Planner's Comments - Tim FowlerOverall, it was a very positive day. I seemed to have got the distances and technical difficulty about right for all competitors, and the feedback at the end (from those that I talked to) was good. It was great to see such a wide range of competitor ability - from novice to national standard, and from young to, well, not so young! It has reinforced my belief and enthusiasm for local events in orienteering. I attempted to avoid as many nettles and rough terrain as possible, but some areas just couldn't be avoided. The longer courses that used the North-East and North-West corners of the forest will have enjoyed the relative smoothness and better runnability.I was slightly disappointed to have so few Red runners - but those that did run the Red I hope you enjoyed it! It is a disproportionate effort to plan and site a Red course versus the number of competitors that use it; however, I do believe that it is an essential course to plan, as it is a good entry-point for fit runners that lack the advanced orienteering skills and yet have a high standard of athletic ability. Only minor problems were encountered on the day. One was due to the radio orienteering EMIT control that was unfortunately sited too close to our Control 102 (used on Brown as control 17) and was hence mispunched by 3 competitors. Thankfully, after a visit to the site by the Controller, the 3 runners were reinstated. In future, if radio and foot orienteering are to continue to co-exist at same events, then better liaison is a must, particularly in the few days prior to the event. Thanks are due to Terry Smith (Controller) for his patience, support and advice during the frequent trips to the forest prior to the day, and also for his help and guidance on the day itself. And to Roy Heselden who took the challenge of Organiser with aplomb and professionalism. And finally to all the competitors - thanks for coming!!
Controller's Comments - Terry SmithOn behalf of all competitors, I'd like to say a big thank you to the BADO team who provided a very enjoyable event at Micheldever.Roy Heselden did a grand job co-ordinating the dedicated band of BADO helpers who helped you park cars, register, start, finish, find refreshments and download ecards. The String Course team provided additional challenges for the more junior runners (and some rather yummy looking sweets!). All these activities just seemed to work and no issues came to my attention. This is a good sign and reflects the forethought and effort of the individuals involved. Thank you all. Tim Fowler provided some challenging courses within the constraints of the mapped area. Previously we have been able to enjoy the rather more contoured area south of the road at the southern end of the map. Unfortunately that area was not available to this event. This, combined with significant out of bounds areas between the start and finish, the line of the M3 and the general shape of the map provided some interesting challenges in setting stimulating and varied courses within the guidelines. The Colour Standards and winners times generally compare favourably with the Time Range for "most" competitors on most courses, though Orange and Light Green times seem a little long. This is the first time I have Controlled an event running concurrently with a separate Radio "O" event, an activity not covered by BOF. As Tim notes, three competitors on the Brown course punched a control (code 107) hidden in the north end of the same holly thicket where foot-O control 102 was placed. The control description for 102 indicated it was at the south end of the thicket. However, given the small size (approx 8 - 10m) of the mapped feature and the similarity of the two control codes, I thought it unreasonable to disqualify competitors. I am aware that other competitors also found the Radio control but noted the difference in control codes and then found the correct control. I hope no one's run was spoilt by this. Thanks to those of you who brought this to my attention in a gracious manner. I spent time with the Radio-O team and now have a better understanding of their sport. I have no doubt that the two activities can run together in harmony to our mutual advantage. Better and earlier communications will help and I have noted the lessons for next time! The sun shone, there seemed to be many compliments for the BADO team (justly deserved) and every one I spoke to seemed to have enjoyed the day. Thanks to you all for coming!
Organiser's Comments - Roy HeseldenThanks to you the competitors for turning out in such numbers and apologies that we underestimated the quantities of overprinted maps required for some courses (not to mention registration slips). Despite this, I hope everyone enjoyed their orienteering on what turned out to be a glorious summer’s day. String course participation was particularly heartening .. many thanks to Ian Symes & family for running this event. We also had interest from more senior beginners; thanks to Peter Billingshurst for ad-hoc ‘O’ tutorial to this group.Thanks to all BADO helpers for ‘getting stuck-in’ and making the day work and to EMIT (Jerry) for his usual immaculate service. Special thanks to planner Tim Fowler for his considerable efforts, which produced excellent courses. Thanks also to Controller Terry Smith for invaluable and constructive ‘guidance’ during the last few weeks and on the day. Lost Property: 1 small compass. Contact Roy Heselden ( ) or Phone: 01256 704709 |
Results by Emit UK
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