National Events

[awk]

No adverse comment on organisation etc. of today's National Event at Fylingdales - it generally seemed pretty smooth and slick, especially the bus transfers. Even the weather was well organised! Thank you CLOK for a well run event.

However, what do others think of the area being used for a National event? According to BOF guidelines "The terrain for National Events should be generally runnable and of good technical quality." We all thought the definition of good technical quality was rather overstretched, with the area struggling to provide anything above bottom end TD4 (with the openness effectively making it easier than that).

So is this just us, or do others agree with the Grade 1 Controller who approved this area, that it was up to National Event standard?

I have to say, I'm getting more and more confused with event standards. We've now been to regional and national events lately that have just not been up to technical scratch, whilst recent district events (e.g. last week's Beacon Fell event) have provided better terrain AND competition (at less than half the price).

[Stu]

i thought 2day technically it was ok but it was really hard to run as the heather was waist high on me so i was findin it really hard to run. i did find some controls hard and i find it weird how my course and some other courses had 1:15,000 and the rest had 1:10,000. especially when my course would go onto the 1:10,000 map.

[CHS]

Stu I think thats the downside of being deemed as young with good eyesight. M/W 16 -M/W40 are always supposed to be on 1:15000 esp at national events unless theres a special reason like somewhere like lossie where the map would be solid brown with all the detail.

IMO todays map looked better on 1:15000

[HOCOLITE]

What was the entry like. I know some went cos it was a EOC Junior Selection race? By the sounds of it I'm glad we didn't make the 4 plus hour journey for high heather and little technicality. Despite the NE being a very nice place my limited experience of O there has meant that I'd rather take on WMids brambles, but be back for lunch than be back in time for bed. Never mind the cost of it with entries plus fuel plus overnight accomodation.

I could almost be a miserable git. Perhaps I am!!!

[Simon]

What was the entry like.

About 570 pre entry.

I have to say, I'm getting more and more confused with event standards. We've now been to regional and national events lately that have just not been up to technical scratch, whilst recent district events (e.g. last week's Beacon Fell event) have provided better terrain AND competition (at less than half the price).

I was at neither the Flyingdales event, nor the Beacon Fell. However I agree with the sentiment. I have been less than impressed with the areas for a couple of the regional events I have been to recently.

[schnitzer]

The entry for the mens elite was minimal. In fact it might be the case that I won, and I lost. I reckon about 20% of my course was runnable, and about half of that was big vehicle shaved - not marked. Looking back at the course there were one or two fairly difficult legs but with 25 controls most of it was straightforward. On the plus side it was more enjoyable than Simonside, but really the best bit today was finishing.

[Lil' God'rs]

Thought you were taking the p*ss about being first and last, then I looked at the results

Not sure whether this says more about National Events in general these days, the time of year or the perception of orienteering in the NE.

[schnitzer]

Where did you look at the results? I can't find them on the CLOK website - mind you, the only point I guess will be to look to see where Fatboy and his better half finished up.

I've been to a number of NE events this year and unfortunately what AWK says rings true. The best NE event I have been to this year was a C4 at Boltby forest. Not amazing but better than British Champs, White Rose and the National today.

[Rob P]

results are here http://www.obasen.nu/winsplits/online/en/default.asp?page=classes&databaseId=4072

[Mrs H.]

I am surprised at the EOC using Wharncliffe AND Fylingdales for selection - they both involve a lot of fairly untechnical moorlands running which will favour the northerners who train in the stuff (and don't have to travel rediculous distances to get there). They will already have secured most of the places before the southern fixture takes place.
Do we have any evidence that the Interland International which is in Germany is being held in similar terrain?

Very bemused that the results were available on winsplits last night when they are still not up on the Clok and BOF web sites - how come winsplits has got them?

[Becks]

Can't say I agree there - if the heather is so high as to be impeding smaller people's progress it's going to impede every junior. One of the girls I coach, Anne, is from TVOC and very rarely gets to go anywhere near heather, yet she brought out a smashing run to come second yesterday. I can't say heather moors with little technicality ever favoured me when I was up there "training in the stuff" - we generally tried our best to avoid going anywhere near them!

Any area favours the locals in some small respect - the people who succeed are the ones that forget about this and go out and kick some ass anyway.

[gg]

i though interland was in belgium next year?

[Mrs H.]

Even so -

Any area favours the locals in some small respect.

so why have two of them in yorkshire when it's your best two to count? unless there is some specific terrain related reason.

GG - Northern germany i thought on the last weekend of the Feb half term - but i could be wrong

[Klebe]

so why have two of them in yorkshire when it's your best two to count?

County wise you are right, geographically the two events were miles apart. It took us an hour and a half to Wharnecliffe , 3 1/2 hours to Fylingdales. Unless you lived in York you are not exacly local to the two events. Yesterdays national was at least more local for the NE contingent.

Lots of compass work needed yesterday if you wanted to do well and hit the controls cleanly.

[gg]

stupid me for believing the BOF website

Feb 20 EOA Interland 2005 Antwerp, Belgium

hmm