SOL Competition rules and guidelines-Scottish Orienteering

SOL Competition rules and guidelines

The Scottish Orienteering League provides a series of high quality events throughout Scotland throughout the season. High quality venues, maps and quality courses are the key aims. Other key objectives include: elite development and selection, encourage national level competition, act as a flagship and publicity vehicle, to create continuity of quality, and coordinate with other high-quality BOF events.

Rules

Except where noted below, events shall be run under the British Orienteering rules for badge events. Organisers should familiarise themselves with these rules. Course combinations are shown on page 4 of that document

The courses shall be numbered differently from the British Orienteering scheme. The SOL course number can be found by subtracting the BOF course number from 15. (i.e. JM1 is course 1, M21L is course 14). Adult novice courses 9 and 10 (British Orienteering numbering: SOL numbering is 6 and 5) are intended for novices and do not form part of the league.

White, yellow, orange, light green and red colour coded courses shall be available. If insufficient overprinted maps are available for colour coded, a master map system shall operate with competitors copying the maps at assembly (white/yellow) or at the start (orange/light green/red) prior to starting.

1000 SOL points will be awarded to the winner of each class (not course). Other competitors score 1000x(Winners time)/(competitors time). Additional badge results shall be produced by the organisers and sent to British Orienteering & SOA as required.

A competitor’s total SOL score from the season will be the sum from the best 4 events. All entrants of the correct age are eligible for SOL points.

Guidelines

Maps for courses 1 & 2 shall be collected at the car park / assembly. It is the competitor’s responsibility to collect his or her own map before proceeding to the start.

Junior competitors must state both their age class and course when entering an event.

If the event is combined with a UK-level competition (National event, Future champions cup, British elite championships etc.) some variation in course length and/or course combinations may be permitted.

Pre-entries may to be required by a maximum of 15 days prior to the event but clubs may set shorter deadlines if they so wish. In addition, SOA encourage clubs to adopt a flexible approach to late entries and EOD for SOL. Pre-entry and EOD shall be available for colour-coded courses.

Clubs may decide whether they wish to differentiate between SOL and colour coded entry fees.

All pre-entered competitors shall receive pre-marked maps.

Only one map scale shall be used per course. Normally 1:10,000 shall be used for junior and over-45 courses and either 1:10,000 or 1:15:000 for courses 13-14. Course planning must not be compromised for printing convenience.

The map shall be accurate and recently-surveyed. Map corrections should be included on the competitor’s map either by overprinting or updating the electronic map file.

Results shall be displayed by course (not class) but shall show age class in an additional column. Colour-coded results should be displayed with or separate to shared Badge Course results, at the Organising clubs’ discretion.

Every effort must be made to issue printed results within 7 days.

IOF pictorial descriptions shall be available for all courses and written descriptions also available for courses 1, 2 & 3. Where possible these should be available with the online or posted final information; otherwise they shall be available for collection on the day at assembly or before the prestart.

Final event information must be received at least 7 days prior to the event.

Final information for events shall state “Competitors take part at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety.” The organising club shall make arrangements for first aid cover and be prepared to assist any competitors who get into difficulty or who become overdue for whatever reason.

Competitors from the same club on the same course (not just the same class), shall start at least four minutes apart.

Any “manned” control or map exchange must be staffed.

Electronic timing shall be used. Split times from this may be used to determine the final result (e.g. excluding legs around a misplaced control), at the discretion of the controller.

A start list shall be provided and competitors should start at the assigned time: punching starts shall be possible but should only be available to some competitors (e.g. event helpers, split start parents, those missing their start through no fault of their own) at the discretion of the organisers.

SOL events must be registered with the SOA Fixtures Secretary by 31st March of the year of competition.

A 12-month embargo shall be observed by those wishing to be “competitive” in the SOL Series within a named area.

The award of SOL status to a club will be made by the SOA Fixtures Secretary in consultation with the Competitions Convenor at least one year prior to the competition season.

Additional extracts from BOF rules that may apply. Some aspects are already mentioned above.

1.3.6 For Level 3 events, the Organiser may vary or supplement existing Rules to meet particular local requirements, subject to approval from the Controller and the Constituent Association that registered the event.

1.6.4 Prior to the date of the event the Organiser shall obtain full permission for orienteering (preferably in writing) from the landowners for any land likely to be used in the event.

1.6.9 There shall be no smoking in the competition area.

1.7.1 All competitors in any event to which these Rules apply take part entirely at their own risk. Competitors shall take into account their own ability to compete safely.

1.7.3 The Organiser shall ensure that appropriate first aid is easily available.

1.7.4 The Organiser shall ensure that sufficient help and equipment is either available, or can be easily summoned, to mount a search for a missing competitor.

1.7.5 The Organiser shall take responsibility for deciding what action should be taken (e.g. delaying or cancelling the event, shortening the courses) in exceptional circumstances such as adverse weather conditions, total loss of the car park etc.

2.2.1 All events and other orienteering activities shall be registered with the National Fixtures Secretary.

2.3.1 For all events the organising body shall take financial responsibility unless prior agreement has been reached with BOF.

2.3.2 For all events the Organiser or a person appointed by the organising body shall keep accounts of all income and expenditure.

3.1.9 Forbidden routes shall be shown by a chain of crosses

3.1.10 Uncrossable boundaries (ones which it is forbidden to cross) can be indicated by overprinting the mapped feature with a solid line

3.5 The control banner should be visible from all directions of approach unless the control description indicates otherwise. Control banners should be sited so that the absence or presence of another competitor does not affect the difficulty of location the control. The banner must not be hidden nor the control excessively isolated (no “Bingo controls)

SOL Course numbering and combinations for 2008

Course 1 JM1 JW1 White

Course 2 JM2 JW2 Yellow

Course 3 JM3 JW3 Orange

Course 4 JM4 JW4 Light G

Course 5 (not used)

Course 6 Red

Course 7 M70S M75S W50S W55S W60S W65S W70S W75S W75L

Course 8 M60S M65S M75L W45S W65L W70L

Course 9 JM5S M55S M70L JW5S W35S W40S W55L W60L

Course 10 M45S M50S M65L W21S W45L W50L

Course 11 JM5M M35S M40S M55L M60L JW5L W35L W40L

Course 12 JM5L M21S M45L M50L W21L

Course 13 M35L M40L

Course 14 M21L

Photo of author Posted on 20th Jun 06
by Phil Smith - Competitions Co-ordinator

Filed under: Fixtures/Events • • Scottish O League

Scottish Orienteering