GPHXO_JOM-O

GPHXO JOM-O ("Just One Map" Orienteering)
General Description

(This page provides a general description of the Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club's JOM-O events. The information here is general and may or may not apply to any specific event. Please see the individual event webpage for details of your specific event.)

Summary:

The JOM-O is a combined foot and bike Score-O orienteering event, where each competitor decides if and how to combine foot and bike orienteering in order to get the best total score. Depending on your viewpoint and preference, this event can be a variation of adventure racing, a variation of a Score-O mini-ROGAINE.or a traditional Mountain Bike Orienteering (Bike-O) event.

During a Score-O, participants take up to a designated time limit (usually 1 to 4 hours) to search for control points indicated on a pre-printed orienteering map. Controls points are assigned different point values based on the distance they are located from the starting point and on the navigation difficulty. Participants are not required to follow a set course but instead try to maximize their point total through their own route choice.

What makes the JOM-O different from our usual Score-O course is the fact that the map combines a traditional Bike-O course and a Score-O map into one. The Bike-O control points are all located along established trails, while the Score-O points are usually off-trail. Most combined bike/foot navigation races--such as adventure racing--have separate segments for bike orienteering and foot orienteering. Unlike traditional adventure racing formats, however, in a JOM-O YOU DECIDE WHEN AND HOW TO COMBINE FOOT ORIENTEERING WITH BIKE ORIENTEERING. You can do the whole course on foot, the whole course on a Bike, or any combination of the two in any order--whatever gets you the most points within the JOM-O course time limit. Every competitor receives a score-o point total based on the control points visited--regardless of whether they were visited on foot or on a bike.

This event usually begins with a mass start, with all competitors having the same start time. Scoring and scoring penalties follow the guidelines established for the event, usually with a 10 point-per-minute penalty for being over the assigned course time limit.

MOUNTAIN BIKERS NOTE: The JOM-O format allows a rider to complete a traditional Bike-O course that uses ONLY on-trail control points. That is, there is no off-trail navigation required, and you shouldn't have to get off your bike. Since the traditional Bike-O racing strategy is quite different than the off-trail navigation, the JOM-O also includes a special Bike-O scoring category for the benefit of mountain bike racers

Bike-O Scoring category

  • To get a Bike-o scoring time, visit all of the on-trail Bike-O controls (shown as a double circle on the map) within the JOM-O time limit. The person with the shortest completion time wins
  • You can get time subtracted from your Bike-o scoring by visiting any of the off-trail control points that are also shown on your map (the single magenta circles). Details appear below:

This special category is intended for people wanting to follow a traditional Bike-O race, but with a slight twist. In traditional Bike-O, the control point markers are placed on existing trails. Bikers should not need to get off of their bike to punch a scorecard--there is no need to drop their bikes to find off-trail markers. The challenge is not in precision navigation, but rather to select the best route to visit all of the control points as fast as possible (Note that this format is different than many previous GPHXO events, where the Bike-O control points were set off-trail). This sub-event uses a score-o format, so that controls can be visited in any order.

To qualify for a Bike-o scoring time, the competitor or team must visit ALL of the Bike-O designated control points within the overall JOM-O time limit. These are the control points that are marked with a double circle on the control point (control points 10 and 20 in the figure shown below). There is no requirement that you visit all of the controls on the bike--you can choose to visit them on foot as well. As long as all the Bike-o controls are punched on your scorecard, then you qualify for a Bike-O score. As noted above, EVERYONE will receive a JOM-O score that is a total for all control points visited: this is an additional scoring category that should appeal to mountain bikers. The person or team that visits all of the mandatory bike-o controls in the shortest time wins!

Now for the twist, which adds another dimension to Bike-O strategy: JOM-O gives the mountain bikers the opportunity to reduce their overall time by also visiting off-trail control points. The time subtracted from the score is in proportion to the point value for the control point: for every 10 points earned, 2 minutes will be subtracted from your time. For example, using the figure below, suppose you are at control point 20 and realize that you are close to the off-trail point 45 (worth 40 points). You can chose to leave your bike, and upon punching #45, you will have 8 minutes (40 points x 2min/10points = 8 min) subtracted from your Bike-o time. The benefit becomes clear: if you can successfully navigate to point 45 and back in less than 8 minutes, then you help your score time. This is often easy to do if you make no navigation mistakes--which is where your skill and racing strategy enter in.

example map with controls
To qualify for the Bike-O timing score, you must visit ALL of the "on-trail" control points indicated on the map by the double circle (e.g. points 10 and 20). You can improve your timing score by optionally visiting off-trail control points, such as control points 45 and 32. Off-trail control points are indicated by a single magenta circle

Here are a few scoring rules for the case where a Bike-O competitor goes over the JOM-O time limit:

  • In the event that a competitor is over the JOM-O time limit, but has additional off-trail scoring credit, the Score-O penalty of 10 minutes will be applied first; Then:
  • If there is remaining off-trail scoring credit, then the scoring time will be the JUM-O score-o limit (e.g. 4 hours) minus 2 minutes per every 10 points of remaining off-trail credit; OR
  • If there is no remaining credit, then the competitor or team is Overtime (OT) in this category

Categories:

Results for the Score-O are separated into the following categories:

  • M (open male)
  • F (open female)
  • TM (all male team)
  • TF (all female team)
  • TX (mixed male and female team)