British Orienteering organises the national Rankings scheme and maintains a National league table of competitor performance for all eligible orienteers in the country from Shetland to the Scilly Isles from 16 years and older. Currently 4941 orienteers are ranked in the scheme including five people on the 90+ classes and 41 in the youngest age group born in 2007. Wrekin has 45 members on the list from a (very impressive) 53rd to 4871st place on the league (correct at time of publication!).
To get ranking points you must be a BO member and complete at least one course at a Level C, B or A event. This can be of any type: terrain, urban, day or night. Every BO member aged 16 or over who finishes a course at a Ranking Event scores Ranking Points (provided a certain minimum number of ranked competitors complete the course). Individual league points are the total of your six best ranking scores from events over the last twelve months. Ranking points are rolling totals as scores from last year drop off and new scores from now are added on.
The scoring system uses a complicated mathematical formula and gives a good indication of your normal standard of performance. Basically, individual scores compare your time on the course to a standard time based on the times and ranking points of all the competitors on your course. An average run on a normal course against similar standard orienteers gets you average points. If you do enough events at your average standard you maintain your average points and your ranking position. To improve your ranking position you need to score more highly than usual; you can do this by
- going to enough events in 12 months
- having very good runs on your normal course
- having good runs on courses against people ranked higher than you
On an individual basis perhaps the best way to improve your ranking score is to run well either against better competitors at a big event or by running up on a harder course. There is no obvious system; my six best scores are currently quite consistent but come from a range of events – the British Long Distance Championships, an NGOC brown course, an NGOC blue course, a WM League green course and two M65+urban races, no real pattern there!
The Ranking Scheme is not a perfect system and there are ongoing debates about how to make it better or fairer. Because the list covers everybody it is difficult to move quickly up the ranking list, but it does help to assess an individual race result. It also enables comparison of everyone in an age group or club and it can be fun to find out how you rank against your chums. It also shows how ultimate performance changes with age and gender- amazingly older people are slower than younger ones with a noticeable break for men at M60 and for women at W65, but the details of that are for another article. From a club point of view, if you want to improve your points score please don’t run up at West Midland League Events until you have scored maximum points on your age appropriate course.
Adrian Pickles
Club Captain
