I was trying to think if there might be an alternate angle on the incidents faced by Judith and me.

I guess one argument might be that a recognised skill in orienteering is that you can navigate regardless of external distractions. In other words, members of the public or even other competitors will always talk to you, so you might as well develop some coping mechanisms.

When I was approached by Steve in Wales, I wasn’t really angry with him at all - just frustrated that I was too exhausted to think straight and deal with the situation. Perhaps it might turn out that the ability to remain focussed (whatever the environment throws at you) is just a basic skill that everyone needs in order to enjoy orienteering to the full. This line of argument might lead you to the conclusion that there is no point in blaming others if orienteering makes you feel frustrated. :)

I think it is valid to blame other orienteers for actively taking the decision to disrupt another’s navigation, whether by distracting or “helping”. Fellow orienteers can be expected to have more understanding of the sport than members of the public. We might also hope that they have some knowledge of the rules and would choose not to break them.

Of course, external distractions will always occur. Probably the most common situation is being in the vicinity of a control at the same time as other competitors. This is unavoidable and often gives the control away, though not always. As Rob says, the skill is to focus. But we should not have to deal with deliberate distractions from fellow orienteers.