BUCS 2011

[ba-ba]

The average age of EUOC's top 6 men was 23.66 years
The average age of ShUOC's top 6 men was 21.33 years
(based on O year)
The top 6 'teenagers' (M20s) were Peter Hodgkinson OUOC (8) Matt Halliday CUOC (11) Rob Gardner ShUOC(13th), Kris Jones ShUOC(14th), Jamie Stevenson EUOC (15th) and Jonny Malley ShUOC (18th)

For the last few years EUOC have just been too good and experienced (this may be purely coincidental!), but as can be so often be the case in all amateur competition (amateur in name, not nature) this fluctuates - not long ago ShUOC had OJ, Craney, Northrop, Rachael Elder etc. as fairly 'senior' members - this weekend ShUOC only had Laura Daniel and Matt Franklin with more than 2 full seasons' experience in the senior ranks.

To put Anwen's cracking 3rd place on the individual into context - the car she was in broke down south of Motherwell on the way up on Saturday morning. After a tow to a Motherwell garage and much phoning she (along with the 2 other car mates) got a train to Glasgow whilst a fast SPOOK car (well, a Skoda, but it was all we could muster) was scrambled to drive them from there to the event. They arrived just after last start, nailed it to the start and Anwen nailed it! - Thanks to all the organisers/officials for holding the start open.

Really enjoyed my weekend, even if I was knackered throughout! Ceilidh was really good at getting everyone staying out when normally some would have called it a night early. It may have been my last BUSA/BUCS, but there is a chance I could be hanging around like a bad smell for 4 more years!
now to watch Sheffield get through to the Uni challenge final!

[Rockaldo]

So what are EUOC going to get engraved on the trophy for 2011...

[Frustrated]

BUCS was a good weekend, generally well organised and planned, however, there were a couple of real problems with the map at the relays. Just wondering how the following was missed by everyone as surely if one of the top teams protested it would have been a case for a voiding...

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/ro ... =25&kieli=

On the mens course next to 23 there is a clearing with a path round it and two benches in it, only it isn't where it's marked, it's on the path to the North...on the direct line between 23 and 24. I lost over a minute going "what the **** have I done" thinking the only explanation is I've mispunched. I eventually realised that the map really was that wrong but it certainly isn't the first thing you think of. The point of this post isn't so much a complaint but more to say how could this happen? Is it something that could happen at another high profile race? I think it's slightly worrying.

[andy]

On the mens course next to 23 there is a clearing with a path round it and two benches in it, only it isn't where it's marked, it's on the path to the North...on the direct line between 23 and 24.

Yeah I spotted that too when I was puntering around and told the planner afterwards... 'oops'
not sure how planner, controller, controller2 all missed it!

[EddieH]

I've just looked at the individual routegadget. I aassume the finish is somewhat more inaccurately mapped than the picnic area at the relays

[graeme]

could this happen at another high profile race?

Since you asked nicely, I'll answer nicely. If anyone wants to ask nastily, the answer is "there was a bloody great brick shithouse in front of you, what more do you want you idiot"

The answer is definitely "yes".

This level of event will not usually have the budget for a remap. For BUCS in particular the organising club won't own the map, so they'll use what they're given. High profile or not, BUCS relays are a level C event and the entry fees are low. I'll leave you to figure out what entry fee we'd have to charge for a professional remap, but you're probably looking at an extra tenner per team.

In fact, when we started (which we did too late, of course), the whole SW corner of the map was rubbish. We felt that the shape of the courses you got was ideal for a relay, so committed to fixing up the map. Dozens of updates were made around control sites and along the legs.

As controller, I first checked the sites and noted where the map needed updating. Then I test ran the courses. When I ran 23-24 I came along the path looking for the building
ahead where I had to turn left. I wasn't looking for picnic tables to my left, don't know if they registered but if so I'd have just assumed they weren't mapped. Picnic tables often aren't, as they have a habit of moving!

I didn't check the areas of the map which weren't used by the courses, so I never noticed the absence of the picnic area where it's mapped (indeed, I've been to Gullane many times and never noticed it!). My downgrading letter may now be in the post, but frankly, I would be very surprised if a controller at a level C event did fieldcheck the map in places where the courses didn't go.

Of course, I wish we'd picked it up, and I'm sorry you lost time, but I can't imagine anyone voiding the courses on account of a couple of unmapped picnic tables passed on a path run.

EDIT: I now notice the picnic area wasn't even on the map rocky sent me to check with. I'd like to say I'd have noticed it, but its obvious from the above that I don't think I would have.

[Frustrated]

Bit rude to imply/say I'm an idiot when you make a mistake, whether or not you put it in tiny writing. Let's be fair it wasn't just a picnic bench, it was a very significant clearing. I'd already noted it on the map as I'd missed 23 to the right and couldn't work out how I'd done it and not seen said clearing. Then when I came across it going to 24 I assumed I must have done something really stupid. Also I'm not sure you can say it's somewhere where the courses didn't go, the line went right through the middle of it!

Anyway it didn't seem to affect anyone in the prizes so it doesn't particularly matter and I accept when you have a map like that you have a very difficult job.

[SIman]

I've just looked at the individual routegadget. I aassume the finish is somewhat more inaccurately mapped than the picnic area at the relays

I noticed this, but only after some routes had been drawn on. Setting up routegadget was complicated be the presence of a sort of butterfly on the men'c course and I missed one of the extra stages (saying that the finish was at the finish! - the default is to put the finish at the start??).
Lesson learnt - possibly.

[madmike]

Lesson learnt - possibly.

lesson identified methinks - lesson learnt, time will tell

[graeme]

Setting up routegadget is very fiddly*, it often fails if you don't take out crossing points, OOB etc. Including butterflies and relays on the same course is even worse**. Has anyone written a practical guide for how to do it (a lesson to identify?).

* A phrase which here means "I can do it if SIman's available on the phone"
**A phrase which here means "I haven't got a clue"

[rocky]

The point of this post isn't so much a complaint but more to say how could this happen?

Yep I'm asking the same question. The answer is: rushed planning involving taking half days off work to check sites/test routes/make gaffles even AND do map updates to make it fair/useable as I had all my weekends for the six weeks before the race fully booked with other o commitments. As such I didnt have time to check all my map updates once they were done but before the maps went to the printers. My apologies to those who lost time and I'm as thankful as anyone it didn't have a major impact on the race.

As an aside, I'd suggest that the reason it didnt have an impact on the top teams is that top orienteers will tend to navigate on a map-to-ground basis rather than ground-to-map, so because they were not expecting to run past benches/open land then they would not have noticed/would have assumed they were just not mapped.

-murray (planner & map destroyer!)