SLOWprint 145

October 2003

 

 

South London Orienteers and Wayfarers Annual General Meeting

will be held on

Tuesday 25 November 2003 at the Hawker Centre : 8PM

(See back page)

 

http://sloweb.org.uk/

 

Chair: Chris Robinson,   :	Secretary: Don McKerrow,   :	Ladies’ Captain: Karen Jones,   :
Treasurer: Liz Armitage,   :	Mapping Officer, SEOA Rep. and Fixtures Secretary: Andy Robinson,   :	Club Kit: Teresa Turner,
Men’s Captain: Peter Huzan,   :	Publicity Officer: Paul Canham,   :paul.canham@btinternet.com	Social Secretary: Vicky Robb,   :
Membership Secretary: Ginny Catmur,   :	Beginners’ Rep. and Training Officer: Heather Walton,   :	Equipment Officer: Chris Fry,   :
Archivist: Sue Lumas,   (020-8949-6765	SLOWprint Editor: Sarah Brown,   :	Webmaster: Andrew Trimble,   :

 

Copy date for Issue 146 will be December 03. Letters, event reports, articles, cartoons, gossip, scandal, notices, small ads, court circulars, births, deaths and marriages should be posted to Sarah Brown (address above); electronic copies via e-mail are particularly welcome.

 

New Members: If you are new to SLOW, you might not know about ... Training:

PLEASE  READ about our winter season .

 

HOT PICKS    pages 10 & 11      WINTER CLUB TRAINING  pages 8 & 9

 

FUTURE TEAM EVENTS  page 12     AGM   page 16

 

 

            … and Transport: we can organise lifts to events: ring any of the club’s officers, as listed above, and one of us will sort this out for you.

 

 

 

Yvette Baker Trophy success

 

We kicked off the new season in great style at Richmond Park on 12 October when SLOW juniors romped to victory in the regional final of the Yvette Baker Trophy.  Congratulations to all who competed and to Team Manager Heather Walton and Captain Pete for organising the team.  This was a very good event, planned by John Dowty, organised by Ginny Catmur and controlled by David May; the sun shone and our publicity drive resulted in lots of newcomers turning up and having a very pleasant first orienteering experience.  Next stop The Final in Norfolk on 7 December.  I hope ALL SLOW juniors will compete in this, as everybody contributes to the team; even those who don't score points help the team effort by providing solid back-up so there is less pressure on those who do score.  And it's more fun if there are a lot of us - remember last year's final when we made more noise than any other club?  The more the merrier literally.

 

A large turn-out also made the Coaching Day on 19 October go with a swing.  Huge thanks again to Heather Walton for organising and Chris Fry for planning the day, attended by SLOW and Guildford juniors and adults.  This was held on White Downs near Effingham, an area which Mole Valley very kindly lent to us for the day.

 

Phew what a scorcher!

And can you remember back to the long, hot summer?  Given this is traditionally the orienteering close season, there was a lot of activity:

 

·        nearly fifty SLOW members took part in the fabulous Scottish 6-Day

·        James McMillan attended the BOF junior training week in Scotland

·        Trail Challenge races held on new Ham Riverside map and in Richmond Park

·        Orienteering holidays in France, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland for various SLOWies

·        Club Champs on Holmwood and BBQ chez Turner

·        in 35^o+ temperatures, Alan Leakey and I tried (without success) to entice kids out of the shade to try orienteering in the Battersea Park youth summer scheme

·        at the World Orienteering Championships, our most famous member, Heather Monro, came 10^th  in Middle 14^th in Long, with her best run in the relay pulling GB up to 6^th - a podium place.

 

Back to the future

As the heat and sun go down, we are organising a series of monthly club evenings and street orienteering on Tuesdays, at various venues throughout autumn and winter.  Please support these evenings: they are excellent training as they improve your decision-making and route planning skills; enjoyable social occasions; and a good opportunity to learn by discussing your triumphs and disasters at the previous Sunday's race.

