Ultrasprint

[Angry Haggis]

What a fantastic idea Ultrasprint is! Thanks to SYO for putting on a great race on Saturday. You can't get much more intense than 46 controls and four butterfly sections in 2.3km. Lots of spectator interest too, with it being in the middle of an outdoor activities festival. And proper £££ cash prizes, not that I was ever in the running for them.

Any other clubs up for putting on an ultrasprint? Maybe somewhere in the south?

[DIDSCO]

The ultrasprint was great. This should definatly be repeated elsewhere, and also used in training exercises with juniors - a great way to test technique under pressure without the need for quality terrain. Nice one SYO, and Jenny / Oli for organising.

It was also a good advert for orienteering, the sport probably got the most attention out any other at the event.

[EddieH]

If anyone wants to put one on in Scotland they'd get me there

[mappingmum]

and me!

[Spookster]

The come-and-try-it event ran for two full days, and at it's busiest on Sunday afternoon we were getting 170 finishers per hour trying the CATI courses. Most were kids, who ran all four of the novice courses, but even so that's at least 200-300 kids trying orienteering each day!

SYO are going to put on extra beginners events in the coming weeks to try to get some of them hooked...

[SeanC]

Spookster wrote "at least 200-300 kids trying orienteering each day".

Wow, that's very impressive.

How much of a factor was the outdoor activities festival? I did a quick google and found quite a few others, all in the north/west: Aboyne, Loch Lomond, Forest of Dean, Arran, Dartmoor, Northern Ireland.

[Spookster]

How much of a factor was the outdoor activities festival?

It was the reason they were there. You paid to get into the Cliffhanger festival, then there were all sorts of things to try for free (apart from orienteering there was mountain biking, climbing, fishing, scuba diving, canoeing, caving, power-kiting, etc).

[JennyJ]

At least that many tried it AND lots of parents either joined in to help or to compete with their kids too.
The whole thing was part of the Cliffhanger outdoor festival which had a five pound entry fee (free for kids) and then had lots of free and paid for activities. We were free which certainly helped. Google Cliffhanger Sheffield for more info... That (and the sunshine) was definitely the deciding factor.
I'd highly recommend this format for an event like this though as the parents that don't join in enjoy shouting advice to their kids and then the kids make them join in anyway and anyone walking past gets enticed in too!
Need lots of volunteers though - 3 people for 2pm-6.30pm Sat and just 2 people from 10am to 1pm Sunday was absolutely manic!!

Ooops was writing that as Martin posted!

[geomorph]

Could this be done at the OS Outdoor Show?

Whereever it is used, can mazes be designed with symmetry to allow exhibition challenges on exactly equal courses running in opposite directions (two runners start/finish at opposite ends, with transmitting controls relayed to a progress board)?

[andy]

Whereever it is used, can mazes be designed with symmetry to allow exhibition challenges on exactly equal courses running in opposite directions (two runners start/finish at opposite ends, with transmitting controls relayed to a progress board)?

don't see why not, sounds like good fun

[JennyJ]

there should be a gallery on the SYO site tomorrow but in the meantime I've put a few pics on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oliandjenn ... 273191616/

[Strider]

Where did you aquire all the fencing from, or was this provided by the Cliffhanger organisers?

p.

[JennyJ]

Yep, they were organised through the council.

and as a quick reaction SYO committee last night agreed to organise 3 extra events for beginners in the next 2 months - lets hope all those families I told there was nothing til autumn check the website...

[Kitch]

can't find a link to the maps, is there one ?

[JennyJ]

no there isn't I'm afraid. Can see what I can do but no promises!