Location: Abernethy (Brokenback Ridge)
Planner: Stuart Kurtz/Andrew Haigh
Vetter: Nicole Haigh/Brock Smith
Entries: 92
Weather: Cold & overcast with some showers
Setup: Andrew Haigh, Nicole Haigh, Staurt Kutz, Brock Smith, Mick Kavur, Carolyn Chalmers
Rego: Nicole Haigh
Finish: Andrew Haigh, Brock Smith
Control Collect: David Messenger, Shane Jenkins, Josh Roberts, Kelly Kurtz and Kate Dynon.
Today's event was a great example of teamwork. While the Haighs volunteered to organise and set this course they sucessfully delegated and spread the workload into easier pieces for several people - thanks guys. Andrew speaks below and gives some insight into orienteering from the organisers viewpoint.
from Andrew Haigh........
Broken Back East - Weather cool still and Cloudy. 10 minutes rain, just enough to wet all the gear.
We decided that 8.15 would be a good time to arrive to set up, seeing as we had put out all the controls and tape streamers late Saturday afternoon. However we were not the first to arrive, Mick Kavur was already there, keen to help us set up the admin area. Soon after Carolyn Chalmers arrived similary keen to help. Even with a remote start we were all ready to go by 8.45. Great effort everybody.
Initial business was very slow with only 20 people starting before 10.00 am, I was concerned that numbers may be down due to the distance and the gloomy looking weather, but I was more worried that nobody had returned to the finish yet.
This year the setting team was more than just Nicole and I. We were joined by Brock Smith and Stuart Kurtz. Stu is relatively new to bush Orienteering, (Came to the sport through the summer series). Stu took on the Challenge of setting all three red courses. We had no complaints so we can only assume that he did an excellent job. I struggled to put together the easier courses. The blue is easy enough, but the Orange and especially the Green I always struggle with. It is hard to set a course at a level that you never compete in.
Despite our early initial planning, I ended up installing OCAD9 the Tuesday before the event which resulted in several late nights entering the courses and nearly repeating Arthur's scaling problem from earlier in the season. Speaking of Arthur, today was not his day either. He planned to do the Medium red, but accidently drew the Short red course, after several controls with the wrong numbers he realised there was a problem, but thought he must of written down the wrong descriptions. Only after finishing did he realise that he had infact drawn the wrong map. He still managed a repectable time for the short course though! Several other regulars also had trouble - Geoff P had a poor mark up, putting a circle in the right place then crossing it out and drawing it in the wrong place. This resulted in a good deal of time cursing me before the control was located. Karen B, fresh from her European travels had even more trouble, returning with her last control mispunched. She was not alone punching this control incorrectly but she was the only one not to later see the correct control and repunch.
As at setup, plenty of volunteers stayed behind to pack up and collect controls. Thanks to David Messenger, Shane Jenkins, Josh Roberts, Kelly Kurtz and Kate Dynon. Poor Dennis Lyons missed out, as we did not have any left for him to collect.
Thanks to everybody that came and all the kind comments received and thanks again to the setting team of Nicole, Stuart Kurtz and Brock Smith.