Discussion: Registration Now Open for the Southwest Spring B-Meet in the Sun
in: Southwest Spring B-Meet in the Sun (Feb 16–18, 2013 - Tucson, AZ, US)
Sep 18, 2012 6:28 PM
#
The Tucson Orienteering Club will host the 2013 Southwest Spring B-Meet during President's Day weekend 2013. We'll have three days of orienteering with a full range of courses every day at Catalina State Park just 10 miles north of Tucson. Saturday we kick off with Long courses. Sunday we’ll have Middle distances, and then we will finish the triplet with Classic courses on Monday.
Sep 19, 2012 7:36 PM
#
A much higher workload - at least that's been our club's experience with running A-meets in the past.
Our club currently has a dearth of passionate volunteers since our active "core" shrunk quite a bit since 2011, and I don't think we have the people resources or leadership energy right now to host an A-meet. This upcoming B-meet is due mostly to the efforts and drive of a single person and one or two others that he has asked to help him, so it seems prudent for him to continue the tradition of making this a regional event without the added burden of making it an A-meet, given the reduced capacity of our club to provide support at this time.
Our club currently has a dearth of passionate volunteers since our active "core" shrunk quite a bit since 2011, and I don't think we have the people resources or leadership energy right now to host an A-meet. This upcoming B-meet is due mostly to the efforts and drive of a single person and one or two others that he has asked to help him, so it seems prudent for him to continue the tradition of making this a regional event without the added burden of making it an A-meet, given the reduced capacity of our club to provide support at this time.
Sep 19, 2012 7:37 PM
#
Sweet!... and the 'Yotes are home to the Caps on the Sat. night and Flames on the Monday (well assuming any NHL is played this season).
Sep 20, 2012 3:34 AM
#
So what incarnation would you suggest said hand should come in? It's not like Orienteering USA has a capacity to magically synthesize labor willing to work for free and transport it over to Arizona-land...
Sep 20, 2012 3:42 AM
#
I thought labor (willing to work for cheap) magically transported itself to Arizona, from the southern horizon.
(Maybe GuyO meant we should applaud for Ludwig and friends...)
(Maybe GuyO meant we should applaud for Ludwig and friends...)
Sep 20, 2012 8:02 AM
#
Despite jj's snide comment on a sensitive political issue, there is the making of an important discussion here. It is a fact that with the exception of the GAOC not many O-USA clubs located south of the 38th parallel are willing to put on A-meets.
That doesn't mean that good orienteering is not regularly happening in AZ, TX, FL, AL, NC, southern CA or several other states. It does mean that, when asked, the local organizers will run, not walk, away from the chance to host an O-USA A-meet.
Certainly having the volunteer base to run an A event is an important issue but so are some of the A-event regulations around the map, courses, classes and controllers, etc.
When I suggested to FLO that we should seek A-meet sanctioning for the upcoming FLO Championships that will be held on the same weekend as a Bubba Goat event (Dec 8-9 in the Orlando area) the response was a resounding NO. To qualify for A-meet status there is a lot of extra work and expense required that would not necessarily make the orienteering in the forest any better for the participant.
So the event will be held. It will be a great event but those who will only travel to A-meets will pre-judge themselves out of some fun orienteering. I suspect the same goes for the Tucson event in February.
(By the way if you enjoy jigsaw puzzles you should find your way to the Tucson OC page and find the event result with the jig saw orienteering map. Then set it for the hardest level you can handle.)
That doesn't mean that good orienteering is not regularly happening in AZ, TX, FL, AL, NC, southern CA or several other states. It does mean that, when asked, the local organizers will run, not walk, away from the chance to host an O-USA A-meet.
Certainly having the volunteer base to run an A event is an important issue but so are some of the A-event regulations around the map, courses, classes and controllers, etc.
When I suggested to FLO that we should seek A-meet sanctioning for the upcoming FLO Championships that will be held on the same weekend as a Bubba Goat event (Dec 8-9 in the Orlando area) the response was a resounding NO. To qualify for A-meet status there is a lot of extra work and expense required that would not necessarily make the orienteering in the forest any better for the participant.
So the event will be held. It will be a great event but those who will only travel to A-meets will pre-judge themselves out of some fun orienteering. I suspect the same goes for the Tucson event in February.
(By the way if you enjoy jigsaw puzzles you should find your way to the Tucson OC page and find the event result with the jig saw orienteering map. Then set it for the hardest level you can handle.)
Sep 20, 2012 5:45 PM
#
So maybe OUSA help could come in the form of easing some of the excess requirements that make putting on an A meet so much extra work. There are lots of clubs with great terrain that won't put on A meets because of the work load. It's a shame.
Sep 20, 2012 6:10 PM
#
It's not just the work load. There's also this.