 

Your support is also needed in December when SLOW is organising the Southern Night Championships and the OK Nuts Trophy - please volunteer to help.

 

I hope also to see you at the AGM on 25 November at the Hawker Centre in Kingston and at SLOW's Hot Picks - the best races coming up.

 

But most of all I'm looking forward to seeing our juniors perform at the top junior team competition of the year - the Yvette Baker Trophy National Final.  7 December.  Be there.                                 

 Chris Robinson 

 Chair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the following new members

 

Mark Glover (M21),   Bromley, Kent   

Kjell Tullus (M50),  , London W14  ;

Sudhakar Datar (M65),   Hampton, Middx  ;

David Harrison (M35),  Raynes Park, London SW20 ;

Changes of address

Ran and Erica Geffen:  , Tooting, London SW17  

James Morris:

The Watson family:

Alistair Irvine:  , Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey KT2   

Simon Miles:

Nicky King:

Mike Garvin:  . London SW1P  

Mal Lyon:

Stephen Robinson and Vicki Saward,  , Surbiton, Surrey KT5  

Corrections to addresses : Jim Mallinson Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset  TA8 ; (Jim checks his e-mail only occasionally, so better to phone: 01278 784 714)

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did it!  SLOW Juniors have won a place in the Yvette Baker Trophy National Final (a national junior inter-club Competition) turning the tables on rivals, Southdowns Orienteers, in the Regional Heat.  The winning margin was close, 893 to 887, with Guildford not far behind with 877 points.  Individual course winners for SLOW were Ralph Street, Ali McKerrow and Chris Wroe.   There were second places for James McMillan, Michael May, Charles McMillan, Alex Robinson and Anna Steinitz, with Katherine Skingsley in third place completing the scoring team.  Congratulations to everybody who took part - even those who did not score helped the team effort by providing great back-up.  A particular mention to Greg Street whose excellent performance on yellow just behind Alex Robinson meant we were safe to run Charles McMillan up on the orange which in turn got us valuable 2^nd place points.  It was also great to see several more young SLOW juniors on the yellow and white having a go – a good sign for the future. Next stop - the National Final! (See Captain’s report).

 

We have also just had a coaching day on White Downs (with a bit of spontaneous tree climbing and wigwam building thrown in).  We had the biggest participation ever.  Many thanks to Chris Fry for planning and to all those who turned up to help.  It was great to see the Hanson, King and Ashforth families all new to SLOW.  A group of the girls featured with Ralph Street and Jenny Steinitz in the winning ‘odds and evens’ relay team.

 

I hope you have all been enjoying some orienteering trips over the summer.  Congratulations to James Haynes winner overall of M10A at the Scottish 6 days, Ralph Street 3^rd overall on M14A, Robert Jones 6^th overall on M12B, Ali McKerrow 4^th overal on W18B and to James McMillan 5^th on M14A on day 1.  Particularly excellent given the large entry.  Good to see the above plus Greg Street, Matthew Jones and Charles McMillan taking part in a Scottish 6 days for the first time alongside 6 day ‘veterans’ Georgia and Alex Roach and Michael May.  Congratulations also to Matthew Jones 4^th on M10B at the Caddihoe Chase along with Robert Jones (1^st on M12B) and Michael May (3^rd on M14A).

 

So was this where the junior competition was at this summer?  Or was it the Club championship on Holmwood Common?  Congratulations to Ralph Street and Michael May 1^st and 2^nd Juniors on the B course and Anna and Jenny Steinitz 1^st and 2^nd Juniors on the C course.  Or was it the super-sprint with mini-controls in the Turners’ garden?  Thomas Jones was not satisfied with just doing the course once, but went on to set several personal bests and set up other juniors Greg, Michael and Ralph to do the same.  Several repeat circuits later and many changes in the leader, the winning personal best from Ralph was only just over a minute.  Jamie Stevenson eat your heart out, there are some new kids on the block who really know what sprinting is about!

