Spey 2007 - Comments

[Sheila S.]

I saw a German Caravan being towed off mid week. Did they abandon their 6 days or find somewhere else. I also saw a Dutch Campervan being refused admission, were they given alternatives?
I don't know the answer to any of these but I think the campsite crew was far too small for an event of this size and when things got difficult they struggled to cope. Information was poor, perhaps an appeal for extra help might have done the trick.

Did you offer to help?

Campervans were relocated behind the Event Centre.

[Sheila S.]

Like every other orienteering event the Scottish Six Day relies on a huge team of volunteers. Every one of the six hundred Scottish orienteers present will have played their part in the organisation of the week. In addition, extra help is gratefully received from ex Scottish club members, English orienteers and other volunteers.

I would like to give my personal thanks to those who volunteered to help on the Starts on Day 6: Lindsay McMillan and Julian Green from HOC, Mary and David Nixon from SOC and Jane, Alan, Jo and Matthew Halliday from OD. The Hallidays ended up helping for longer than they expected, right through till 2 pm as I had no-one to take over from them and so I was very grateful that they did stay.

I would also like to thank Tricia and Dick Carmichael who, despite having been planners and control placers on Day Five, came back to Start at 2 pm on Saturday after their runs to help dismantle Start and to return the check and start units to the computer team and so to allow me to have a run. You were right, Trish, it was wonderful out there.

Thank you to everyone who helped in any capacity.

[andy]

I was very impressed with how promptly the results and routegadgets went on-line.

this only happened so promptly because I was lucky enough to have internet at my accomodation! If I hadn't it would have been done from the Leisure Centre and probably only once a day rather the preliminary @ 6 then official results at 10 which actually happened.

would have thought two sets of maps only adds to the complexities of organisation?

It didn't really affect organisation much. All the planning was done on the 1:15 (1:10 for culbin/balavil) and the printer scaled it from there where required. The only difference was course 1 on day 5 which was planned on 1:10, I assume to do with the differing detail between the two maps.

[Electrocuted]

Congestion at the start
The officials were struggling to call all the names in time and late starters etc caused chaos.

I was on starts on day 6. The most starters at any one time was 12 and providing all starters were actually standing ready to enter the start lane at the call up, this wasn't a problem.

It became rather stressful though when some orienteers were too busy chatting amongst themselves miles away from the start lanes to listen to the time or when latecomers attempted to run through everything to try and get into their correct box in the middle of the call up. This happened a lot.

It would help start officials a lot at an event like this to be right at the entrance to the start lanes when the start time is called.

As for the rest of the event, I really enjoyed it and thought all the organisers did a fantastic job, especially given the weather in the first few days.

[PeteL]

Anyone else having diffiuclty getting on to the Routegadget sites for the 6-Days?

[SIman]

Anyone else having diffiuclty getting on to the Routegadget sites for the 6-Days?

I think it is hosted on the same site as the SOA which is also unavailable. I have emailed the webmaster.

[Paul Frost]

SIman is correct. I am also not getting emails, so sorry if you have tried to contact me.
The server that hosts all my sites is down, and I am having problems getting hold of support to fix it. I am now looking at alternative hosting companies for the future.

The sites affected are:
routegadget.co.uk
scottish-orienteering.org
ecko.org.uk
southdowns-orienteers.org.uk
nationalorienteeringcentre.org

[Oldman]

I was on starts on day 6. The most starters at any one time was 12 and providing all starters were actually standing ready to enter the start lane at the call up, this wasn't a problem.

It became rather stressful though when some orienteers were too busy chatting amongst themselves miles away from the start lanes to listen to the time or when latecomers attempted to run through everything to try and get into their correct box in the middle of the call up. This happened a lot.

It would help start officials a lot at an event like this to be right at the entrance to the start lanes when the start time is called.

Day 6 was actually not too bad, but some other days were awful! It isn't acceptable to blame the competitors: the signs and the start clock were often invisible, the starter's name calling often inaudible, and the space to reach your allotted place usually too small. I several times had to be pretty aggressive to push my way through a 4-deep throng of people to respond to my name being called. (See my earlier comments).

However, lest my comments are misunderstood, I repeat that I thought the volunteers did a great job and the event overall was excellent, but I cannot agree that this (minor) failing of poorly arranged starts should be laid at the door of the competitors (even partly!).

[Domhnull Mor]

Re Oldman's comments, I was pleasantly surprised to get the full name and time call-up. I am used to the silent pre-start which we use here in northern Sweden. Here it is up to the competitor to ensure that they are at the start line at the correct time (though I follow your point about having a visible clock at the pre-start). No names or time call-outs are made. What is preferable? It should not be up to the start personnel to ensure that competitors are at the pre-start on time. On the other hand, it is their responsibility to ensure that the people standing on the start line are starting at the correct time.

[Dave Coustick]

As Technical Co-ordinator for Tay 09 I'd appreciate any (constructive) comments on courses at Spey 07. You can send me these by email if you don't want them public! (Please give your course number when commenting).

[Gnitworp]

I'll try and get my routes on Routegadget today, Dave.
Thanks for putting yours up.


Jim P

[Sheila S.]

"The campsite, in respect to those not in the youth area, on certain nights we in the youth area were a bit loud" (Rob F)

I have always been in favour of a youth campsite (despite being notorious for shouting at youths in the past). However, the loud, inconsiderate behaviour, late into the night, of some residents of the youth camp this year has disappointed me.

Not only were campers in the family area disturbed during the night but other residents of the youth camp who came to the event to orienteer, found their orienteering was adversely affected by lack of sleep.

Such behaviour jeopardises the future of the event campsite. If significant numbers of campers choose not to return to the campsite in future it could become economically not viable to set up the campsite infrastructure. If no-one will volunteer to be campsite manager there could be no campsite.

I would suggest that for Tay 2009, clear rules should be agreed for the youth camp which residents would adhere to or be evicted, for example, quiet at midnight before a competition day, and at 1 am before the rest day.

At RD 05, older youths including TNS, as well as organising some evening activities in the youth camp, also had a good influence in protecting the younger youth from the worst of their excesses. Perhaps a similar group could be given more responsibility for maintaining acceptable behaviour at Tay 09.

[Tatty]

Well said! I know one of our WOC team was adversly affected by the noise on the campsite and hence lack of sleep.

[Mrs H]

I actually have mixed feelings about the youth camp - it always seems like issuing kids with condoms - an invitation to misbehave

no one is more in favour of kids having a good time than me but I think the problem here was that the youth camp was just too close to the rest of the camp site - 2 years ago it was well seperated and we didn't care what they were getting up to if it didn't disturb us.

I actually know of several juniors who chose not to camp in the youth camp and merely went over there to socialise - prefering to be able to leave it when they'd had enough and retire for a quiet nights sleep.

Perhaps the answer is not so much a youth camp but a youth social zone where the partying is contained well away from the tents -

that or a well seperate youth camp. (I remember one year at the white rose when the youth camp seemed to be in a separate county

[RS]

As a very light sleeper, I was surprised to hear the above comments as my sleep was only disturbed by the inconsiderate families with whining children who chose to camp on the 'quiet' area.