Note
SA Long champs - Merridee
Slightly epic day, from which I think I am now recovered enough to write about it without sounding too much like it was a near-disaster. Remind me though that if I ever again volunteer to organise a remote championships I will need my head read. Was up at 7 helping set up the start and making sure no one got a sneak preview of Andrew's excellent courses (the finish was already done) and eventually at 10:30 got around to breakfast. By then I was starting to worry that George hadn't come back yet from going out to a couple of water drops, and that Regina on the computers needed to get out for a run before it got too hot, so I should take over from her soon. But then George finally came back (after 3 hours!) saying that he hadn't been able to work out which water drop actually needed extra, and where he was meant to go to find another, so I dropped everything and went out with him, worrying that the M/W21s would get to the far end of the course before the water did - it takes longer to drive out there than it does to run across the hills.
Got back about midday, sat on the finish counting down the number of finishers still to come in and wondering when I could start writing certificates. But then Regina came back with heatstroke and ended up being carted off to hospital, which was a cause for concern. I cobbled together presentations, worrying about whether the caterers had run at a loss and with one eye on the master map to determine who should collect which controls, in the realisation that we now had no one to pack up the SI gear and that it would take all 7 of the remaining club members to bring in the controls. George supervised tent pulldown and as much packing as possible while I went out with AK to collect controls in the far western section of the map - my favourite part, and possibly his as well, although it's a shame the old Bedford truck isn't mapped.
We counted returning SI units in the dust and found that one was missing, but couldn't be sure where it had been dropped. At 4pm it wasn't practical to go out again for an emu parade, so cut our losses and all headed for home. Got out to the bitumen and one of the wheels on the equipment trailer was smoking. Thank goodness I married a mechanic! George got the wheel off, and, once it had finally stopped smoking, managed to dismantle the brake housing and remove the burnt-out brake shoe. I never even knew the trailer had brakes...so it was a very slow drive home, arriving about 9pm.
Rumour has it the event actually went quite well despite the poor attendance, and Andrew's courses were definitely well received, but I was too busy to notice really, except that I must say that if you are going to organise a state championships with only 10 club members available, it's a good thing that they are all extremely helpful!