That discussion thread, and a few others like it, were circulating the week before an A-meet that I was directing, and let me tell you, reading all of that was horrifying. Here I was just a few days before directing an A-meet, and I was dreading it. Literally.
For a club, what are the risks and rewards for hosting an A-meet?
The rewards are that you'll feel good about taking on a community project, you'll make some money to pay for new maps, and maybe you'll get thanked by a few hundred people.
The risks are that you'll be short on volunteers, things will get missed, some people will get angry, you lose the reputation of your club, and those who did volunteer get either fed up or burned out.
Understanding the risk vs reward, I can see how some clubs have no desire to host an A-meet, when they can be content hosting a B-meet.
Tucson should do whatever it wants to do. If it wants to do a B-meet, then great!
That discussion thread, and a few others like it, were circulating the week before an A-meet that I was directing, and let me tell you, reading all of that was horrifying. Here I was just a few days before directing an A-meet, and I was dreading it. Literally.
For a club, what are the risks and rewards for hosting an A-meet?
The rewards are that you'll feel good about taking on a community project, you'll make some money to pay for new maps, and maybe you'll get thanked by a few hundred people.
The risks are that you'll be short on volunteers, things will get missed, some people will get angry, you lose the reputation of your club, and those who did volunteer get either fed up or burned out.
Understanding the risk vs reward, I can see how some clubs have no desire to host an A-meet, when they can be content hosting a B-meet.
Tucson should do whatever it wants to do. If it wants to do a B-meet, then great!
Sep 21, 2012 1:18 AM
#
PG:
Interesting to me that in OUSA we have (1) a Rules Committee seemingly intent on adding more rules, and doing it for the most part well out of the public eye, (2) part of the Strategic Plan calling for more A meets, and a Board member (Bob Forgrave) contacting A meet directors to see what can be done to get more A meets, and (3) people involved in leadership roles in putting on A meets, like those on this thread, complaining about the burdens in putting on these meets.
Perhaps Bob ought to listen to the third group and then start talking to the Rules Committee and tell them to back off. I've sent in my list of complaints about the rules, but I don't really expect them to be paid attention to.
So maybe others ought to let Clare know directly what they don't like. Just letting off steam here isn't going to do a damn bit of good.
I've been putting on events for a long time, and my priorities have always been good courses, controls in the right place, a map you can read, and having fun. That would make a good set of rules right there. I assume I'll put on some more events in the future, but I'll have to think long and hard before I'll sign up to do another A meet.
Perhaps Bob ought to listen to the third group and then start talking to the Rules Committee and tell them to back off. I've sent in my list of complaints about the rules, but I don't really expect them to be paid attention to.
So maybe others ought to let Clare know directly what they don't like. Just letting off steam here isn't going to do a damn bit of good.
I've been putting on events for a long time, and my priorities have always been good courses, controls in the right place, a map you can read, and having fun. That would make a good set of rules right there. I assume I'll put on some more events in the future, but I'll have to think long and hard before I'll sign up to do another A meet.
Sep 21, 2012 1:39 AM
#
This Number 3 has already discussed this with a Number 2. And the Number 3 and Number 2 will probably have a follow-up discussion when they see each other in 21 minutes.
Sep 21, 2012 2:10 AM
#
GuyO:
@mikeminium: As someone who has been organizing A-events on a yearly basis since 1996, you must be an expert on A-event rules. Which OUSA requirements do you consider excessive?
Sep 21, 2012 2:37 AM
#
for those in southern Ontario.... Buffalo-Phoenix return flights on expedia at the moment is as low as $450 with all taxes and surcharges included. It is the family day long weekend in Canada and the start of reading week for Ontario Universities. Oh yeah and throw in a $35 NHL ticket for the 'Yotes and it ends up being about the same cost ($485) to see the NHL in Toronto. :-) Oh yeah and a few days of O as well!
Sep 21, 2012 4:02 AM
#
Let's start with simplifying the sanctioning application. That is probably my single most hated part of putting on an A meet. Especially the lengthy mapping plan questionnaire. More later.
Sep 21, 2012 2:22 PM
#
Although I'm not nearly as experienced as Mike, I would second his sentiment.
From another angle, I looked at PG's Rules proposal, and it seems to affect perhaps <1% of the Rules. So, if all of these simplifications are implemented, we'd still have a 100+ -page document. Randy's "look at the product" sentiment begs for more consideration.
Compare with this. It used to be simpler, but then mudders wanted the insurance, so they added Item 2.
From another angle, I looked at PG's Rules proposal, and it seems to affect perhaps <1% of the Rules. So, if all of these simplifications are implemented, we'd still have a 100+ -page document. Randy's "look at the product" sentiment begs for more consideration.
Compare with this. It used to be simpler, but then mudders wanted the insurance, so they added Item 2.
This discussion thread is closed.