Maze-O is growing worldwide and during the weekend 17th -18th of March at the General Assembly of the Swedish Orienteering Federation (SOFT) the delegates had the opportunity to try Maze-O. They were “running” four courses with different difficulties (green, blue, red and black) and using EMIT touch free punching system.
The maps on the front page and information about World Orienteering Day on the back page. It’s great to use the back page of the map for promotion, information or as a Diploma.
Maze-O is a really great tool to use when you want to introduce orienteering or to promote our sport. Together with a normal O-event, outside the club hut, close to the gymnasium at school or at shopping centre you have a lot of opportunities to get people running in a maze. All of them, young or old, enjoy the activity.
Maze-O or ”Orient Show” was started by the Russian orienteer Maxim Ryabkin more than 14 years ago. He saw the opportunity to add a new format to the traditional orienteering to get more attention from media and spectators. His vision about “Orient Show” was built on the fundamental ideas as follows:
• It is a way to present orienteering as a spectacular sport for media and introducing orienteering to new groups of the population.
• Spectators can watch and follow actions of professional orienteers under competitive conditions in real time, all the way from start to finish.
• A chance for everyone to get involved. Everyone can find controls in the competition area without any special technical and physical abilities.
Orient Show, Maze-O or Super Sprint, many names for a great activity, are very useful to set up in a small area. During larger event as 10-MILA in Falun, O-Ringen in Sälen and Arvika, part of indoor event in Latvia the organisers showed people how you can organise a great event in a simple manner. You can build your own terrain in the school yard and change it whenever you want. Great training to practice orienteering with your own map, or using the concept “Red-to-Red”! Or just for fun! Students will run again and again and again…