NY Times Video
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Topic created by edscott on Thu Jul 9, 2015 at 9:35 amHere is a good video on Orienteering. http://www.nytimes.com/video/sports/100000003669452/running-in-the-wild.html?emc=edit_th_20150709&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=16589222 .... link sent to me by Glen Piper.
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Reply by kathyu on Thu Jul 9, 2015 at 9:58 pmI enjoyed this video SO MUCH. Also, I believe I saw our friend Doug Sevon in DVOA shirt. Was I right?
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Reply by Sandy on Thu Jul 9, 2015 at 10:39 pmYep - definitely Doug. Much of the video was shot at an A event in MA last fall. Doug has relocated to that area.
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Reply by LarryG on Sun Jul 12, 2015 at 11:52 amthat link was too long, so I just searched and found the article that contains the video. Good article, too. Apparently, all you have to do to be a world champion is run fast, and don't make mistakes. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/09/sports/orienteering-thierry-gueorgiou-key-to-winning-not-getting-lost.html?_r=1
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Reply by Sandy on Sun Jul 12, 2015 at 9:53 pmThere are a series of articles on World of O about Thierry Georgiou and his "full speed - no mistakes" technique. While we would all love to be able to go fast and not make errors, he actually has a very secific way of orienteering to maximize his chances of not making errors while going as fast as he can. If you're interested, start here
http://news.worldofo.com/2007/11/27/gueorgious-story-part-i/
and here
http://news.worldofo.com/2007/12/10/gueorgious-story-part-ii/
I'm looking forward to seeing how he performs at this year's World Orienteering Champs coming up in just a few weeks. -
Reply by EricW on Mon Jul 13, 2015 at 0:08 amThierry's quote ~"run fast, no mistakes" is commonly misconstrued as simply a stupid-obvious goal, but it is actually a strategy about route choice.
The point is to pick a route that is simple enough to execute, at full speed,without hesitations, with a near 100% chance to nail the control.
On most legs, most experienced orienteers, can find an option that allows this, but it is usually a very wide, or even back door route, that most people feel is beneath them, so they take a chance and try cut corners on a more risky difficult route, certainly going slower with more stops, but more importantly an increased risk of mistake time. Unfortunately, the over-the-ability route is sometimes successful, but the odds catch up very quickly.
For a highly skilled orienteer the high % safe route still looks difficult to the average orienteer, but the route utilizes bigger, simpler, more obvious features.
The bottom line is to pick safer, high percentage routes. For a closer-to-home example, check out the routes of Peter Gagarin, (America's best ever technician?) who has always taken surprisingly simple options as well.
The wisdom of safe route choices is not a new idea. -
Reply by KathleenG on Tue Jul 14, 2015 at 9:28 amHah. I can't go full speed (must slow down and stop panting, and if hip/knee act up, must coddle them) and the errors just keep on happening. My motto: "If I finished, I found all the controls, and I am not bleeding, it is a good day."
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Reply by bobburg on Thu Jul 23, 2015 at 1:48 pmIn more recent years Peter often runs the same course as me at A events, so on RG I've had the "pleasure" of following his route choices, and how he beat the pants off me.
And as Eric said, he always seems to take the simplest route, nothing "special" or intricate -- just the most efficient route that provides clear-cut handrails and attack points.
Now, if I could only keep reminding myself to do the same rather than getting "facncy"......