Heather Walton

 

 

 

These are very exciting times for our juniors with special events and competitions.  These small stepping stones can lead to selection for regional squads and then opportunities for  National tours as James McMillan details below. But first........

            Yvette Baker Trophy Final - December 7th
                                        ----------------------------------------
Congratulations to all of the junior team at the regional round at Richmond Park, and Heather as on-the-day manager. We have now qualified for the national final at High Ash, near Thetford, Norfolk. This is the best junior orienteering event in Britain. Juniors are the focus of the day, while adults have to take a back seat!

The scoring is the same as for the regional round. This means that you can still compete on a course appropriate to your ability (based on whether you have achieved a gold badge), not just your age. The courses are from Yellow to Green, & young non-gold juniors can compete in pairs on the yellow. So that means you can have a valuable run for the team, without too much pressure - our best nine juniors count.

I would like as many juniors as possible to come along. This is a great occasion for the SLOW juniors & we should make the most of our opportunity to mix it with the other teams from around the country. My ideal is for all of the club's juniors to be there - you will all enjoy it! And you can all make a contribution to the team's success.

The club will pay the entry fees. We are also considering hiring a (subsidised) coach to take us there. So please contact Pete Huzan () as soon as you can to say whether you will be able to come along, & whether you like the idea of travelling by coach.

Best wishes
Pete Huzan   (SLOW captain)

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Lagganlia Report

 

 

One Saturday in July four people boarded the Hogwarts’ Express at London’s King’s Cross station travelling north to Edinburgh where we changed trains.  At various intermediate stations we were joined by other like minded young people until 37 of us arrived in Aviemore.  We split into the Glenmore group (1^st year M/W 16) and the Lagganlia group (2^nd year M/W 14).

 

As you may by now have guessed, Lagganlia is a training camp in the Highlands of Scotland which is taken over each summer by the British Orienteering Federation for a week.  They then invite a group of fourteen year old orienteers who have the potential to do well at international level to attend for training and it is used for the selection of a smaller group of people in the Start Squad, an even more elite group.  Our leaders met us and drove us off to Lagganlia, which the website describes as “an idyllic environment for those looking for an outdoor adventure break in the peace and tranquillity of the Cairngorms.”  Although on first sight it appeared to be a collection of huts in the middle of nowhere – by the end of the week we called it “home” and the middle of nowhere turned out to be fantastic orienteering terrain.

 

In just six days we had a lot of fun and learnt a huge amount from our coaches and from each other.  Having never orienteered in Scotland before I was at a distinct disadvantage and as a result my first few days were a steep learning curve.  However, soon I was through this difficult patch and quickly gained confidence in the new terrain, so different from our beloved Wimbledon Common.  We probably ran around 7-10 km per day for 6 days, in a variety of exercises; control pick, attack points, boulder dash (a complicated game in which luck was the key factor) and relocation to name but a few.

 

The food at Lagganlia was brilliant and, throughout the afternoon, people were scrounging cakes and chocolate in the kitchen to make up for the energy loss that they had suffered earlier.  We had FIVE meals a day and these were breakfast, lunch (occasionally packed), tea, dinner and supper.  As you can imagine there was a stampede of children from their huts at different positions around the site to be the first in the queue.  As a result, the seats in the kitchen were often frequented early on in the day.

 

Despite the rigorous training and eating regimes, there was, surprisingly, a lot of time in which to relax, talk and get into trouble.  These included a ‘holding your arms out’ competition, micro waving an orange (not a pleasant experience) and torturing our group mascot through freezing, soaking and battering until, by the end of the week, his tail was practically coming off.  Of the more angelic activities, basketball, football and rugby were very popular.  Mid week, there was a severely competitive game of rounders between the Glenmore group and the Lagganlia party.  I am still not convinced it was a draw but this soon left my mind when the promise of a barbecue beckoned.

