Planner’s
comments
When planning an
event, there are always going to be challenges to overcome, and at Linacre,
this was very true. We got the final go-ahead for the event in mid-September,
which meant the planning and organising of the event happened in a very short
time; a big thank you to Ranald, Malcolm and Richard
for working with Seven Trent to get the go-ahead.
This was my second
time planning an event for DVO, and I hoped to use what I learned from planning
Birchen Edge in February.
On my first site
visit, I was surprised at how many brambles there were in certain parts of
Linacre, and whilst you might have had to bash through some brambles, it was
nothing compared to the area on the southwest of the map, where the orange and
yellow courses went through staying on paths.
One of the other
challenges we faced was that Seven Trent said several areas were out of bounds
for us; these weren’t shown on your map as none of the courses went near
or into those areas; however, this did add another restraint on how the courses
would look, plus having three reservoirs in the middle of the map could make
the course reasonably linear.
At least the
reservoirs made for hopefully fun White and Yellow courses, which lapped around
them and made for an excellent handrail feature.
The technical courses
were enjoyable to plan, as I wanted to make sure there were some interesting
route choices, and from the feedback we received, it sounds like we got it
right. Having such a short time to plan the courses meant that I didn’t
get a chance to run each course and test the legs, which I feel did impact the
short green course, especially in the beach forest area, the climb from 13 -14
was a steeper climb on the ground than it looked on the map.
The only common
negative feedback I got was from the number of brambles, so I didn’t
think the climb was too bad.
Thank you to Ranald
Macdonald, our controller, who did a heroic job in getting the event to go
ahead and helped me as a planner with quality feedback and expertise in how
courses should be planned; I learnt so much from an experienced
controller.
Thank you to Malcom
Spencer, who did a fantastic job organising the event in such a short space of
time, and also to all the club members who volunteered
and helped out at the event.
And thank you to
Richard Parkin for updating the map so quickly and helping hang the
controls.
Finally, if
you’ve never helped plan an event, I highly recommend it. It is not just
giving back to your sport and club but also helps make you a better orienteer.
It's a real privilege to spend so long poring over a map and learning the
technical aspects of each course. Secondly, it tests your navigation skills
when planning as you head out with a map to find the features to tag as control
sites. It's one of the best navigation training sessions ever. So what are you waiting for?
Marcus Scotney -
course planner
Controller’s
Comments
Thanks to the 200 or so of
you who came to Linacre Reservoirs today to enjoy Marcus Scotney’s varied
and physical courses. Yes, the brambles were tough, though not unexpected at
Linacre. The beech woods to the north of the reservoirs made for excellent
running. This was Marcus’ second outing as a Planner and his courses made
the most of the area, within the constraints of its linear nature and trying to
avoid even worse vegetation than you encountered! I heard many comments
praising the courses.
Until two weeks ago we
weren’t even sure that Severn Trent would give us permission for the
event. It took a lot of negotiating and having to convince them that we took
the risk of falling trees seriously and had the necessary arrangements in place.
The last time we were here was two weeks before the first pandemic lockdown in
March 2020. We held today’s event on a Saturday because originally SYO
had an event on the Sunday, though it has subsequently been moved. However, we
were faced with a gloriously sunny, if cold, day. I also spent nearly four
hours on the Friday checking controls – Cassie, my dog, was exhausted so
took it easier today only being out for 90 minutes!
The course winning times
and spread of finishing times look quite reasonable. The Brown Course is
expected to be won by a top orienteer in 57 minutes; today it was won by Adam
Conway of SHUOC in 56.06. On all courses the majority of
competitors finished within the expected times: 35-60 minutes on Orange and
Light Green; 40-70 minutes on Short Green (13 longer than this); 45-75 minutes
on Green (10 longer); 55-90 minutes on Blue (2 longer); and 65-105 on Brown (6
faster and one slower). There were also few retirals or miss-punches.
Thanks to Malc Spencer and
his well-organised team of helpers, again showing the benefits of the team
system that DVO uses. The bussing from Holmebrook
Valley Country Park seemed to work well, made necessary by the lack of parking
near the area.
All in all, a successful
event and we hope you enjoyed it!
Ranald Macdonald (DVO), Grade A
Controller
Results software provided by MERCS