We are happy to announce the return of the BAOC Summer Series. Similar to last time (in 2019), this series of moderate-length events will be held from June through August on some of our more-urban and less-steep maps. Thus allowing us to continue orienteering, even during the hotter days of summer.
There will be six events this year, as listed below. If you choose to "compete", your best four of the six races will count toward your Summer Series Final Ranking.
Each Summer Series event will typically have a Beginner (White) course, a Short intermediate course, and a Long intermediate course. (The "intermediate" courses will usually be about Orange difficulty, or whatever format the map can support.)
As described below, each event will have two "ranking" courses, and there will be two Series competitions for those who choose to run those ranking courses. In addition, there will be at least one alternative courses for those folks not wanting to "compete" (and they can do a "ranking" course without competing). In particular, note that beginners are welcome at all the events. See the webpage for each event for the details for that event.
More details about event locations and specifics will be available over the next few weeks. See the individual event webpages linked below for current information.
We look forward to seeing you out there!
Your BAOC Event Coordination Team: Graham, Deron, Jeff, and Scott
(April 5, 2022)
The Schedule ↑
The Summer Series will (hopefully) include the following events. Note, however, that the dates and locations are subject to change. (Click on the date to go to an event's announcement page.)
- June 5: Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland
- June 26: Mills College, Oakland
- July 2: U.C. Berkeley Campus, Berkeley
- July 23: Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill
- August 14: Vasona Lake County Park, Los Gatos
- August 28: Bedwell Bayfront Park, Menlo Park
Note to Beginners ↑
BAOC welcomes beginners at events, with (free) "clinics" that introduce orienteering, and with "beginner" courses. We hope you will come to one or more of the Summer Series events (there is no requirement to attend all the events), and/or to our "regular" events listed in the Schedule.
Summer Series Discount Package ↑
This year we are offering a fabulous package deal for BAOC members: all six events for the price of four. The details are here.
Important Note to All ↑
Everyone must observe out-of-bounds areas indicated on the maps. Please note, in particular, that olive-green areas are out of bounds.
Failure to stay out of out-of-bounds areas could jeopardize our ability to get permission to hold events at the venue, as well as being unfair to those participants who go around the areas.
Some of the events will use maps with ISSprOM (International Standard for Sprint Orienteering Maps) symbols, which indicate impassible features like buildings, fences, vegetation, and walls. Note that the rules forbid crossing (including reaching over or through) any feature shown on the map as "impassible", even if it's physically possible to cross (or reach over or through).
The Series Competition ↑
The BAOC Summer Series will be split into two competitions, a series of Short courses and a series Long courses, both of which will be "handicapped" by age and gender—that is, using the same system we used in 2017–2019. (If we do not have easy access to the information [see below], you will need to send us your birth year and gender, so we can give each athlete a fair representation in the points.)
The six planned Summer Series events (see above) will be set on some of our best "urban" maps—campuses, parks, etc.—which make for better events during the summer. There will, in fact, be effectively two Summer Series—a Short-distance version, and a Long-distance version. We have made this decision acknowledging the diversity of the athletes we have at BAOC events, and hopefully everyone will find a distance they are comfortable with. Both Short and Long will be basically "the most technically challenging courses the map will support". The Short courses will not be "easier", they are simply shorter.
Important Note: Points earned in one Summer Series (e.g., Short) are not valid in the other series (e.g., Long). And each competitor will ultimately be ranked based on the points from their best four of the six events. Thus the intention is that each athlete will choose to compete in either the Short or the Long competition, and (mostly) stick to that length throughout the summer. Of course, everyone is welcome to run any course they wish at each event, but to maximize your chance of a higher overall position, you should try to stick to one length or the other throughout the summer. Furthermore, while you are always welcome to run two (or three!) courses at any event, you will be eligible to earn points only on the first course you run at an event (which means no points if you run a ranking course after the Beginner course).
Note that, in addition to the Ranking-Short course and the Ranking-Long course, each event will have a non-ranking White course, and perhaps a second non-ranking course. Further details for each event will be released closer to the date (i.e., on the webpage for the event).
As in previous years, the Summer Series results are weighted by age and gender, to create something closer to a level playing field for all athletes. The age and gender information will first be taken from past BAOC events where this information was used. Then, the OSUA rankings website will be referenced.