 

On the final day at Lagganlia, we had a ‘romantic candle-lit dinner’ in which boys were unwillingly forced to sit next to girls.  After each course the positions were changed and due to the immense number of boys, we had to take it turns on a boys-only table, dubbed by some “The Gay Bar”.  We were served by our coaches and Ian Marsden made a superb waiter, offering white or red grape juice.  To aid conversation, certain topics were encouraged, such as Tarmac, squirrels or dolphins and soon chatting was issuing around the room.

 

After another good night’s sleep, we packed our bags, said goodbyes and bid farewell to all those who were travelling by minibus to the Scottish 6 day event centre in Forres.  Shortly, my parents arrived and after thanking the coaches I was on my way, leaving behind Lagganlia but much the better for the experience.  The end of the training co-incided with the beginning of the Scottish 6 days and as if I had not had enough by this point, we continued with the competition and put some of our newly learnt skills into practice.  It is amazing how many M/W14s there are once you can recognise them!

 

James McMillan

 

 

 

 

 

SLOW is putting on a club night once a month during the winter. Each evening will be a mix of social where you can meet up with club members and also a night street orienteering event.

What is a street event?

Usually a one hour street O score event where you run round looking for clues that are visible under street lights – eg “Control 1 – name of the pub” and you need to write the answer down. Some control have higher points values. There are points for each correct answer. There may be two courses – short and a long – short could be 45 mins and long 60 minutes.

What does the map look like?

A black and white photocopy on A4 paper – various club members have drawn these over the years – Kingston, Hinchley Wood, Richmond, Putney, Westminster, Guildford, Southfields. The map has a question for each control on the map, usually about 20.

When and where are the events?

Starts from 7pm onwards on the following Tuesday’s

Date Location Organiser

1: November 4^th 2003 Hawker Centre, Lower Ham Road, North Kingston

2: December 15^th 2003 73 Claygate Lane, Hinchley Wood

3: January 6^th 2004 109 Hamilton Avenue, Surbiton

4: February 2nd 2004 54 Ingelow Rd, Battersea

5: March 2^nd 2004 26 Geneva Road, Kingston

6: April 6^th 2004 Christopher Squash Club, Plough Lane, Wimbledon

Go on to the Slow web site and then you can click on the location to see a map and on the organiser name to send an email, otherwise please check the SLOW membership list for phone numbers.

What kit do you need?

Running kit and a pen, you don’t need a headlamp as the event is always under street lamps

Will I be safe?

Most people prefer to run in pairs although you can choose to run on your own if you prefer. You don’t need to bring a partner with you, this is usually arranged when you arrive. Clues are on well lit paths and avoid dark alleyways.

What about the social?

The street event usually starts between 7pm and 8pm, people turn up and start when they can, there is always someone there to give you the map and record the start time. The social side starts from about 8pm, you DON’T have to run, just come and have a chat, pick up coaching tips, analyse your last O race or just join us for a drink. Usually food and drink is provided or sometimes there is a mass exodus to the local takeaway. If we are at a sports centre we use their facilities. The evening usually finishes between 10 and 11pm.

What is the cost?

The event is usually free, if someone is providing food and drink there is usually a small charge. You pay for your own food and drink at a sports centre. The club pays for printing the maps

Who can take part?

Any SLOW member can come but we often join in with Croydon and Mole Valley members as well. Juniors can come as well but it probably suits 14+ best as we don’t finish until about 10pm

When are they?

he events will usually be the first Tuesday of the month running from November until April. From May we will switch over to a summer series of O training in the light. Traditionally the December event has a Christmas theme and the February event usually involves tossing a pancake.

Who holds the maps?

At the moment several club members have maps they have drawn. We would like to start a more organised map stock. If you have an electronic version of the map and a set of questions or even just a good clean paper copy of a street map please could you send it to Andy Robinson.

What about prizes?

There could be a prize for the best runner on each course over the six events but this has not been finalised yet

Are you interested?

If you would like to take part in these fun training / social events please contact the relevant organiser about a week before the event. This helps to plan numbers for the number of maps needed and if food/drink are planned for the social.

