Discussion: WOC Selection Races: 5-6 June

A whole bunch of European countries had 2021 WOC selection races in the Czech Republic over the past weekend.

Results and pictures here

The Swedes did rather well.

Thanks for linking those. Interesting set of results. Big fields!

The Swedish WOC team is now selected.
Looks pretty strong - especially on the Women´s side

https://orienteringsmagasinet.se/artiklar/h%C3%A4r...

I am amazed at how much the Swedes dominated those races! Very impressive. Does anyone have any info on why they might have dominated so strongly? Have they been doing extra prep in the terrain this past year?

They started last in the middle. Lots of tracks in the thick forest by then.

Also they are just very good.

Maybe it's the coaching. And Tove.

I don't think those were selection races for most teams other than SWE, more like training camp race for already selected athletes. That doesn't make SWE team performance less impressive (maybe the opposite?), but it explains why there is so many Swedes.

Sort of selection races for UK. With covid, it wasn't possible to get everyone to run the same race without 2 weeks of quarantine (i.e. no training). So athletes living in Europe ran here. Selectors picked the team based on what info they could get. Don't envy them that job.

AJ, on paper the Middle terrain bears a surprising resemblance to French Creek terrain, although the photos and heights in the control description indicate the rock features might be larger.
Any validity to this comparison?

I didn’t see that at first, but maybe a bit, in isolated sections.

And on that note, I’ll suggest that 13-14 is Ridley and the area a bit to the east is Warwick. What do you think about that EricW?

I ran in French Creek and those bland Czech areas like the middle - it is quite similar, and the point features are mainly "things to find" not "things to navigate by", and relocation is hard. The sandstone terrain for the long course is totally different IIRC.
No greenbriar though!

Swedish results may have been affected because they were actually racing to make the team. Also a late start in the Midde is a possible reason on the other hand they started first in the Long.

@j-man- 13-14 on the Men's Middle?
If so, I think I get the Ridley reference, but I don't understand "Warwick" to the east.

When I reference "French Creek terrain" above, I'm intending it broadly, which would include DVOA's core terrains, from Warwick in the south, north through FC, especially FCE, and Mt Penn, and definitely including Lehigh-South Mtn.

Also, I'm intending this comparison to apply broadly to all the Czech WOC Middle model/ training areas I've seen over the last weeks, not just this "Swedish" venue.
Besides more characteristic stony ground, some other maps have included brown triangles, with which we are quite familiar.
Are these Czech charcoal terraces, or something else?
The "Swedish" terrain included this symbol in a mini legend, but I didn't spot any on the map.

Apologies to non-DVOA ers for this indulgence.

Re: Extra preparations - Yes, the Swedish team spent around two weeks (I think) training in similar terrain before the races and some of them will spend even more time in Czech before WOC. Tove goes for high altitude training in Austria.

Is Tove close to being in an Annichen K-like class by herself, physically?

Probably better and definitely more allround considering her many different sports.

Had I known team-DVOA was going to turn this into discussion of my 2nd least favourite US map I would never have posted!

What's your least favourite US map? I wish to discuss that one too.

I'll post on my log, keep the focus on pre-WOC prep here.

Just love those czarcoal burning terraces. In the same league as Australian native czerry trees.