I N N O VAT I O N
Maze Orienteering –
a promotional event in Newcastle Russell Rigby (NC-N) - Planner
Nearly all orienteers have navigation problems inside the control circle at some stage of their career, but what about a course that fits entirely inside a normal control circle, with navigational challenge and route choice? Newcastle Orienteers have recently organised a MazeOrienteering event that precisely fits this description.
O
N Australia Day Newcastle Orienteers ran a free promotional event in the Foreshore Park, as part of the celebrations organised by Newcastle City Council. Thousands of people attended the focus of the Australia Day celebrations in Newcastle, with everything from the naturalisation ceremony to a cross-harbour swim, concerts and food stalls on offer. In 2004 the Club ran a Park-O course, and this year added a Maze-O course as an extra attraction both for club members and the passing public. The Club’s allocated area was between the beach and the performance stage which was in use all day by bands, dance groups and other performers. This ensured the event had plenty of exposure and competitors in the maze added to it. The Maze-O course was approximately 650m long, using an area of 50m by 35m in and around a group of small garden beds and trees. People could run just the maze or a 1.3km Park-O course, or combine them for the “Super Challenge”. The maze was marked by wooden or metal stakes with a single run of plastic tape to define the paths. The rules were simple: keep off garden beds; stay on grass area; no reaching over or crossing tapes; punch controls in order 1 – 9; there 36 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER MARCH 2005
are additional controls in the maze which are not part of the course; watch out for other competitors. The maze was laid out with one exit point adjacent to the club display, and the internal pathways were kept to 2-3 metres wide so that couples or family groups could walk side-by–side without causing congestion. Several family groups went around the maze with young children in strollers. Using trees and garden beds as part of the maze improved its appearance and reduced the work in setting-up. The two maps were colour-printed on one A4 page, which was folded and sealed in plastic so the maps were back-to-back. Competitors started at two minute intervals using a beeping O-clock to keep the flavour of a real event. Competitors’ times ranged from 5 to 20 minutes depending on their running speed and map reading ability. Even the faster club members found that they had to balance map reading and running speed, or make a very obvious and “public” mess of their course. Oxygen debt works wonders on detailed navigation skills. As an example, the distance from the entry gate to Control 1 is 70m on the north side of the maze, and 115m on the south side with the obvious long straights, but more than 60% further. The inspiration for the Maze-O came originally from a scene in the TV program “Regency House Party”, with “Pride and Prejudice” look-alikes negotiating a maze made with wooden stakes and ribbons on the front lawn of their country estate. The idea was reinforced when we saw the short article and map in The Australian Orienteer (Sep 2004, p31) about maze orienteering in Moscow, and the club’s Australia Day event was the obvious choice for the first attempt. The encouraging response from club members and the public means that the club will continue to use Maze-O as part of its promotional activities. The club gained several new members from the Australia Day promotion last year, and expects that will be repeated this year. More photos and details of the set-up of the event are available on the club website http://o-newcastle.asn.au/oblog/
