British Middle Distance - Haverthwaite

[Mrs H]

I'm finding the routegadget extremely difficult to view for some reason. The map seems huge and the circles and lines and routes so tiny I can hardly pick them out - I've had to give up deciding if Graeme is being tempremental

[DM]

We need more ordinary middle distance races (at Level 2, 3 or whatever...) so that people like me can get some practice.

Thanks to LOC for an excellent event. Please can we have another one soon (on Haverthwaite, Bigland, Great Tower, Graythwaite or any other wooded lakeland area)?

Enjoyed Haverthwaite, so much that I visitied some controls more than once...

Looking forward to the MDOC Middle race in the best part of Macclesfield Forest 26th June, the NW corner with all the lumps and bumps and variations in visibility (not the SE corner which was noted for it's brambles). Hopefully to visit each control only once.. Part of the weekend of Middle, Ultrasprint and then Stockport on the Sunday morning.

[Gnitworp]

If a control is described as knoll SW end, then I wouldn't expect to see it unless at the SW end of the knoll. .

But you must if you are, e.g., at the described feature, but 'hidden' behind a tree and only visible on the direction of approach of one of several route choices.

They were no more tucked away on Saturday than I've experienced most of the time in Scandinavia

Scandinvian practice isn't necessarily best practice.

[RJ]

A wonderful event. The Lake District terrain in perfect condition to give a superb race. I don't buy Graeme's comments, perhaps p****d off because he had to take the low step on the podium . David May's article about Middle planning in CompassSport February issue sets out the issues very nicely.

Certainly there should be plenty more events of this discipline. As time goes on we may see the sport fragment into various groups of competitor, showing favouritism for urban, sprint, park, middle, short and long etc. So what.... lets just have lots of O, with a choice on Sunday. As the numbers grow we will get bigger audiences for the various disciplines. Next year I might concentrate on urban races and dip in and out of the other ones during the course of the year.

[IanD]

I don't expect to run on a better course, or in a better area, this year.

And that's some compliment, since my judgement of the quality of a course is normally unreasonably influenced by my own performance, which was crap!

Thanks to LOC for putting it on. And also for the "warm-up", which was a most welcome end to an 8-hour car journey.

[graeme]

I don't buy Graeme's comments, perhaps p****d off because he had to take the low step on the podium

Delighted with any step: I've never been on a British Champs podium before and as you saw on Sunday I'm certainly not one of the three best orienteers in my class. And like IanD, I don't expect to run on a better area this year.

Since everyone jumps on the negatives, I just want to drag people back to the point I was actually making, which was in response to spookster's comment...

In terms of variety of challenge, sprint racing is more similar classic orienteering than middle distance as currently practiced in the UK (WOC middle still follows gnitworp's model of best possible course at required distance).

I've had to give up deciding if Graeme is being tempremental

Moi? I can't even spell tempramintle?

[mharky]

just looking at the routegadget i noticed that every leg seemed to be exactly the same

[Darwin]

Did it? Blimey.

[EddieH]

It shows difference in techniques. With short legs and detailed terrain I used the compass less than average - probably not at all on the majority of the legs - it was all there on the map and the ground. Yes a thoroughly enjoyable event, although I have some sympathy with Graeme's view whoich does not reflect on the planners, but perhaps on the rules for trying to make the disciplines so distinct that longer legs tend not to be used.

I remember planning (the then short) courses at WOC99. The restrictions made me feel much less creative than I have ever felt when planning any of the many badge standard or higher events that I have ever done - and that includes planning on Midlands areas.

[graeme]

I remember planning (the then short) courses at WOC99. The restrictions made me feel much less creative

Ha! That would explain why so many people told me my 6-day courses of the same length on the same day in the same forest were better, even when you had first dibs on control sites. And I thought they were just being nice and you were having a bad day!

[Homer]

We need more ordinary middle distance races (at Level 2, 3 or whatever...) so that people like me can get some practice.

Looks as though I may have got my wish already!

CompassSport Cup qualifier at Scardale and Knapton on Sunday:
Blue Men: 4.8km, 24 controls.

Sounds a bit like a Middle Distance race to me. Except maybe the 320m climb

[buzz]

Fantastic event in every way - lots more like that please.

I ran the same course as Graeme and have to agree that it was pretty repetitive but I think that actually made it more challenging - you really had to keep focussed right to the end (including the last control which was one too many for me!)

[jac]

I remember planning (the then short) courses at WOC99. The restrictions made me feel much less creative than I have ever felt when planning any of the many badge standard or higher events that I have ever done - and that includes planning on Midlands areas.

I was one of the planners for the spectator races on the short qualifying area for WOC99. Given the finish location and Eddie's 'restrictions' I could deduce the start and the flow of courses. We went out into the forest for the first time to tag our control sites, and, sure enough, found Eddie's tags just where we predicted...

[EddieH]

Well we did tag a hell of a lot of sites that we didn't use so that's not surprising.