I'm brilliant I never mispunch

[ricardito]

I mis-punched on my very first event (now many, many years ago). Somehow either no-one told me or I did a know-all teenager act and didn't listen to the part about checking the codes (of course, letters, back then).

Since then I've always taken a second to double check on approach (let's be honest, it won't make that much difference to me )

Except... last year I missed an entire leg at Eyam Moor, and was half way to doing the same at BOC this spring, until realisation dawned. Now... is that the onset of old age?

Almost completely unrelated side issue: isn't it sooo irritating when you approach a control - especially the finish where there's no number to check - and it waggles about so much you lose what seems like minutes trying to dib it!

[graeme]

Competitor finds tag with correct number in adjacent reentrant, but no control.

Surely in this case, as controller you have only two choices. Re-instate the competitor, or void the course?

Really? I would guess most controllers would just DQ.
The control was nearby in the correct reentrant. But the mispunch would not have happened but for the misplaced tag, which was not the runners fault. I take the view that the tag is equivalent to a "misleading control" on a similar and nearby feature, which gave enough wriggle room to reinstate.

[frog]

We could have had a similar quandry in our long o. Nick who put out the Kings Seat controls couldn't find one of Dave P's numbered tags by a boulder. The Harvey's map made it look as though there was just 1 boulder but when he came to the area there were several similar boulders. He couldn't find the metal tag by any of them, despite spending 30 min looking in thick mist, so chose the most suitable looking boulder. He asked me what I'd do if an angry competitor on the day found Dave's tag but not the control.
No-one did find the tag and I suspect a sheep wandered off with it as all my tags had been pulled out of the ground and were lying on it.
Voiding courses seems an OTT approach to a local event where everyone involved tried to get things right. like Graeme I would just reinstate the guy who'd found the tag.

[IanD]

I take the view that the tag is equivalent to a "misleading control" on a similar and nearby feature, which gave enough wriggle room to reinstate.

I agree. I think the tag is equivalent to a control - albeit a vandalised control. Therefore you have the equivalent of two controls within 60 metres on similar features and with the same code. For me, you have to allow people to 'punch' either of them, or in the case of the tag, report the punch as missing at the finish. Hence my 'reinstate or void', and I would always go for reinstate. I would protest very strongly had I found the tag and been disqualified.

[NeilC]

For me, you have to allow people to 'punch' either of them, or in the case of the tag, report the punch as missing at the finish. Hence my 'reinstate or void', and I would always go for reinstate.

Ian, isn't is about time you considered becoming a controller?

[AlanB]

Twice, as far as I can remember...

Sol3 2010 Balkello - found control 6, checked code and punched. Set off down the nearby track then cut off down the hill to look for 7. Spent some time thrashing about then decided to go back up the hill to re-locate. Completely by chance came across a control, checked my list - and it was the one I was looking for!!! Except that it wasn't - when I got to the finish I discovered that I had gone in a complete circle and I had punched my previous control (no. 6) again!

Then at the Lakes 5 last year one control was near a crossing point - a gate in a wall - so I obviously navigated to that first. Of course, on reaching the gate I subconsciously told myself that I had achieved my objective and went on to look for the next control, completely missing out the one near the gate.

[denzil53]

I don't recall mispunching in a "proper" event, but a few weeks ago managed to complete one of our summer evening events totally in the reverse direction. So I suppose I mispunched them all. Or did I?

[roadrunner]

I don't recall mispunching in a "proper" event, but a few weeks ago managed to complete one of our summer evening events totally in the reverse direction. So I suppose I mispunched them all. Or did I?

Well, you must have punched control 1 at some point, so I'd say you got one right

[King Penguin]

Denzil - you are not alone. A club-mate did the same at a Night Street League event last winter.

[DavidJ]

I don't recall mispunching in a "proper" event, but a few weeks ago managed to complete one of our summer evening events totally in the reverse direction. So I suppose I mispunched them all. Or did I?

Well, you must have punched control 1 at some point, so I'd say you got one right

Or if there were an odd number of controls, you would have punched the middle one at the right time (e.g. Order visited: 5-4-3-2-1; control 3 would have been correct).

[cbg]

I don't recall mispunching in a "proper" event, but a few weeks ago managed to complete one of our summer evening events totally in the reverse direction. So I suppose I mispunched them all. Or did I?

Well, you must have punched control 1 at some point, so I'd say you got one right

Or if there were an odd number of controls, you would have punched the middle one at the right time (e.g. Order visited: 5-4-3-2-1; control 3 would have been correct).

That's the difference between electronic punching - looking for the control codes in order - and paper punching - looking at the pin symbol in each box.

[denzil53]

I don't recall mispunching in a "proper" event, but a few weeks ago managed to complete one of our summer evening events totally in the reverse direction. So I suppose I mispunched them all. Or did I?

That's the difference between electronic punching - looking for the control codes in order - and paper punching - looking at the pin symbol in each box.

In this particular event, we didn't have e-punching or pin-punching. So how did they ever find out?

[cbg]

I don't recall mispunching in a "proper" event, but a few weeks ago managed to complete one of our summer evening events totally in the reverse direction. So I suppose I mispunched them all. Or did I?

That's the difference between electronic punching - looking for the control codes in order - and paper punching - looking at the pin symbol in each box.

In this particular event, we didn't have e-punching or pin-punching. So how did they ever find out?

They hacked into your mobile phone records? Or most of the course was visible from Assembly? Or there was an obvious way to run to the first control and back from the last?

Okay - I'll phone a friend - Miss Marple.

[denzil53]

They hacked into your mobile phone records? Or most of the course was visible from Assembly? Or there was an obvious way to run to the first control and back from the last?

Okay - I'll phone a friend - Miss Marple.

There's a clue at the bottom of my post . . . .

[cbg]

There's a clue at the bottom of my post . . . .

That's a cheap shot!