If you are a relative newcomer to BAOC events, and you know you are not listed on that OUSA website, you can help us out by sending your gender and year of birth (please do not send your complete date of birth—we have no interest in that). You can send the information to Graham Brew. Otherwise we will try to reach you to get the information. If we ultimately fail to determine an athlete's age and gender, they will assumed to be a 21-year-old male. Hence, it is in each athlete's best interest to get us accurate information.
The Series rankings will be released (to the BayONet and on the BAOC website) as quickly as possible after each event, although please allow a few days for the various processing to take place.
As in previous years, credit will be given for Course Setting and Event Directing (so contact us now if you would like to earn some "free" points this way!).
If there are any questions or comments on any of the above, you can contact Graham Brew. However, questions about specific events, locations, etc. are best addressed to the Event Director for each event (i.e., as found on the event webpages that are linked above).
Very best of luck to all competitors, and we look forward to seeing you out there!
– Graham Brew, BAOC Event Coordinator, and the entire BAOC Summer Series Team
Scoring and Awards ↑
To make things a little more interesting, participants can accumulate points throughout the Series based on their results. Some of the best minds in the world's greatest database companies, and in the nation's finest research labs have deliberated carefully, and arrived at a scoring system for the Summer Series. (It's the same system that was used in 2017, 2018, and 2019, crafted by François and Dennis.)
The scoring system for the Summer Series will combine all participants into two categories by making adjustments, based on age and gender, to each person's performance. The person with the best adjusted performance in a given race will be awarded 1000 points. Everyone else will be awarded points in proportion to how their own adjusted performance compares to that of the person given 1000 points.
At each event in the Series there will be two identified ranking courses, which will be used for scoring. The other course(s) offered at the event will have no affect on the Series scoring.
Here are the details.
- We will use tables developed by USA Track and Field that make adjustments to 10 km road-race times based on age and gender.
- Each participant in the Summer Series has a fixed reference time based on those tables.
- For a given race, each person's adjusted performance ratio is calculated as their actual time for that race divided by their reference time.
- The person with the best adjusted performance ratio for the day is the leader and is awarded 1000 points.
- For anyone else, their point score is the leader's adjusted performance ratio divided by their own adjusted performance ratio, then multiplied by 1000, and rounded off to the nearest whole number.
This means it is possible for someone who finishes with the slowest legal time in a race to still have the highest point score for the day. So, don't give up!
Now that you've studied the methodology for scoring in minute detail, perhaps an example is in order.
Suppose there is an event with just three people: a 45-year-old male who we'll call "F"; a 70-year-old male called "D", and a 25-year-old female called "T". (Amazingly, their ages haven't changed since the first Summer Series in 2017. 😉) Suppose their times on the course are as follows:
F 45:51
T 49:30
D 57:20
Given their ages and genders, their reference times are as follows.
F 28:30
T 29:43
D 35:45
Dividing the actual course times by the reference times gives these adjusted performance ratios for the course:
F 1.60877
T 1.66573
D 1.60373
So, D is the leader (despite having the slowest time) and gets 1000 points. To get the points for the others, divide their ratios into D's and multiply by 1000, and you get F with 997 points and T with 963.
Conclusion: If you want to win in the Summer Series, either (a) get fast, or (b) get old fast.
By popular demand, final standings will be based on each person's four best scores in the six-event Series.
We need to know everyone's age in order to make these calculations. As usual, your orienteering age is your age at the end of the calendar year. So what we really want is your year of birth. There will be sign-up sheets at either registration or at the E-punch download at each event. Please put down your name and year of birth.
Some "fine print":
- Everyone who has a valid finish for that day's full ranking course will be awarded points (except group entries will not earn points). However, to be eligible for the cumulative awards, you must be a BAOC member in good standing as of the date of the final event of the Series.
- If you don't tell us your year of birth, we will assume you are a 21-year-old male. If you like that idea better than you like getting more points, well, that's up to you.
- If we find out your age after some of the point calculations have been made, we will try to go back and recalculate your point scores for the earlier events. In no case, though, will such retroactive point adjustments exceed 1000 points for a given race. (In other words, if you don't tell us your year of birth in time, and you should have been the leader that day, you won't quite get all the credit you might have gotten.)
- Course Setters for events in the Series will be given points for their own event equal to their best other point score in the Series. Event Directors (some of whom may be able to run in their own event) will be given the higher of (a) their actual score in the event or (b) their best other point score in the Series.