November Classic ?

[tokoloshe]

It was a shame about the weather but I don't think that affected my opinion of the planning and map scales.

Why M50s and M60s had to struggle to read a 15,000 map puzzles me. The M50 course would have fitted onto the 10,000 map.

The area is not the most technical and TD4 is probable the best that could be had but big catching features and obvious linear features between controls made the course not more than a long light green.

And of course we had to put up with the awful EMIT bricks.

[mharky]

what is awful about emit???

[Oldman]

See the EMIT punching thread for some (but not all) adverse comments about EMIT, especially when it's very wet as it was today.

[Paulo]

On the contrary, I would have thought today people who are normally anti-EMIT would have been very happy that everyone was given the version 3 cards with the electronic displays - very rare to get those given out as hire cards, and this was very welcome (I wonder why it is rare, given there must be a stock of over 1000 V3 cards which were used in the event today - perhaps these can be hired out at future South Central events instead of V2 cards?).

Ok, so in places it was one of the boggiest forets I have run in for a long long time, and not helped by the continuous heavy rain all day, but I found the forest very enjoyable, with several lovely bits of natural forest which were a joy to run through. Nice to run on an area which largely hasn't been used since the 80s. My (M21L) course was well planned in my opinion, and I didn't spend that much time running on paths. Can't comment on other courses.

On the map side, it was not especially detailed, there are were no intricate bits, and the 1:15k map I thought was perfectly readable - people may prefer 1:10k as that's what they're used to, but I don't think you can say it was a struggle to read in any way.

Good that Wilf's made it all the way down south to the event too, that was very welcome in the cold wet car park afterwards!

[Nails]

Tokoloshe your answer probably lies in you question...

The area was only TD4 therefore probably not very much detail on the map, and therefore 1:15000. I struggle to read a very detailed map as well, and i know 2 people who are colour blind and can't distinguish the controls from the trees in the forest. Just live with it and stop whinging. And as the old emit/si boring debate......boring

[HOCOLITE]

Perhaps Tokoloshe should have gone to the WML event at Nesscliffe. He'd have got 1:10000 map,WML points for his club, no marshes, no rain , no emit....... No SI either mind you, no marked maps all for the cost of £4.50. A bit high compared to recent WML events where you got marked maps and electronic punching for £4.00

[tokoloshe]

Version 3 Emit cards may be better, or at least different but most of those given out today were the older version - so I still don't know.

[Mrs H.]

Have to say that despite the 4 hour round trip in pouring rain I really enjoyed the event. It was my come back after knee op and although I lost out the head to head with Stodge (Wilf's cake at stake) |I have absolutely no complaints - didn't even get stuck in the car park thanks to Mr H.'s driving. as for Emit - what's the problem? - just take care.

[awk]

I enjoyed the rain: there's something highly enervating about running in those conditions, particularly when it's wet but not cold.

The organisers did really well, particularly given the conditions, and the bus system worked immaculately for us. Coupled with being able to fly down relatively cheaply from Leeds to Southampton, it proved a good weekend. I'm impressed that with all the bussing etc., the cost still came in at a reasonable figure compared to other regional/national events.

On finishing, I was a bit disappointed with my course, although much was made up by the sheer enjoyment of running in a lovely area. It isn't difficult terrain it's true, and will never rise above TD4, but there were too many legs where the orienteering was straightforward TD3, where we followed the linear features rather than cutting across them, and where controls were hung on easy line features for the course to go down on any shortlist for course of the year! Fortunately there was a more interesting (but short) central section that alleviated this. Didn't have to look at the map more than once per leg over the last 1.5k though. JM4 was the other course I saw, and it really only once got above TD3 - a real 'runners' course.

However, when I got back to the event centre, I heard that the planner had had to replan the courses at barely 3 weeks notice. Don't know why, but in the circumstances, maybe I shouldn't chunter too much, and many thanks for the event - it was worth the trip!

However, one thing was definitely confirmed for me. From a competitor point of view, I don't like Emit!!! No real problems - for me it's just not as user friendly in all sorts of minor different ways that add up to it personally being a long way behind SI.

[rocky]

i think the discussion over the merits or lack of of Emit has been done to death on this forum: can we keep this thread on topic please?

[gross2006.]

Of course we can................... Emit wins 1000 times out of 100

[Mr timE]

Version 3 Emit cards may be better, or at least different but most of those given out today were the older version

tokoloshe, Just to let you know that there is only one version of the type 3 card, what changed in 2005 was the colour only, now red & black rather than red & green (colour changes every 5 years), but otherwise they are the same. We don't need to issue a new version as we just upgrade the software in the card, it takes 10 secs to upload and I did quite a few today, latest version is 3.20. Both colours were used today as we are slowly replacing all version 2 hire cards, but as they can last over 10 years they will be around for a while. It was interesting to see one of the visiting Scandinavians still had a yellow version 1 card from the 90's, he had done a DIY battery replacement on it, apparently a common thing with cost conscious students in Norway. Version 3 will be with use for a long while, the version 4 when it comes out will be a stripped down card, designed for athletic/road race type events with wireless controls, not for use in 'O', where the runner has the card secured on their race number or body as we can currently do with v3 for ski races.[/quote]

[distracted]

Version 3 Emit cards may be better, or at least different but most of those given out today were the older version - so I still don't know.

There was a mixture of both types (v2 and v3) - a lot were v3 though - you rarely see these given out as hire cards unless it's a high standard event (National, UK Cup etc)

Agree with awk in the main part apart from the quality of course - maybe that was just highly course dependent? In my opinion, the best things that the New Forest offer are fast straight running, trying to stick to the line, and route choice. Most of the difficulty of the terrain comes from it's vagueness in some areas - runnable woodland save a few areas of rough open/clearings, gently sloping contours and the odd dot knoll/small depression. My course today offered all of those at some point. Often it was worth running straight to avoid the waterlogged paths/rides, and there were certainly interesting and potentially quicker route choices which I only saw after I'd finished because of the 'go straight' mentality I was generally using. In that way the course made pretty good use of the area. Yes there was plenty of opportunity to follow linear features, whether fences, rides, ditches, earthbanks or veg boundaries, but without those features there'd be (a) very little to put controls on and (b) not much to navigate by! Courses are ultimately restricted by the terrain they are being run on.

[NeilC]

Given the weather I was a bit surprised to find that the map bags weren't sealed. Perhaps I've just come to expect the full works at prestigious events like the November Classic. Fortunately didn't notice this until the finish when I spotted that the edge of the map was a soggy mess. Had I noticed earlier then I would have been paranoid about protecting it on the way round.

[stodge]

Enjoyed my course - M70S
First thing I've won in years - even if I am 33....
Did 3.9k in 42 mins and did not run a step of it.

The swedes gave us a pasting in M21L - great times considering their travel schedule

Busing was first class.

Dont mind the bags being not sealed -

However they were a bit on the thin side.
I find when they are this thin the map tends to slip inside the case when folding.
You end up with a fold inside the map case which is a right pain to sort out.

Shame you dont appear on splitsbrowser when you are non comp