If the description on the previous page is a bit too informal for you, here’s a more formal definition of what a score event is. The format relates to the course itself and not the terrain or scale of event.
Score orienteering challenges competitors to maximise a points score within a pre-defined running time. At the start they receive a map with the start, finish and a number of controls marked on it. Each control will earn competitors a stated number of points for visiting it, which may be different for different controls. Competitors need to consider three things when choosing their route:
- which of the available controls to visit (it should not be possible to visit all within the time limit)
- what order to visit the selected controls in
- the best route choice between each selected control and the next
It is almost certain that competitors will deviate from their original plan during a race, either cutting out some of their intended controls to finish within the time limit or adding new ones if there is time available towards the end.
Finishing outside the time limit for a score event does not result in disqualification, instead competitors are penalised in the form of a deduction from the points total gained through visiting controls. This penalty should always outweigh any potential benefit from visiting extra controls if significant additional time is taken.