Series Coordinator:

Andrew Trimble –

 

 

 

 - Your guide to the best fixtures coming up

At each of these fixtures, SLOW will organise:

·        transport from south west London

·        suggested block of start times so we can all meet up (11.00-12.00)

·        club tent for changing, free coaching - or whatever

 

2 November  November Classic, Burley Lodge, New Forest                 www.hants.gov.uk/soc

Now in its 36^th year, the November Classic is always a goodie; the New Forest is beautiful at this time of year and Burley is one of its best.  This year it's a National Event  and the Southern Championships, organised by Southampton OC.  CD 15/10. No EOD except for wayfarers courses.

Terrain: Mature, mainly deciduous forest and indented hillsides of open forest and heath.

 

Also JOK Chasing Sprint on Saturday 1 November at Hampton Ridge, New Forest. You run two short courses, the second being a chasing start. CD 18/10. This is an exciting format, and worth trying if you have not done so before.     www.jok.org.uk

 

9 November  Long Valley, near Aldershot        www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2227/snbadge2003

Long Valley is a truly great area; it's on the embargoed list for the World Cup races in 2005, so it must be good.  Regional Event (age group courses) organised by Southern Navigators

CD 20/10.  Limited EOD.  Also colour coded courses up to Green.

Terrain: Open heathland and forest with some good runnable areas. Some steep ridges with intricate contour detail. Fast but testing and watch the route choices (hot tip - follow the leat!)

 

16 November  Chigwell Mitre Trophy, Epping Forest East                         www.chig.org.uk This is among the best orienteering terrain in the region - it has been used for international matches.  And it's so close to London.  Plenty of fast beechwood and then vague slower stuff to trap you. Physically and technically challenging.  Regional Event (age group courses), organised by Chigwell.  CD 1/11.  Limited EOD.  Also colour coded courses up to Red & Light Green.

 

30 November  OO Trophy, Heyshott & Ambersham, Sussex            www.go-pages.fsnet.co.uk

This area was used for the British Relay Championships in the 90s and two UK Cup races last year - so that makes it another fast enjoyable area.  Local Event (colour coded courses) at Heyshott & Ambersham Commons, near Midhurst, Sussex, organised by Guildford Orienteers. Enter on the day.

 

14 December  OK NUTS Trophy, Puttenham, near Guildford                    sloweb.org.uk

Mass Start Loop Races and colour coded courses, organised by SLOW.  Guildford Orienteers have been kind enough to loan us Puttenham which is a small, tricky area just right for loop races.

This is SLOW's own event.  Please come along to help AND run.  It is a great way to meet other club members, and also find out how an event works behind the scenes. 

 

Also  on 13 Dec SLOW are putting on the Southern Night Championships at Hankley Common, near Elstead, Surrey.   

To arrange transport, contact Ginny Catmur  

 020 8398 8190  M 07977 142510 

CD = closing date; it may be possible to get a late entry.  EOD = entry on the day available.

 

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RODINGS RALLY a message from Susan Stirling

With apologies to those who already compete in Rodings Rally, I would like to introduce the event to you. Rodings Rally is a night time orienteering competition held in Epping Forest, Essex, each November and this year we are holding it on Saturday 15th November/Sunday 16th November 2003. It will be our 47th Rodings Rally so we  hope know what we are doing.

Competitors start the event from about 8 pm onwards (you will be given your start time when you send your entry form in. There is a 5 checkpoint event and a 10 checkpoint event. You will be given a sheet at the beginning with a clue and 3 grid references for each checkpoint, you need to decide which is the right grid reference to pursue and then its off you go.

You have to do the checkpoints in the order listed and the checkpoints are usually 2 manned tents in the forest where you need to get a signature. The finish point will be High Beach Village Hall. The trophies will be awarded at around 7 am.

