What Is A National Ranking Event (NRE)?
"National Ranking Event" is the current OUSA¹ name for what was previously called an "A-meet". We sometimes continue to use the old name for convenience.
The designation "NRE" is given to the highest-quality orienteering events. In order to receive such a designation, the event must be sanctioned by Orienteering USA (OUSA). There is a variety of criteria that must be met in order for OUSA to give its approval, both in terms of the courses offered and in terms of the organization of the event.
- Technically, an NRE is a one-day event, but the term is often used to refer to all of a multi-day event. That is how the term is used below.
Across the country, there are perhaps twenty NREs a year. Many people travel great distances to attend an NRE. Indeed, out-of-town entrants for BAOC NREs generally make up at least one-third of the total number of entrants. OUSA maintains a ranking system whereby competitors can compare themselves to other competitors across the country. Only NRE courses count towards the rankings.
Usually NREs cover two or more days. One standard format is to have two days of competition, with the final event standings based on each competitor's total time for the two days. (The OUSA rankings are still based on the individual days.) Another common format is to have a three-day event with Sprint courses, Middle courses, and Long courses on the individual days. (See What are Sprint, Middle, and Long Courses?) Other formats are possible.
Generally speaking, when a club maps a new area of good quality, it will then hold an NRE on that terrain. Partly to offset the cost of making new maps (and as an acknowledgement of the higher event quality), entrance fees for NREs are higher than those for local events (though still lower than a typical "big" running race).
Preregistration is required for NREs, often with phased deadlines and increasing fees. Start times for each event are assigned in advance, and the start procedure is more formal than at a local event, to make the event run smoothly. (See below for more information about what to expect at an NRE.)
By all means, do not be intimidated by the extra formality of an NRE, nor by the fact that many out-of-town people attend. NREs still accommodate orienteers of all abilities and inclinations. Everyone can benefit from the extra-high quality—for instance, many BAOC members (ages 7 to 80+!) attend the annual U.S. Championships (the pinnacle of U.S. orienteering) wherever they are held. Even if you don't wish to travel around the country to attend NREs, you should make every effort possible to attend the NREs that BAOC hosts. These are opportunities not to be missed!
- Note: In order to serve people who don't want to participate in the competition, most NREs offer recreational courses. Those courses generally differ from the NRE courses in the following ways: only White, Yellow, and perhaps Orange courses are offered; the fees are lower; preregistration might not be available (register at the event); and start times are not pre-assigned. The recreational courses provide a way for beginners to orienteering to experience an NRE without the possible stress associated with "competing".
As one of the larger clubs in the United States, BAOC usually puts on one or two NREs per year. (Sometimes a BAOC NRE will be a U.S. Championship event.) In addition, BAOC puts on many "local events" for which the courses often meet the standards of NRE quality—such events are called "B-meets". Other events, with non-standard formats or with a more casual approach to the event, are called "C-meets".
First NRE?
If you have never been to an NRE, you might want to know what to expect. Here are the main differences from a local event that you might notice (details can vary for specific NREs):
- Advance registration will be available (and encouraged or even required), and there will be a deadline for doing that.
- If event-day registration is available, you will have to pay significantly higher fees to do that.
- An event T-shirt might be available for purchase (but often only through preregistration).
- An event dinner might be offered, usually on Saturday evening.
- A map of the competition area (without any course) might be available for purchase in advance.
- Your "official" course is determined by your gender and age. However, you can register for an "open" class if you don't want to run your "official" course. (Note that your "orienteering age" is the current year minus your birth year—that is, your "orienteering age" goes up on January 1.)
- You will have a race bib that must be worn on your front.
- You will have an assigned start time. (If you are late, it will be very inconvenient for the officials, and you might have to wait a long time for an open slot. Also, for some events your course time begins at your assigned time, regardless of when you actually start.)
- You will be called to the Start a few minutes before your actual start time—please do not be late. (Be sure to read the event notes to know how much in advance people will be called up at the Start.)
- You probably will not receive the control descriptions (aka clue sheet) before you are called up at the Start.
- You will be told to write your name or bib number on the back of your map. That's done so you'll be able to retrieve it after surrendering it at the Finish (see below).
- You must not look at the map before you start. You can ask a Start official to verify that you have the correct map.
- You might or might not punch a START unit, as directed by the Start official.
- You might have to surrender your map at the Finish. That's done so you can't show it to anyone who hasn't yet started. (The collected maps will be spread out for retrieval after the last person has started.)
- Awards will given to the top three finishers in each competition class. (The awards can range from trinkets to fancy medals.)
- Lastly, you will be encouraged to volunteer to help at the event. Oh, that's not different than a local event, is it? Seriously, the administration of an NRE is much more labor intensive than for a local event because of the high standards that must be met. Thus, everyone who can pitch in will be very much appreciated. (Also, when you're at the event, please remember to thank the volunteers you encounter.)
Fair-Play Policy
Please remember the following guidelines for making the competition fair to everyone:
- This is an individual competition—do not work together.
- Following somebody is cheating.
- Asking for help to determine one's location, or to find a control, is cheating.
- Giving help to others is cheating.
- Cheating can result in disqualification.
- You must stop to help injured competitors. (If you stop in such a situation, you can request being classified Sporting Withdrawal [SPW] for your course.)
- Don't go through areas marked as out-of-bounds.
- Don't stay out on the course longer than the announced course time limit (generally 1 hour for a Sprint, 2 hours for a Middle, and 3 hours for a Long course).
General Comments
Currently, all NREs use SPORTident (SI) electronic punching (E-punch). Make certain that you "clear" and "check" your E-stick before you report at the Start. Here are links to information about using E-punch:
As at all events, be sure to check in at the Finish, even if you do not complete your course. Do not leave the event without notifying officials that you are off the course.
More information about NREs is available here.
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¹ Orienteering USA (OUSA), formerly known as the United States Orienteering Federation (USOF), is the national governing body for orienteering in the United States. Founded on August 1, 1971, it is recognized by both the International Orienteering Federation and the United States Olympic Committee. (ref. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orienteering_USA))