Compass Sport Guidelines – 2006.

Changes from 2004 highlighted in red.

 

Introduction

A Compass Sport Cup/Trophy event is a Level 3 event.  The organising club should aim to make a real occasion out of it.  It is intended to foster club spirit and be attractive both to competitors and to the club hosting it, for which it should be financially viable.

 

The event should have all the characteristics of a level 3 event (the same as for a Regional event) such as good terrain, pre-marked maps and a suitable assembly area. The organiser, planner and controller should be appropriately qualified for the event.

 

1. The Competition

1.1 All clubs affiliated to the British Orienteering Federation ("BOF") may enter the CompassSport Cup or the CompassSport Trophy. Entry to the Trophy Competition shall be limited to those clubs with not more than 100 BOF members. For this purpose, individual members count as one member, families count as three members and groups affiliated to clubs, five.

 

1.2 Membership shall be measured as at 30th June in the year prior to the competition.

 

1.3 Each competition shall consist of a Qualifying Round and a Final. The Final of each competition shall be between six or more clubs.  Each match in the Qualifying Round shall be between the same number of clubs, as far as is possible having regard to the geographical distribution of the clubs. The winner of each qualifying match, with scoring in accordance with rule 4, shall qualify for the Final. Two teams qualify from Scotland for the Trophy Final.

 

1.4 In qualifying rounds where the winning club finished in the top three in the Final in the previous year, then the second placed team also qualifies for the Final.

 

1.5 If there eight or more teams in a Cup or Trophy qualifying round , then the 2 top teams will qualify, if the top 2 teams do not qualify as outlined in paragraph 1.4.

 

1.6 BOF Fixtures Committee shall be responsible for determining the dates of the Qualifying Rounds and the Final. All matches in the Qualifying Round shall take place on the same day, unless, exceptionally that is not possible. BOF Fixtures Committee shall inform the Cup Organiser of these dates before the end of September in the year prior to the competition.

 

1.7 Regional Associations shall be responsible for determining the venues. Regional Associations shall inform the Cup Organiser of these venues before the end of September in the year prior to the competition.

 

1.8 The Cup Organiser shall be responsible for collecting entries, arranging the draw, allocating the Qualifying matches to the venues and informing all competing clubs of the draw, and the dates and venues of the Qualifying Round and Final.

 

2.  Eligibility

2.1 Eligibility to run in the Competition is governed by BOF Rule 3.2, except that competitors who change clubs in accordance with BOF Rule 3.2.2, having already competed for one club, may not compete for the second club during the same year.

 

2.2 Competitors may not run for different clubs in the Cup Competition and the Trophy Competition in the same year.

 

2.3 Club only members may compete in this Competition even though they are not BOF members.

 

3. Courses

3.1 There shall be eight different Compass Sport Courses planned to the colour coded standards shown below. The two Blue courses must be different. The two Green courses must be different. The extent of these differences is a matter for the Planner.

 

Course

Compass Sport Course

Eligible Age Classes

Course Size

1

Brown

Men  Open

Large

2

Blue  Women

Women  Open

Small

3

Blue  Men

M45+  M20-

Large

4

Green  Women

W45+  W20-

Small

5

Green  Men

M60+

Small

6

Short Green  Veterans

M75+  W60+

Small

7

Light Green   Juniors

Men/Women 18-

Small

8

Orange

Men/Women 14-

Small

 

Note: Course 6 should be of Light Green length, but of the same technical difficulty as the Green courses.

 

3.2 The allocation of age classes to courses results in:

·        two 'large' Compass Sport courses - Courses 1 and 3

·        six 'small' Compass Sport courses - Courses 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8

 

3.3 There is no limit to the number of runners a club may field, unless the event entry is limited, in which case teams may be limited to a maximum of ten competitors per course, or to such lesser number as the competing clubs agree.

 

3.4 No runner may run competitively more than once per match.

 

3.5 Age classes are those applicable in the year of the competition.

 

3.6 Any competitor may run up an age class or classes, but not necessarily a course. Thus (for example) a W18, rather than competing on Course 7, may run up as a W20 and compete on Course 4, but may not run on Courses 6 or 5.

 

3.7 Women may run as men e.g. a W45 could run as an M45 on Course 3.

 

4. Scoring

4.1 The scoring for the Cup and Trophy uses the same system.

 

4.2 The winner on each Compass Sport Course scores 100 points.

Every competitor receives a score based on their finishing position.

Scoring on each 'large' Compass Sport Course will be 100, 99, 98, 97, 96, etc.

Scoring on each 'small' Compass Sport Course will be 100, 98, 96, 94, 92, etc.

 

If two runners tie for a place, both runners will score the points appropriate for that place. The next runner scores 2 points less on a 'large' course or 4 points less on a 'small' course  (eg. if two runners on a 'large' course each score 98 points, the next scores 96 points;

if two runners on a 'small' course each score 96 points, the next scores 92 points)

 

4.3 Compass Sport Cup team score

·        25 scores to count

·        maximum of 6 counters from any one 'large' Compass Sport Course

·        maximum of 4 counters from any one 'small' Compass Sport Course

 

4.4 Compass Sport Trophy team score

·        13 scores to count

·        maximum of 3 counters from any one 'large' Compass Sport Course

·        maximum of 2 counters from any one 'small' Compass Sport Course

 

4.5 The winner shall be the team with the highest points total. Where clubs finish on equal points, positions will be determined by looking at the best scores of the 26th (Cup) or 14th (Trophy) eligible counter (ie. from within the maximum number of counters per course) for each team. Then, if needed, the next best and so on.

 

4.6 Results should be determined on the day.

 

4.7 In the event of a course or courses being voided by the Controller, the result shall be decided on the courses not voided.

 

4.8 In the event of 2 courses being voided then the number of scorers will be Cup - 20 and Trophy - 10.

 

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4.9 Scoring Example - Trophy Round

 

List your three highest scores on each large course.

List your two highest scores on each short course.

You will now have eighteen scores (or less if you weren't able to run enough competitors on any one of the courses.)

Finally, select the highest thirteen scores of these eighteen and add them together. This gives you the team score.

4.10 The Compass Sport Cup and Compass Sport Trophy should be treated as two entirely separate competitions. On each course there should be one set of scores starting at 100 for the Cup and another set starting at 100 for the Trophy

5. Start Intervals

5.1 Competitive clubs should be pre-allocated start times in rotation. When allocating start times there should be two Cup starts to one Trophy start time. (If the round has both categories).  Where it is necessary to fill vacant start slots, runners from the same club should be separated as far as practical and not start on adjacent start times.

 

6.  Disputes

6.1 Event Organisers should arrange a jury before the event to deal with possible protests. Although the occasions on which they will be required should be rare, it is likely to prove more difficult than usual to obtain an independent jury on the day, as many of the potential members will be competitors in the Compass Sport competition, and thus not unbiased.

 

6.2 The competitions are organised in a spirit of goodwill, and it is hoped that all problems can be settled on an amicable basis.  The controller or jury will be able to deal with most of the problems which arise because they will be covered by BOF rules of competition.  The Compass Sport Cup Co-ordinator will determine points of contention specific to the CS Competition Guideline, with the right of appeal to the BOF Rules Group.

 

7. Shadowing

7.1 There have been some instances of clubs sending out inexperienced juniors with an adult shadowing them, on the basis that if the junior gets round on their own, they will score, and if the adult has to help, they will be disqualified. This is against the spirit of the competition. Competitors must run on their own.

 

8. White and Yellow Courses

8.1 Planners are requested to put on White and Yellow courses for Juniors not of sufficient skill to tackle the Orange.