For more details, please see our website at  www.communigate.co.uk/london/efog or contact me (Susan Stirling) on 020 8501 3608 or by e-mail on

 

 

 

Autumn/winter is traditionally a quiet time for team events, and even important individual events. However it is a good time to make some 'new season resolutions' that you can work on in these months. Having some goals can provide motivation for training and competing now. Look out for training opportunities with club members, especially training days & weekends. There is a large amount of experience in the club that we should make the most of.

Remember that many of you can make significant contributions to team success. I started counting the number of people who scored for the club, or were one away from scoring, in the Compass Sport Cup recently- I stopped counting at over 65!. Even those whose aspirations are not so high will still find the club very welcoming when it comes to team events. All of the events below will be suitable for people of all abilities (except the Harvester).

March 14 - Compass Sport Cup Regional round - Esher Commons

May 9 - Compass Sport Cup National Final - East Yorkshire (if we win the Regional round)

We can do well in this competition as long as we have a strong turnout. In my first two years as team captain we performed very well in the national final. However in the last two years, we have been beaten by good Southdowns teams in the regional round. It's about time we got to the final again, so I would like everyone in the club to treat this as a major competition next year. Even though "only" 21 people end up counting for the club, having lots of club members contributes greatly to the atmosphere, reduce on-the-day pressure for likely counters, and brings out some surprise counters.

March 21 - British Relay Championships - Northumberland

April 12 - JK Relays - Graythwaite, Lake District (Easter)

May 3 - Bristol OK Relay Event - Forest of Dean (Bank Holiday Monday)

All of these events are associated with one or more individual days & should be highlights of the orienteering calendar. These will make excellent weekends away. The JK in the Lake District will be held on some of the best terrain in England. We had several medal positions at the British and JK last year - the terrain will be more technical this year & will require an emphasis on different orienteering skills. I haven't got more details of the Bristol event yet.

May 15/16 - Harvester Night/Day Relays - Pippingford Park, Sussex

Teams are of size 5 or 7. Given how close to us the event is this year, I hope we can have lots of teams. SLOW has been one of the main supporters of this event over the years. We will need 2-4 night orienteers per team - so look out for opportunities to practice night orienteering this winter. There is a mini-series of events in the south-east. Being able to go out at night may put you in a better team, & improve your team's chances.

May 30 - Scottish Relay Championships - Blair Atholl: We haven't made an appearance at the Scottish Championships recently but it can be quite cheap to fly to Scotland these days.

June - North Downs Way Footpath Relay - Kent/Surrey : Our annual race against other orienteering/running clubs. There are 16 people in a team.

Junior Competitions: The Peter Palmer Night/Day Relays & Yvette Baker Trophy will take place next year. More details in due course

 

 

 

 OK, let’s take them in that order.

 

We’ve just had an absolutely wonderful event in Richmond Park, which combined the regional Yvette Baker Trophy qualifier with a local publicity drive to attract new people. There were just shedloads of things that went right:

-         first and foremost the juniors won. All of them and anyone involved in their coaching sessions over the last two years can take a lot of credit.

-         The publicity leaflet got to lots of places and was really attractive.

-         Plenty of new and occasional local people came along and said how much they enjoyed it.

-         The courses were excellent and well presented on the new “Richmond Park South” map

-         The organisation was immaculate

-         The freebie biro mementoes funded by BOF

-         Parking, registration, start and finish were all really close

-         The weather was brilliant.

So many thanks are due to Ginny, John, David, Chris F and all involved in the preparation.

BUT - you just knew there had to be a ‘but’ in there somewhere, and its this….

Compared to an almost identical event in January 1994, we had less than half the number of people there this time - and that’s despite the YBT status and the publicity drive. Just another indicator of the overall problem that orienteering is facing - see rant section for more.

 

It’s been a while since the last Slowprint, so we’ll gallop through the other credits.

 

20 July. Frolic on Ham Riverside from the Hawker Centre. Planner - Frank Lyness. SportIdent - Gavin Andrews. Organiser - Nigel Saker. An event with changing showers food and a bar! Magic!

