Discussion: Course setters notes

hey guys just wondering what exactly do you include in course setters notes. I'm new to this so nay feedback you can give me would be great (:

One school of thought says "as little as possible", because things should not deviate much from the norm in most cases.

- type of terrain
- map scale, contour interval
- age of map and how reliable various features (vegetation, trails) are
- any non-standard features or symbols on the map
- peculiar mapping conventions (e.g. boulders often mapped as bare rock knolls)
- typical vegetation, especially if colors correspond to vegetation types
(e.g. light green = aspen tree groves)
- potential safety issues/hazards
- notes about out-of-bounds areas and private land if relevant
- notes about required routes
- number and spacing of drinking water stops, or which courses even have them
- distance to start, from finish
- whether there is a shuttle to/from the start/finish

I'm in the "as little as possible" school. I think of good course setters notes as being like talking to a radio reporter - aim for three soundbites that each take 9 seconds.

I would include anything that you would tell a friend who is going to be navigating on the map for a first time so they can compete fairly. Being too terse gives home field advantage to those who have been on the map.

@jjcote, Spike: What do you dislike about more than minimal course setter notes? I see them as replacing a model event.

I didn't say I felt that way, I said there was a school of thought to that effect. But that's not to say that I don't either. The notion is that there simply shouldn't be weird stuff that needs to be explained. It's not that you shouldn't explain these things, it's that you should strive to arrange things so that you don't need to. Peculiar mapping conventions is an example, it's better if there aren't any. Orienteering is designed to be something that is independent of language, so that any experienced orienteer can show up at a meet anywhere in the world and participate. I've orienteered in countries where I don't know the language at all, and wouldn't be able to read course setter's notes, and it worked out fine. One could also consider it a matter of dubious fairness if there were important information in the notes, but some participants did not (or could not) read and understand them. Some special information is often necessary, but when I'm faced with two pages of notes to wade through, it's a sign that something is wrong. Either there's too much special information that I need to be aware of, or there are one or two important things and they're buried in a lot of verbose flowery language.

I think that you should elaborate on anything that is "unusual". For example, if there are butterfly loops or some courses come back to the same control or there is a mandatory road crossing.

Relative to the map, I like to know if there are unmapped trails like mountain bike trails. I don't care so much where they are but just like to know if they exist so I don't waste time reassuring myself where I am if I run across one.

Also, if there is anything unusual with the water features (the small ponds are dry, the marshy forest is full of water and look like ponds, beaver activity)

While I like to turn a phrase, I also adhere to the minimalist school of course setter's notes. My literary pretensions must find another outlet.

It is sort of like the tail wagging the dog. If you get by without verbose notes, it suggests that the course and terrain can speak for itself. The course setter should endeavor to achieve that as much as possible.

Our sport should not be about exceptions to the rule, errata, or arcana, any more than it needs to be.

All things equal, important information in the course notes, instead of on the map, increases the likelihood of unfairness. Of course, it is incumbent upon competitors to read the course notes. But, that cop-out puts the onus on the competitor, rather than the course setter, who should use every opportunity to produce an event where English or the vernacular is not required.

Maybe the length of the course setter notes can be used as an indication of whether the area needs to be remapped?

Not always. Sometimes the course setters notes are very lengthy, and contain no information of interest at all. Or one very important point and a bunch of meaningless blither.

I think it is important to distinguish between pure course setter notes, and other forms of writing about an upcoming event.

General meet info, and PR/hype articles can be properly done well ahead of time. This writing can be more generally informative, and interesting. This is also the proper place for the all-too-common "blither" as well.

Strict course setter notes are almost by definition last minute, and critical, and therefore should cover only very important issues, in very simple language.
(For j-man, this is very difficult :-). )

The ideal meet does not require any "notes", and I think I've managed to be involved with a few of these.

Unfortunately, as noted above, it is an all-too-common practice for course setters to use "notes" to solve course and map problems, which can and should be solved by re-design, not cover-your- butt explanations. Realistically these notes often go unread, and communication is further reduced when the critical info is buried in a run-on sentence in the fifth paragraph, such as this one.

Is the map ISOM or ISSOM.

This is almost the most important thing these days since it determines the rules that the game is going to be played by (especially regarding forbidden features).

If it is a WRE event you have to say what is the size of the control descriptions. Even as an IOF Event Advisor I find this one a bit tough to insist upon ;-)

A few less serious items I like to include:
* for urban races in particular, a reminder about fashion protocol ;-)
* for all races, a reminder not to blow off steam at the organizers (no matter how awful the courses)

Danf had a good list of critical things to include. But don't expect everyone to read them. This might bug you, but it happens. The best solution is to set up your event to be intuitive, so people won't need to memorize long meet notes.

Keep in mind the audience. Beginners will probably read the course notes, but probably won't understand everything. If this race is supposed to attract beginners, make it short, sweet, reassuring, and don't use jargon. If you like to wax poetic, save that for the post-race review, it'll serve you much better there.

One thing that tends to make course notes longer than necessary is including information about how something is mapped even if it is mapped within the ISOM (or ISSOM) guidelines.

Many of the things danf lists are important and need to be included somewhere but not in the course setter notes. Information about distances to start/finish, bus rides, etc. can be published well ahead of time - as EricW points out - in event information.

Is the map ISOM or ISSOM.

Also, are you in Canada, or the rest of the world?

Oh boy Brendan!

Good to see someone is reading all that stuff I wrote ;-)

Cliff's notes for AZ writings:

1) Don't wear pajamas.
2) Know your uncrossable features.

If runners waiting in the call-up area need to be alert and leave a path for runners coming back through the call-up. And if participants, especially young juniors, could potentially be faced with such a route choice. Of course, I prefer the minimalist interpretation that such a situation should be avoided by reorienting the position of call-up and start.

Of course, if the course setter's starting line design were followed, the call-up group would be on the side trail, rather than the main trail which should have had only called-up starters on it, and plenty of room for runners-on-the-course to execute the route of their choice, one obvious option which is back the main trail, not the side trail where the call-up group should have been waiting. (Of course this is only hypothetical, and any resemblance to OCIN courses past or present is purely coincidental. Anyway, it's probably the course setter's fault for failing to properly communicate the importance of the starting area configuration to the event director and start crew.)

{Although re-reading Mike's comment regarding juniors, I'm sure this is some other purely hypothetical situation than the one I'm thinking of.}

All I really want to know is how far is it to the start and is there a bus, whether you call it course setter notes or meet notes. Sometimes that information is devilishly hard to find in the four page write up of the interesting history of the area, the differences among the three shades of green, etc, etc., etc.