Wednesday Training Schedule
- Details
Club Training Schedule
|
Location |
Date |
Volunteer (Putting Controls Out) |
|
The Range |
30/5/18 |
|
|
Tank Paddock |
6/6/18 |
|
|
Heart-rate hills |
13/6/18 |
Rob Bennett |
| Barnsley |
20/6/18 |
Justin Stafford |
|
Tank Paddock |
27/6/18 |
Alvin and Steve Craig |
Sun 3rd June: NOY3 - Kitchener
- Details
Directions:
From the north. Navigate to Kitchener via Cessnock or Abernethy. From the junction of Abernethy Rd. and Cessnock Rd. (which becomes Quorrobolong Rd.) Head south for approx. 840m and look for suitable parking on the western side of the road.
From the south. Look for Sandy Creek Rd. (Just south of Mulbring) and follow this road (to the west) for approx. 12KM., then turn right onto Quorrobolong Rd.. After approx. 3.5km look for suitable parking on the western side of the road.
Parking: Parking can mostly be right angled to the road, but may have to be parallel behind the roadside barrier.
Assembly Area: The assembly area will be adjacent to the southern end of a roadside barrier on the western side of the road. Toilets should be open at the Poppet head park. (1km north of the assembly.)
Map: the Decapitated Poppethead (1:10 000)
Terrain:
Planner: Denis Lyons
Vetter: Graeme Taplin
Courses:
| Course | Length(km) | Controls | ||
| Very easy | 1.6 | |||
| Easy | 1.9 | |||
| Moderate short | 2.5 | |||
| Moderate long | 3.4 | |||
| Hard short | 3.6 | |||
| Harm medium | 5.4 | |||
| Hard long | 7.3 |
Safety:
Start times: 9:30 to 11:30am with course closure at 1pm. Please ensure you start your course with enough time to complete it prior to course closure
Notes:
(a) The area is frequented by trail bikes and 4WD vehicles. IF YOU HEAR OR SEE THEM COMING, GET OFF THE TRACK AND OUT OF THEIR WAY.
(b) The tracks created by these trail bikes and 4WD’s are often badly eroded. Think SAFETY rather than speed when using these trails.
(c) Native cherry trees and tree-root mounds will NOT be shown on this edition of the map. Termite mounds (brown X) and meat-ant nests (see symbol in legend) have not all been checked, but appear reasonably accurate. ONLY TERMITE MOUNDS (not meat-ant nests) HAVE BEEN USED AS SOME CONTROL SITES.
(d) Take care on any steep gravel slopes.
(e) Very Easy and Easy courses will have marked trails which use black /yellow streamers.
(f) The area includes spikey vegetation. Full body cover is advised.
(g) Help with collection of controls will be needed, and very much appreciated.
Wed 23rd May: World Orienteering Day
- Details
As part of World Orienteering Day, our club will be holding an event this Wednesday afternoon. It will be a Park style event starting near the rotunda at King Edward Park.
Starts are from 2:00 pm with courses closing at 6:00 pm.
Three courses will be on offer:
Very Easy 1.3 km;
Easy 1.4 km;
Moderate 1.7 km.
Novices and first timers especially welcome. Bring along a friend and introduce them to our fabulous sport.
Sun 6th May: NOY2 - Butterwick
- Details
NOY2: POST-EVENT REPORT
You would be hard pressed to find a better day to have seen the Butterwick Crown Reserve than Sunday 6th May, 2018. Beautiful mild, sunny conditions – perfect orienteering weather. Over 90 entrants enjoyed the conditions to experience an area not previously used for orienteering.
Rob Bennett’s blistering 50:58 time on the 7.0 km Hard Long (edging out Justin Stafford by the smallest of margins) suggested fast, open running conditions. Which is true – in part. The trick was not getting tangled in any green along the way, of which there was plenty. Although a few entrants returned bearing the scars of battle, most seemed to have enjoyed the experience. And many felt better upon administration of a chilled beverage and an egg & bacon roll or a sausage sandwich. Apparently, Peter Newton ended up feeling REALLY good – and he didn’t even run a course!
Thank you to those who took time to provide constructive feedback about the map. While updating an existing map is not too threatening an activity, starting one from scratch offers somewhat different and more complex challenges. Will everyone else see what I’m seeing – and the way I’m seeing it? And just how should that be put onto paper? The verdict amongst those I spoke with was that the “Rough Open with Scattered Trees” areas did not really benefit competitors, as the distinction between that and “Open Forest” was not sufficiently clear in the forest itself. Future versions of the map are unlikely to have a lot of yellow on them (sorry, Justin). Maybe if OCAD had a way that you could gradually fade in the colour at the edges of an area... But I enjoyed the experience, learnt a lot from it and am glad that people thought the area was worth mapping.
As always, there were others who pitched in to make it all happen. Peter Newton took on the (often thankless) task of vetting, offered helpful suggestions, set up, packed up and drove the gear van. And it is worth remembering that had it not been for a chat between Peter and Russell Rigby (the master of the base map), this area might still be “undiscovered”. Joy Guy was stalwart, as ever, on the desk, then took time to help collect controls. Jeff Guy coped with an error in the course files that were on the computer, as well as 2 malfunctioning SI units, while manning the finish. Geoff Todkill deserves thanks for the printing, Geoff Peel & Margaret Peel for the string course. Rudi Landsiedel, Denis Lyons and Rob Vincent also went back out to gather in controls, signs and streamers. I was otherwise occupied during the setting up, so apart from Carolyn Chalmers, I’m not sure who helped, but thank you nonetheless. If I have missed you or forgotten a job, please accept my apologies. Of course, thanks are also due to the members of the Hinton Wallalong Pony Club for use of their facilities. Emma and her team provided some wonderful catering - and the very sociable atmosphere that goes with the food & drink. They look forward to seeing us next year. I trust we look forward to seeing them!
Finally, a request. Please take time to post your route on RouteGadget (just follow the link). It doesn’t have to be pinpoint precise and I promise no-one will laugh if you took what I might call “an unconventional route choice”. (Trust me – we have all been there at some stage!) It is easy to do it manually – just tick the “Draw Your Route” box (top right of the screen), select your course and name, then click on the start triangle. Every time you click, it adds another point and joins it up to previous points to show where you ran. Those with GPS units will probably have a rough idea how to load a .gpx track using the “GPS upload” link instead.
“But, why?” I don’t hear you ask. (I’ve got the speakers off.) I find it helps, as a course planner, seeing how people approach some legs. In my head, I have an “ideal” solution, but other orienteers sometimes see good ways of doing things that have never occurred to me. Understanding how people think while on a course helps to design better courses. And you might just get something from seeing how others compete. Give it a go!
David.