 

The last 2 race of the Trail Challenge Series:  2 July - from the Hawker Centre    29 July. Richmond Park.  Neither was too well attended but enough to make us believe we’re plugging away on the right lines.

 

The remaining summer Tuesdays: Nonsuch Park (Jeff and Liz), Richmond Park (Chris the Chair), Wimbledon Common with silly games (Cap’n Pete)

 

31 Aug. BBQ-O. A rerun of the Holmwood Trail Challenge with Andrew T doing all the SI.

Part 2 - Appeals

 

You know the format by now. This is a list of what we’re intending to put on over the next year. It’s then up to you - the SLOW member - to fill in any gaps for organisers and planners.

 

13 December. Southern Night Champs. Hankley Common.  Planner- Richard Catmur. Organiser - me (but open to offers of anyone wanting to relieve me). Controller - Gary Strowbridge (GO)

14 December OK Nuts Trophy. Mass start races (and some shorter colour coded courses). Puttenham Common (we hope) - on loan from Guildford.  Planner- Andy Jones. Organiser - Philip Robinson. Controller - David Thomas (SN)

Gordon Parker is SI supremo for both of these, with Gail and the boys on pre-entries.

 

17 January 2004. Box Hill Fell Race. I’m organising with Dick Clark taking entries.

 

21 February. Senile. Holmwood Common. All posts vacant.

 

14 March. CompassSport Cup Regional Round. Esher Common. Planner - Alan Leakey. Organiser - Gordon Parker. SI supremo - Gavin Andrews

 

April? Southern Express. Probably Reigate Priory.

 

6 June. Surrey Hill Races. Organiser - Jeremy Denny.

 

11 July. Frolic. Sheen Common and north part of Richmond Park.

 

3 October. Trail Challenge long distance (20k?). Richmond Park and Riverside.

 

12 December OK Nuts Trophy. Probably Hankley Common with a race format we’ll work out when we see how this year’s goes.

 

Now over to you to fill in the gaps 

 

And finally, my favourite bit, the rant. 

(Associated with the forthcoming BOF AGM (that’s 1^st Nov, as if you didn’t know!), there will be a number of workshops with one of them on fixtures. The National Fixtures chief has written to all club fixtures people  saying what he wants to cover  and asking for views. This is my [edited]reply to him.)

 

You say you want the main theme to be simplification. I’d be very wary of what you mean by that, especially as you link it with the high workload on volunteers. These two have been linked before, usually resulting in a push to stage events in a less labour intensive way e.g. no on-the-day results. The downside of this is that an orienteering event has looked less and less like a fun and exciting race to be at, with no results display again being the simplest example.

 

Another effect has been for the fixtures programmes to be full of nothing but colour-coded and badge events. One can see why. Staging something that is bog standard is simpler. What is required is well known. Organisers switch to automatic pilot. The downside is that an awful lot of O events look like they have been staged in someone’s sleep.  The result is fixtures are less attractive and fewer people think O is something worth doing.

 

In early 2002, prompted by falling numbers and NOW week, SLOW did a big strategy analysis about where we as a club and orienteering in general were going. Among the many resulting conclusions and ideas the one that lodged with me is that the orienteering event and its attractiveness were the central issue in terms of strategy for improving the sport.

 

So now SLOW doesn’t put on anything unless it has a purpose. We’ve abandoned colour-coded events and Badge events at least in name. This winter we’ve staged the regional YBT qualifier and will be staging the regional C/S Cup round. Our annual OK Nuts Trophy will be a mass start loop race. We contribute to all the regional events series (night, short and summer) [that’s Senile, Southern Express and Frolic to you locals] and even stage two fell races each year. It’s not easy. Each event has to be thought about with publicity being a key factor. Recruiting organisers and planners is as hard as ever, but we are motivated by the fear that orienteering will die if the fixtures list continues to look bland and boring.

 

So be wary of how you approach the topic of simplification. Making O events attractive and publicising them well is not an easy route and it is labour-intensive. So matching that with available volunteer time is a tricky one. I can’t offer you a solution but I’ve a sneaking suspicion it lies in the direction of paid organisers.

