Competition Details
General competition information, including courses, shadowing, start times, scoring, electronic punching, clothing, taping.
The Daily Newsletter: will be handed out every morning at Parking. It will provide last-minute information, news relating to the Social Programme and information on other items. Contributions may be submitted at Information and will be included if space & deadlines allow.
Bio-security: There are currently no plans to use shoe baths but please come to Deeside with very clean shoes. Keep paws, shoes and wheels clean between areas to help control the spread of forest diseases.
Merchandise: Pre-ordered Deeside 2017 souvenir clothing will be available for collection on Sat 29th July at the Event Centre and on Sun 30th July at the Arena. During this time exchanges can be made subject to stock availability. From Mon 31st July, Deeside 2017 souvenir merchandise including clothing (limited colours and sizes) and other items not included in the pre-order catalogue e.g. thermal coffee mugs and Eventclips®, will be available for purchase at the Arenas until all stock has been sold. Buy early in the week to avoid disappointment.
Waste: Rubbish and Recycling bins will be provided in the Arenas. Please use them and leave no litter at all. The plastic tape used as Lace Tape is NOT biodegradable, please ensure you take away your pieces.
Day Parking: No caravans may be parked at Events (unless agreed beforehand for disabled attendees). Please adhere strictly to one-way systems that are in operation on several days. See individual Day Information for more details.
Shops, Cafes, Local Attractions: Details available at Information. The Daily Newsletter & Event Website will also have relevant information.
Campsite: Located adjacent to Monaltrie Park, Ballater, accessed from Provost Craig Road.
Dogs: Allowed in Parking and Arenas only, on a lead at all times. Dogs strictly not allowed on routes to Starts or in competition areas. A small dog area will be marked out in Parking each day, to provide an area for dogs to exercise & poo. Owners must clean up after their dogs.
First Aid: The British Red Cross will be in attendance in the Arena on all race days.
Training: planned by the Scottish Elite Development Squad, is available from 24th July to 5th August on 4 great areas. Pre-ordered training maps can be collected and training maps purchased at £5/map from Event Centre on 29th July or Race Arenas.
Filming: Video coverage is planned for all days, with video shorts available daily via the Event Website. Other photographers will be in the Arena and competition area taking stills. On Days 5 and 6 there will be additional filming to include live arena production (on the big screen) and live streaming to YouTube. If you have any concerns regarding inappropriate or intrusive photography, particularly of children, please report them to an event official.
Entry at the Event: Entry to Age class courses will only be possible at the event if there are start slots and maps available. Entry to Colour Coded courses will be available for each day individually or for several days at a time.
Burness Paull String and Off-String Courses: There will be non-competitive (i.e. times not recorded) String and Off-String courses provided each day for young children. There will be no charge. Certificates will be given to all participants, and themed stickers awarded on completion of the courses. Electronic punching will be used. If you haven’t already registered through SIentries, register at Information on Sat 29th July or at the String course on Event days. Courses available between 10:00 and 15:00.
Electronic Punching: The SPORTident electronic punching system will be used. All versions of SI card are accepted, including SI Air cards, but there will NOT be touch-free punching. It is essential that all competitors visit the download tent by course closing time (16:30) whether or not they have finished their course.
Maps: Maps are drawn to ISOM 2000 Specification (not ISOM 2017).
Start Times: Starts are from 10:00 to 14:00 with courses closing at 16:30. It is the competitor’s responsibility to ensure they allow adequate time to walk to the start. Runners not on time will be started as soon as possible, but there may be long waits for a free slot. Start times will not be changed at the start unless there is an organisational problem. Bibs will display PS for competitors with punching starts (helpers, parents with split starts and all those on colour-coded courses). Start lists will be displayed in Arena.
Start Procedure: Call-up will be at -4 min. Competitors should clear their SI card before they enter the start boxes.
Shadowing Children: Juniors who require shadowing should be entered on the colour coded courses only. No shadowing will be allowed before your own run. The adult shadower must not pick up a map at the start.
Pre-Start Map Viewing: Blank maps will be displayed in the Arena and in start lanes. Maps for courses 1, 2, 8 and 9 will be displayed in the Arena for competitors to view before their run.
Control Description Sheets: All age class and colour coded courses will use pictorial description sheets. Control descriptions will be printed on the competition maps; loose copies will be available in the start lanes.
Bibs: Must be worn on all days. Please write relevant medical information on the back of bibs (e.g. allergies).
Clothing and Equipment: The torso and legs must be covered, and it is recommended that a whistle is carried. The Day Organiser may require a waterproof jacket to be worn/carried if the weather is bad; if so, notices will be displayed in the Arena and on the route to the starts.
Results: On display in the Arena and regularly updated on the Website. Wi-Fi available in Arenas courtesy of SPORTident.
Scoring: For Elite classes, scoring is based on cumulative time over the week, i.e. competitors will need to complete every day. For all other classes, points will be awarded for each day’s result, with points allocated based on finishing position. Thus, the class winner will receive 1 point, 2nd placed competitor 2 points, and so on. Competitor’s overall score will be the sum of their best 4 scores of the week. In the event of a tie between 2 or more competitors, the competitor with the lowest individual day score will win. Competitors who fail to finish, do not start or are disqualified will be awarded a points score which is 5% higher than the maximum number (over all 6 days) of entrants for the class.
Prizes: Prize giving will take place at 15:00 on the last day. There will be awards for the top 3 overall in each class with additional mementos for places 4-6 in 16- classes.
Cloth Points Award Badges: Gold, Silver & Bronze badges will be awarded to competitors who obtain an overall score less than a given benchmark which will depend on the class size: Gold N x 0.8, Silver N x 1.6, Bronze N x 2.4, where N is total number of active competitors. Badges will be available from Day 5 at a price of £4/badge at the event or by post after the event on receipt of a stamp-addressed envelope.
Complaints, Protests and Appeals: Complaints should be made to the Day Organiser either orally or in writing at Information up to 16:30 on the day of the competition. There is no fee for a complaint. The Day Organiser is the adjudicator of a complaint. A protest can be made against the Organiser’s decision, in writing to the Controller. Protests and appeals will be handled under Rule 16 and Appendix A of the 2016 British Orienteering Rules.
Taping: The following colours will be used: yellow/black – danger; red/white – out of bounds/crossing points; white only – taped routes in terrain. Routes to Starts will be taped according to the start colour.
Water: There are no drink stations on the courses and there will be no water at the finish. Competitors should hydrate before their run; there will be bags at each start for the disposal of bottles.