NOY2 - Abernathy
Location: Abernethy
Map: Brokenback Ridge 1:10000
Courses: Full range of NOY courses; Blue, Green, Short Orange, Orange, Short Red, Medium Red, Long Red
Organisation: David Kitchener
From course setter David Kitchener
After a rainy spell that never looked like ending, Mothers Day dawned and brought us perfect orienteering conditions – clear, dry and sunny, but not too warm. As a result, there was a excellent turnout for the second NOY event of 2011. (The prefect Mothers Day present, perhaps?)
This area is the easternmost of the Cessnock maps and one of the steepest we use. The challenge for the setter is to provide courses of adequate length, without excessive climb. To this end, I did try to utilise the flatter parts of the map to their best advantage, while also trying to provide a new experience for some competitors, by taking the longer courses out to the north-eastern corner of the map, this being the least used area. Naturally, there were some complaints about the hills, especially from the green competitors, who had two valleys to cross (and no option to avoid them) and some of the red competitors, depending largely on their level of fitness!
The vegetation was the other source of trouble, being very thick and spiky in places. The rains have produced substantial growth, just in the time taken to set the event - and I swear that it was thicker while collecting the controls, than when setting them out the previous day! However, Alex Massey’s winning time on the Long Red course showed just what you can achieve, in spite of terrain and vegetation.
My thanks to all who helped make the day run so smoothly . (And my apologies if your name has been left off the list!)
Helpers: Mick Kavur, Carolyn Rigby, Cheryle Todkill, Nicole Haigh, Denis Lyons, Geoff Peel
Control Collection: Joy Guy, Margaret Peel, Denis Lyons, David Kitchener
Results | Routegadget | photos