okansas.blogspot.com
Occassional thoughts about orienteering


Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Thinking about rules

 

Here are three general things I think about when I'm thinking about rules:

1. In general, fewer rules is better than more.

2. It can be useful to think about the opposite of a proposed rule and think about the effects.

If your employer requires you to get formal permission before spending more than $500, the opposite of the rule would be to prohibit you from getting permission before spending more than $500. Does the opposite of the rule substantially change the situation? In this case, I think it does.

If orienteering required following other orienteers, would that change the nature of the sport? Well, yeah, it'd completely change the sport.

In the context of the rules about GSP, the opposite of the rule is to require runners to wear GPS watches. Does that substantially change orienteering? I think it does not.

3. If you were starting from scratch, would you create the rule?

If you started a new business, would you require employees to seek permission before spending $500? You might. Or maybe you'd require permission at a higher (or lower) threshold. Or maybe you'd randomly follow up on purchases and make sure they were appropriate after the fact.

If you invented orienteering, would you have a rule about GPS watches? I wouldn't, but reasonable people might.

You can use these three ideas to think about all sorts of rules. Rules about doping or following mapping standards or providing child care at O' events, and so on. It doesn't necessarily give me an answer about whether or not to have a rule, but it helps me think through it.

Back to okansas.blogspot.com.

posted by Michael | 7:26 PM

5 comments


Comments:
It's interesting to see all the comments on various web sites regarding the new IOF rule. What is so sad is that IOF has instituted a rule wich really makes no sense. The rule only applies to WRE events and the like. Runners competing at that level would not benefit from trying to cheat using a GPS. Navigation and runing at that level happens so fast that using a GPS will simply be way to slow. Cheating using a GPS only makes sense for someone who usually finishes 1 hour or more behind the winner. Who cares if someone will make themself into a cheat in order to advance from number 67 to 65.
 
In general, I don't think you should have many rules that apply ONLY to certain events.

Michael
 
Cheating using a GPS only makes sense for someone who usually finishes 1 hour or more behind the winnerNot true. Anyone could find useful having a screen with arrow pointing to control & distance left. Especially if uncertain or about to making mistake. That's what current gps units can do with +- 10 meter accuracy.
 
Jagge, then you assume that the person in question would have access to the coordinates of the controls prior to the race i.e. have access to a map with controls. If that is the case I think the GPS is the lesser problem when it comes to breaking the rules and sportmanship in general.
 
We have long history of smuggling maps from forest to late startes, taking controls in wrong order (pin punching years) and copying pin punches with safety pins. And making shortcuts trough out of bounds areas, even in WOC level we have recently seen weird splits, a medalist must have either had motorcycle or have made shortcut (or Sport Ident system is not good enoug to be used for orienteering). Take your pick. It is not that bad idea to erase some cheating possibilities if it can be easily done without much harm. With this perspective banning running with big screens in front of noses is not so bad idea.

You know, it is really not that difficult for an early starter to take splits and smuggle the same device to late starter or drop somewhere to be picked up. The early starter might even simply just ask some organizer to take the unit to the late starter by saying he forgot to take it, might sometimes work if we openly think its just ok to use these.
 
Post a Comment
March 2002April 2002May 2002June 2002July 2002August 2002September 2002October 2002November 2002December 2002January 2003February 2003March 2003April 2003May 2003June 2003July 2003August 2003September 2003October 2003November 2003December 2003January 2004February 2004March 2004April 2004May 2004June 2004July 2004August 2004September 2004October 2004November 2004December 2004January 2005February 2005March 2005April 2005May 2005June 2005July 2005August 2005September 2005October 2005November 2005December 2005January 2006February 2006March 2006April 2006May 2006June 2006July 2006August 2006September 2006October 2006November 2006December 2006January 2007February 2007March 2007April 2007May 2007June 2007July 2007August 2007September 2007October 2007November 2007December 2007January 2008February 2008March 2008April 2008May 2008June 2008July 2008August 2008September 2008October 2008November 2008December 2008January 2009February 2009March 2009April 2009May 2009June 2009July 2009August 2009September 2009October 2009November 2009December 2009January 2010February 2010March 2010April 2010May 2010June 2010July 2010August 2010September 2010October 2010November 2010December 2010January 2011February 2011March 2011April 2011May 2011June 2011July 2011August 2011September 2011October 2011November 2011December 2011January 2012February 2012March 2012April 2012May 2012June 2012July 2012August 2012September 2012October 2012November 2012December 2012January 2013March 2013April 2013May 2013July 2013September 2013
archives
links