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Pete : news@keswickac.org.uk
Monday, September 22, 2008
Club champs -new format.
Agreed Dunc, worked quite well...At least everyone raced each other once or twice this year. But 3 races spreads pretty thinly over the season...What about 3 from 4 to qualify next year?
Yes. I suppose you could have short and medium, plus a long @11-16miles eg. Sailbeck, Grisedale Horseshoe, Helvellyn, Langdale, and a superlong at 16-24miles eg. Borrowdale, Ennerdale, Wasdale. Or, I thought that the idea of a club only 'time trial' such as we were going to hold up Blease Fell/Blencathra would be competitive. As might two laps round the park. Or, as has been mentioned before, Ambleside AC even had a small, club only score-type orienteering event in their club champs this year.
I thought the format worked well; those wanting to do both the Club Championship and National Championships were able to.
But I also agree that 3 from 4 would compliment the road Championship. Adding a superlong would perhaps involve those interested in the Lakeland Classics which has appeared popular among KAC members this year.
And not wishing to steal other Club's ideas but I see Ambleside AC have organised a minibus for their last Club Championship. Perhaps we could consider doing something similar next year to generate more interest. Send a team over to The Screes, let the racing snakes bag the £100 team prize, and put it back behind the bar!
A bit of research on the Ambleside AC website here... http://www.amblesideac.org.uk/clubchamps.htm
...they had low club turnout for some of their 2005 club-champ races, using a 3 races from 6 to qualify format. Interestingly a new format of 5 races from 10 to qualify in 2006, and 2007 saw an increase in turnout.
I think however that much could be done to engage the club membership with the club-champs, and raise the profile to increase the turnout irrespective of the format.
To be honest, I think that as soon as you start doing the '3 from 4' or whatever, you take away the competitive edge of single championship events where people go head to head. My ideal format, for lots of really good reasons that would take too long to go into here, would be: A series of single club championship races, which would be selected races in the north west area. Then if you miss one there's still the others to go at. The format: X-Country (Cumbria County Champs event) 10K Road 10 mile road 1/2 Marathon road Marathon (or equivalent) Short A Cat fell Medium A Cat Fell Long A Cat Fell Super Long A Cat Fell
Then there would be two Club Leagues for those who like an 'attendance competition': A Fell League with the 9 (I think) Club fell events. Best 6 from 9 A Road League with the 4 Club road events plus, say, 4 other local road races. Best 5 from 8.
I think that we all agree that the fell championship has been a success this year so why are you talking about changing it again??. Maybe it would be better to reduce the road to 2 from 3 as the committee proposed. Maybe sometimes we do know what we are talking about :-)
That is indeed a fair point Pete. But i also do think Dunc's suggestion there is good...As was earlier mentioned, final championship positions this year seem to be a good representation of performance over the season, however there are one or two good club runners who make no appearence in the final table through not running a sufficient number of qualifying races. But i suppose, who is to say they would be able to turn out for races under any other kind of format...
...But perhaps there is some scope for awards made for specific distances or disciplines, X-Country, 10k road, marathon road, short fell race, long fell race.
we already have the club road standards (on the web site) and could do with something similar for the fells. Not so easy to come up with something that makes sense ... but not impossible.
9 comments:
so you would have a long, medium and short plus another ..... twice round the park for the grass fairies?
Yes. I suppose you could have short and medium, plus a long @11-16miles eg. Sailbeck, Grisedale Horseshoe, Helvellyn, Langdale, and a superlong at 16-24miles eg. Borrowdale, Ennerdale, Wasdale.
Or, I thought that the idea of a club only 'time trial' such as we were going to hold up Blease Fell/Blencathra would be competitive. As might two laps round the park.
Or, as has been mentioned before, Ambleside AC even had a small, club only score-type orienteering event in their club champs this year.
I thought the format worked well; those wanting to do both the Club Championship and National Championships were able to.
But I also agree that 3 from 4 would compliment the road Championship. Adding a superlong would perhaps involve those interested in the Lakeland Classics which has appeared popular among KAC members this year.
And not wishing to steal other Club's ideas but I see Ambleside AC have organised a minibus for their last Club Championship. Perhaps we could consider doing something similar next year to generate more interest. Send a team over to The Screes, let the racing snakes bag the £100 team prize, and put it back behind the bar!
A bit of research on the Ambleside AC website here...
http://www.amblesideac.org.uk/clubchamps.htm
...they had low club turnout for some of their 2005 club-champ races, using a 3 races from 6 to qualify format. Interestingly a new format of 5 races from 10 to qualify in 2006, and 2007 saw an increase in turnout.
I think however that much could be done to engage the club membership with the club-champs, and raise the profile to increase the turnout irrespective of the format.
To be honest, I think that as soon as you start doing the '3 from 4' or whatever, you take away the competitive edge of single championship events where people go head to head.
My ideal format, for lots of really good reasons that would take too long to go into here, would be:
A series of single club championship races, which would be selected races in the north west area. Then if you miss one there's still the others to go at. The format:
X-Country (Cumbria County Champs event)
10K Road
10 mile road
1/2 Marathon road
Marathon (or equivalent)
Short A Cat fell
Medium A Cat Fell
Long A Cat Fell
Super Long A Cat Fell
Then there would be two Club Leagues for those who like an 'attendance competition':
A Fell League with the 9 (I think) Club fell events. Best 6 from 9
A Road League with the 4 Club road events plus, say, 4 other local road races. Best 5 from 8.
I think that we all agree that the fell championship has been a success this year so why are you talking about changing it again??. Maybe it would be better to reduce the road to 2 from 3 as the committee proposed. Maybe sometimes we do know what we are talking about :-)
That is indeed a fair point Pete. But i also do think Dunc's suggestion there is good...As was earlier mentioned, final championship positions this year seem to be a good representation of performance over the season, however there are one or two good club runners who make no appearence in the final table through not running a sufficient number of qualifying races.
But i suppose, who is to say they would be able to turn out for races under any other kind of format...
...But perhaps there is some scope for awards made for specific distances or disciplines, X-Country, 10k road, marathon road, short fell race, long fell race.
we already have the club road standards (on the web site) and could do with something similar for the fells. Not so easy to come up with something that makes sense ... but not impossible.
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