a Park O' World Champs might work. It is a pretty interesting concept.

The Park-WOC would begin with a "champions week." There would be five races. The first two events would be qualification races. Then there would be an individual final and a mixed relay final. The last day of the champions week for be the first day of the "final series."

The 24 best men and women from the champions week would be invited to the final series. The series would be 4-6 races in different countries and spread over a short time period (maybe 2 weeks).

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), June 21, 2000.

Where did you find this information about the Park World Champs?

-- Fritz (fpmenninger@hotmail.com), June 22, 2000.

Oh, and I do agree with Mean Gene. If the sports begin to cater to the observers rather than the participants, then we're headed down the wrong path (pardon the pun).

-- Fritz (fpmenninger@hotmail.com), June 22, 2000.

I think Spike found that in one of the new articles put on the Park World Tour web site : http://www.pwt.org/.

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), June 22, 2000.