 

However it’s not all doom and gloom - there are many good signs. I keep a close look at fixtures lists, websites and publicity leaflets and I reckon there’s quite a few clubs out there thinking the same way as SLOW. The introduction of e-punching and map copying before the start has improved event attractiveness. The introduction of competitions like the UK Cup and the YBT have improved fixtures programmes.

 

The final irony is that I will miss the workshops and the AGM. The JOK Chasing Sprint is taking place then and that is definitely an exciting race format that no-one could accuse of being bland. So I won’t be joining you as I’ve got something better to do.

 

Andy Robinson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you!:   To everyone who stopped to check that I was ok at the level crossing on Day 3 of the Scottish 6 days

- THANK YOU - even though I was already being treated by a first aider, to know that people were checking on me while I sat waiting for the landranger to come and drive me off the area was really, really kind and reassuring.

In case people aren't aware, I was stung 9 times by a swarm of wasps near a control site on Day 3. As I am allergic to bee stings, I headed straight to the level crossing where I knew there would be people who could help me, although when I arrived there I was already having considerable trouble breathing. However, after 20mins or so of concentrating on my breathing, I was doing a lot better. It was in this time that everyone who passed in a SLOW top, seeing me also in a SLOW top, stopped to check that I was going to be ok. These small acts of consideration were, and still are, really  appreciated! So thank you!              Ruth King

 

EVENT INFORMATION   You are strongly urged to confirm these events using the following answerphone services. The SEOA website has links to SE clubs and other regions.

 SEOA (020-8948-6056): http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.errington/seoa/seoa.htm

(SCOA (0118-946-4354)           (Army (01256-883265)               (SO (01903-239186)

(SAX (01303-813344)                (MV (01372-279295)

1/11	November classic - see hot picks page 10/11
9/11	Long Valley near Aldershot - see hot picks page 10/11
16/11		Chigwell Mitre trophy - Epping Forest  - see hot picks page 10/11
22/11		SENILE  Blackdown (SN)
23/11		SO district colour: The Hyde, Handcross
30/11		GO: OO trophy Heyshott and Ambersham (GO)- see hot picks page 10/11
7/11		DFOK district colour  Westerham Chart, Sevenoaks (org: 0208 301 2814
13/12		SLOW Southern Nights trophy Hankley - see hot picks page 10/11
14/12		SLOW OK Nuts trophy Puttenham - see hot picks page 10/11
21/11		MV: district colour Headley and Box Hill
26/12		LOK Xmas Score  Trent Park North London
27/12		SO  Xmas Score  Tilgate Forest, Crawley
28/12		SAXONS: district colour East Ashdown, Forest Row
11/1		HH regional Badge  Ashdown
31/1		SN Southern Express: Windmill Hill
1/2		GO National event and Interland International: Blackheath and Farley Down

 

South London Orienteers and Wayfarers Annual General Meeting

will be held on

Tuesday 25 November 2003

at the

Hawker Centre

-  just off the junction of Richmond Road and Lower Ham Road between Kingston and Richmond  (Grid Ref TQ178711)

AGM starts at 8.00pm

Optional run beforehand at 7.00 pm for 30-40 mins into Richmond Park.

Changing and showers available. Plus bar and food.

 

The meeting will include presentation of reports from Chair, Captain, Membership Secretary, Fixtures and Mapping Officer, and Treasurer. Plus elections of officers (Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Men's Captain, Ladies' Captain, Membership, Fixtures, Mapping, Social, Training, Publicity, SEOA Rep, SLOWprint, Equipment, Archivist, Webmaster).

 

We would like some 'new blood' involved in SLOW, so please get in touch with Chair, Chris Robinson, if you are interested in putting yourself forward for one of the officer posts.

The AGM is usually an entertaining evening and your chance to put forward your views on the running of the club.  Please come along and support or heckle your committee.