Quality Night Championships

[grubby]

I should've posted these thoughts in January to ensure organisers had time to take notice.
Most of you folk are probably young enough to go talent spotting on a Saturday night but for a sad few, the forest beckons in a month or two.

Over the years I have become increasingly concerned by the technical standard of venues used for regional Night Championships. (Generally, not the BNC) Last year, the Southern night champs was on an Army area that I was able to do less than 6min K's on, on a long course. I was out for less than 50 minutes, and didn't win. Old gits of 48 shouldn't be capable of doing this !
Often, areas selected lend themselves to a "leg it along the track, pile into the control, leg it along the track" scenario. This simply isn't good enough for a regional event.

Organisers - Please, give us long courses on good areas.

[Godders]

You should come to the Scottish Nights.

Drummond Hill last year - very few people under 10 min/km.

Ballogie this year should be just as tough.

Other areas used recently include Cambus O'May and Tentsmuir.

[FatBoy]

Northern Nights last year was on the short side (although in fairness due to low numbers only 5 courses were put on), but was technically and physically a great event. The snow did help make it more difficult but it would've been good anyway.

However I would generally agree over the last few years regional night champs have become easier.

Scottish nights - I would probably come up this year if somebody hadn't had the bright idea of clashing it with the OMM (KIMM) - also in Scotland.

[grubby]

Yep, the Scottish nights was on my list. Unfortunately I'll be in Galloway too !

[Domhnull Mor]

We had our district night champs on Sunday in an area just outside Arvidsjaur (look it up on the map) where bears had been seen the previous day. Plenty of tracks (it is a military training area too) but also plenty of really wild, gloriously fast running, technically challenging blaeberry forest with plenty of climb on an undulating landscape and a winning time of 69mins for 10km. Plastic maps too (like the material used at WOC) which were actually much easier to read in the torchlight than a map in a bag. Considering that is our last district level event of the year (Believe it!), it was a most pleasant way to round of the season.

[ryeland of doom]

Yep, the Scottish nights was on my list. Unfortunately I'll be in Galloway too !

Oh dear - looks like competitors in the Nights may have weather to cope with.

"KIMM" + Galloway = Meteorolgical madness.

Or will this year buck the trend?

[mikey]

How about this from the States this weekend.

http://www.petergagarin.org/2006/20080909(nightO).jpg


That should keep even the keenest night orienteer happy.

[ifor]

Yes that is the sort of terain we need for the champs events......

Reminds me of the one Night event I have done in Sweeden. had the disgrace of trailing in 10 minutes behind everyone else in a mass start race, and I had been training on the area in the daylight earlier in the day...

Ifor

[grubby]

Mikey - Wow, yes that looked an entertaining area. I wonder whether there's an unnecessary amount of mapped boulders though. It makes the contour detail difficult to read.

[Mr timE]

Going back to the original post the problem you have is often down to availability of areas, we stepped in late in the process to run the event as no other club could take it on and we even paid for an extension of the map. By the way Bulford ranges was originally mapped way back in the 80s by Mike Brett specifically for the brit night champs and nobody complained then. perhaps the introduction of search lights on heads has made it easier. Bulford is a challenge, just a different one and if we had put the event on Braunton Burrows or Penhale how many of you would have travelled there? I seem to remember numbers were very low even when it was held at Exeter.

[grubby]

My apologies if I appeared to imply criticism of the organiser or planner of the Southern nights. None was intended. However, I'm sure 'outsiders' might be able to suggest quite a few suitable areas 'down South' that could've been considered, in preference to the eventual area that was chosen. I very much appreciate the Army stepping in at the last minute, and would rather have an event on a less than satisfying area, than no event at all.