Team Trials Rules for 2010

2010WOC Team Selection and Team Trials Rules

USOF vs. ESC rules

This page is the ESC-determined interpretation and details of the rules for the US Team Trials for the current year.
For the official USOF rules, (which these more detailed rules are intended to be consistent with) please check Robin's page and search for "The Team Trials" or, possibly, the USOF web site.

Primary changes since 2009

US WOC Eligible rules have been slightly modfied & clarified - must be USOF member, and US Passport Holder 48-hours before first start at Team Trials.

Schedule Note
Part of the basis for selection to the WOC Team will be the M/F21 USOF rankings based upon A-meets in the 12 months before the Team Trials. With annual WOC's, you should probably assume that all of your A-meet results, and the rankings therefrom, are likely to be included in some way in determining whether you may represent the US at WOC.

Questions/Corrections
If you have any questions or have suggested corrections to this document, please send a note to the ESC at usotesc@yahoogroups.com

US Team Selection Rules for the WOC, with specifics about WOC 2010

The Team Trials
The makeup of the US Team to the World Orienteering Championships (the WOC Team) is based primarily on the results of a team selection competition (the Team Trials) held during the period 2 to 4 months before the WOC. This competition can be held as part of an A-meet, or it can be a separate event, subject to the regulations of a normal A-meet, except that only the M21 and F21 categories are required.. Designation of a meet as the Team Trials will be made jointly by the Team ESC and the Sanctioning Committee. The meet must be, at a minimum, open to all persons eligible to represent the USA at the WOC. The Team Trials will have either two or three races.

In 2010, this event will occur on May 15-16, in Harriman SP, New York, hosted by DVOA.

Team Trials Map Makers
No competitor shall be considered ineligible for the Team Trials due to having made the map(s) on which the competition is held. The ESC and Sanctioning Committee should take into account the people who made the map(s) when deciding where to hold the Team Trials.

Team Trials Scoring
The Team ESC will decide on the scoring method, which must be announced in the meet invitation. The scoring method will be based on the results (times, points, and/or place numbers) of the Team Trials, and must generate an ordered list of competitors, hereafter called the scoring list. If no scoring method is announced, then the scoring will be the same as at the previous Team Trials.

In 2010, the score will be the best 3 of 4 scores. The scores for each item will be scaled so that the top 3 competitors average score is 100 points, with lower scores for slower times, in proportion to relative speed on the course, similar to the USOF rankings. The scores from which the top 3 will be used to create the Trials Scoring list will be based on:
Results of the IOF Sprint Distance Trials Race

Results of the IOF Middle Distance Trials race

Results of the IOF Long Distance Trials race

Scaled Pre-Trials Rankings (see below.)

Pre-Trials Rankings

Are defined as the USOF Rankings (for M21 and F21) from the period starting from 12 months before the first day of the Trials up until the last A-meet* before first day of the Trials. Further, if available from the rankings coordinator, Night O' events will be excluded from the USOF A-events used in these rankings.

If the rankings coordinator cannot provide these rankings, the most recently available 12 month USOF rankings will be used.

[*3-days is a proposed minimum to allow some time for Trials organizer processing. Note this would only apply in rare cases where a A-event occurs less than a week before the Trials, such as if the Trials is held in the middle of a multi-day A event. Does not apply in 2010.]

Scaled Pre-Trials Rankings
These will be scaled (multiplied by a constant) so that the score of top 3 highest ranked Team Trials attendees will average 100.

In 2010, this period starts with the May 16-17, 2009 Buffalo A-event, and ends with the May 8-9, 2010 WCOC A-event.

Team Candidacy Declaration
On the entry form for the Team Trials, each competitor will declare:

"WOC-Eligible": whether they are eligible to represent the USA at the WOC, which is currently defined as having a USOF membership and US Passport by 48 hours before the first start on the first day of the Team Trials
"WOC-Candidate": if eligible, whether he/she is intending to participate in the WOC if he/she wins a slot on the WOC Team.

In practice, we suggest that as to your WOC-intent you say one of the following on your entry form (or if the entry form does not clearly delineate the option, then via communication to the US Team ESC) -

A) planning to run at WOC if I make the team
B) would like to be in the "Trials", but undecided or not planning to attend WOC
C) would not like to be in "Trials", and thus will not be permitted to go run for US at WOC even if I am eligible to represent the USA at the WOC

Choice (C) allows you to "opt out" of the Trials, if you'd like to run M/F21 w/o being considered a Team Trialer (e.g. like a visiting Canadian). Note that this means you won't be part of the Trials start block, and as you thus, as it's possible you have some start-list advantages that Trialers do not, you will NOT be eligible to have your race count toward the getting you onto the US Team for WOC.

So if there's any possibility you might want to go to WOC if you do especially well, you probably want to select (B) or (A)

Note that neither (A) or (B) is binding, but it is useful in helping us to more rapidly figure out who's likely to accept or decline their slot on the WOC team at the end of the Team Trials. For example, if you choose (A), we'll assume you'll accept your spot. If you choose (B), we'll ask you after the Trials. Your choice of (A) vs. (B) does not affect your start times, or the scoring list.

For 2010, we are planning two separate start windows, same as 2007-2009:

WOC-Eligible Trialers (A & B above), and
non-WOC-Eligible competitors plus WOC-Eligible participants who opt-out of the Trials (C above).

