The WSX Club League
was changed in 2005, in order to identify the Most Improved Orienteer
each year. The new format is essentially a Handicap, but the system
is deliberately biased in favour of those orienteers who are making
progress. The basic mechanics of the league are outlined below.
- Points are scored
for each event completed, based on the following formula:
| Event Score
= 100 x Handicap MPK / Event MPK
|
(MPK=minutes per
km)
- The League Tables
(Senior & Junior) will be based on the average of all your Event Scores,
and the overall winner will be the member with the highest average
score over the year (having completed 5 or more events).
In theory,
if you perform at a consistent standard throughout the year, your
average score will be around 100. But, if you are improving you
will regularly beat your Handicap, so your average score will be
well over 100. For example, if your Handicap was 12mpk and you managed
10mpk, your Event Score would be 120.
- Speed factors
will be applied to the different levels of technical difficulty, according
to the table below:
| Level
| Courses
| Speed Factor
|
| 1
| White,
JM1, JW1
| 5
|
| 2
| Yellow,
JM2, JW2
| 3.5
|
| 3
| Orange,
Red, JM3, JW3
| 2.3
|
| 4
| Light Green,
JM4, JW4
| 1.5
|
| 5
Short
| TD5 courses
that are Short for your age group (see below).
| 1.2
|
| 5
Long
| TD5 courses
that are Long for your age group (see below).
| 1
|
For example,
if you run a Yellow course in 10mpk it will be recorded as 35mpk.
These factors apply equally to each event and to the calculation
of handicaps. They are deliberately generous in order to encourage
progression through the levels and reward improvement. (Conversely,
the factors punish running-down for those who have previously been
competing at a higher level).
- As the structure
of orienteering events is changing through 2009, there will no longer
be age-group courses at Regional/Badge events. Instead, all level
2 events will be based on an extended set of colour-coded courses.
The table below shows the shortest course that will now be considered
as ‘Long’ for each age group for handicap purposes. (NB. these are
based on being the next course up from the equivalent ‘short’ course
as shown in the new BOF guidelines).
| Course
| Age groups
|
| Brown
| M21
|
| Short
Brown
| M20, M35,
M40
|
| Blue
| W21, M18,
M45, M50
|
| Short
Blue
| W20, W35,
W40, M55, M60
|
| Green
| W18, W45,
W50, W55, W60, M16, M65, M70
|
| Short
Green
| W65, W70,
W75, W80, M75, M80, all other juniors
|
- The following
events will automatically count towards the league:
- WIM/Dorset
Schools League (for juniors and seniors)
- South-West
Galoppen & SOC District Events
- Regional
events & upwards in the SW & SC regions
- BOC, JK and
summer multi-day events in GB
District events
& upwards elsewhere can be included if notified to the compiler.
Score, Relay, Night & Novelty events will not be included.
- Handicaps are
broadly based on the average MPK of your last 4 events, and will be
updated after each run. Again, the actual calculation is weighted
in favour of improvers by preventing their Handicaps from coming down
too rapidly.
At the start
of 2005, initial handicaps were set as a simple average MPK of the
last 4 runs for each member (adjusted for technical difficulty).
Subsequently the handicaps are updated according to the following
formula:
| New Handicap
= (6 x Old Handicap + Event MPK) / 7
|
This has 2 purposes.
Firstly, it smooths out excessive variations caused by inconsistencies
of terrain and speed.
Secondly, it effectively gives double weighting to previous runs,
which extends the time it will take the Handicap to catch up with
current performance - improving or otherwise.
- For new members,
who have not yet completed 3 counting events, the principle of double
weighting for previous events remains.
Thus, after
1 event, your performance there sets the Handicap for event 2.
After event 2, your new handicap would be calculated as (2 x Old
Handicap + Event MPK) / 3.
After event 3, your new handicap would be calculated as (4 x Old
Handicap + Event MPK) / 5.
- New Members will
initially score 100 points for their first event. After subsequent
events, that score will be updated to equal the average subsequent
score.
After they have completed 5 events, the score for event 1 will be
fixed.
For example,
if a new member scores 120, 110, 90, 120 in events 2 to 5, the score
for event 1 will be fixed at 110.
- New members to
the the club who are already established orienteers will be given
an initial handicap based on the 4 most recent events that the compiler
can find.
If you have any
comments or queries, please contact Ian Middlebrook.
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