Number of Selections
The WOC Team (for women, and similarly for men) will consist of 4 to 5 competitors as determined by the ESC.

In 2009, we intend to have 4 or 5 of each gender go to WOC.

The team selected will be the top 4 candidates from the scoring list at the Team Trials, and possibly the 5th if certain conditions are met (see below.) If one of the members of the WOC Team is not able to attend, the next highest placed person on the scoring list will be substituted.

Fifth team member
The WOC Team will be expanded to add a 5th man, and/or a 5th woman, if:

The 5th highest scoring person on the Scoring List has an overall Trials score of 270 points or more.
If we have to move down the selection list because someone declines to go, the same standard applies the first 4 wanting to go are chosen, and the 5th one goes if he/she has a 270 points or better Trials score.
- If the 5th person in the scoring list is selected via overseas petition accepted by the Review Panel, then the 270-point requirement is waived.

Note

we could send a 5th person of one sex but not the other.

Review Panel
A Review Panel consist of a minimum of three persons and a maximum of five persons will named by the ESC and approved by the USOF VP for Competition. The members of the Review Panel will be listed in the meet registration information. The majority of the members of the Review Panel will have no direct affiliation with the US Standing Team (ESC members, Team members or coaching staff). The Review Panel members need not be in attendance at the Team Trials if suitable arrangements (e.g. telephone, internet) can be arranged for discussion.

Exceptions to the Scoring List
The Review Panel will be allowed, under certain circumstances, to make a maximum of two exceptions to the scoring list (two men and two women). In such cases, these people will be inserted into the scoring list in positions designated by the Review Panel, and the rest of the names will be shifted down. A person already on the scoring list may be inserted (moved) into a higher place on the list, but may NOT be moved to a lower place on the list. One of the insertions may be (but need not be) in the top four. The second insertion (if made) must be below the top four.

Limitations on who can be granted an Exception
In order for a candidate to be eligible for one of these "discretionary berths", certain criteria must be met:

The candidate must submit a petition to the ESC requesting consideration for an exception. For a candidate who competes at the Team Trials, this petition must be submitted within one hour of the competitor's reporting to the finish on the final day of the Team Trials, and explain the circumstances why he/she was not able to produce a representative result (e.g. illness, misprinted map, other organizer error, etc.). For candidates who do not compete at the Team Trials, the petition must be submitted before the first start on the final day of the Team Trials, and explain why he/she was unable to attend. Specific information regarding to whom petitions should be submitted must appear in the meet invitation. Petitions must be signed by the petitioner, and may not be submitted on behalf of other people.
The candidate must either:
- be in the top 5 WOC-eligible people in M21/F21 of the Pre-Trials USOF rankings (see above)

AND

have finished in the top five in M21/F21 at the most recent US (Classic Distance) Orienteering Championship, or

be in the top 3 WOC-eligible people in M21/F21 of the Pre-Trials USOF rankings (see above), or

be unranked or have no US Champs result due to living outside of North America for at least 6 of the 12 months preceding the team trials, and submit along with the petition a summary of his/her (foreign) competition results and world ranking (if available) for the preceding year.

Possible Prearranged Scoring List Exception for the Course Setter
A candidate who is in the top three in the USOF Rankings, and who finished in the top three at the most recent US Champs (at the time of the sanctioning of the Team Trials), may make an arrangement to be named to the WOC Team if he/she is course setter for the Team Trials. A maximum of one person (one man or one woman) may be named to the WOC Team in this manner. The position of this candidate in the scoring list (probably, but not necessarily, in the top four) will be by mutual agreement of the candidate and the ESC, and will be announced in the meet invitation. In such a case, this would be considered one of the discretionary berths, and the Review Panel would be allowed to make no more than one additional exception of that gender.

WOC & Exception Eligibility Determination
The Team ESC has the responsibility of determining who is eligible for the US Team, based on citizenship requirements, and who is eligible to submit petitions, based on US Team eligibility, rankings, and championship results. Any questions about who is or is not eligible to submit a petition will be answered by the ESC. The ESC will forward all eligible petitions to the Review Panel.

Grievance Process
The evaluation of petitions and the circumstances described therein will be the sole decision of the Review Panel. In cases where malfeasance or corruption on the part of the Review Panel is alleged, a grievance may be filed with the USOF Grievance Committee, which may call for a new Review Panel to be convened.

Start Rules (ESC)

In 2010, the Start will be in random draw order on each of the three days of races, with a different random draw for each day. This is the same as 2008-2009, but different from the previous several years where seeded starts were used.

The team trials group, and non-team-trials group of M21/F21 competitors will be started in separate times of day.

Note that the start intervals for 2010 are planned to be same as 2007-2009: 1 minute for the sprint, 3 minutes for the middle, and 3 minutes for the long.

Course Length Guidelines (ESC)

Since 2005 we've had written guidelines about the winning times for Team Trails events.

Sprint: ~15 minutes (could be same course for M/F, with say ~14 minutes for men, ~16 mintues for women)
Middle/Short: ~35 minutes for M&F (usually different courses)
Long/Classic: ~90 minutes for M, ~75 minutes for F (must be different courses)

Hitting these times dead on is not as important as setting a good course. If times are within 10%, there should be no complaints. If times are more than 20% off from these targets, there probably will be a few complaints...

Executive Steering Committee

Page by Wyatt Riley - made the 2010 version of this page on 3/13/2010 - minor wording changes consistent with 10/2009 official USOF rules change