Training Log Archive: BorisGrIn the 1 days ending Dec 1, 2018:
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Saturday Dec 1, 2018 #
Event: QOC Little Bennett
Orienteering 2:00:00 [1]
I was the course setter for today's local event at Little Bennett, and Alli was the meet director.
We had some bad luck: the original date of the event had to be changed because the park closed all trails due to wet conditions. We got it rescheduled for December 1, a Saturday, thinking that it's good to get it done soon and not need to re-vet all the controls if we waited until later into the spring.
With the late date change, somewhat limited publicity, another event scheduled for the Sunday of the weekend, and terrible weather, we expected the turnout to be low. And it was. We got 65 starts, compared to the 220 at Prince William the day after!
I think the people who turned up did have a good time, but it was a tough day for all involved, and QOC volunteers were amazing in making everything happen. Alli, Dasa, Alexis, Rick O, Bob R, Valerie, Amy, Jon T, Mike D, Michelle S, Don F, Tom N, Dave L, Chris G, Vido A, Mike N, and probably others I forgot went above and beyond without a single complaint, all while being very cold and wet. A special thank-you to Heidi, who seemingly did everything to make the event run smoothly and to feel competitors feel welcome. She also disassembled and put away the entire event setup and stayed till the very end of control pickup. Thank you Heidi!!
Course setting at Little Bennett, especially from the side where we were parking, is a different kind of challenge. Much of the terrain is bisected by a long, deep creek, surrounded on both sides by very think thorny bushes. There are a few exceptions to this, and the courses needed to utilize the least thorny crossings to be even remotely pleasant. This dictated the shape of all the longer advanced courses. I think green and red suffered somewhat from this, in not being able to reach the nicest terrain due to length and shape constraints.
When scouting control locations, I had to scrap more than half of my original control placements on the advanced courses, as either the map was inaccurate or the feature non-existent. This meant that my final courses tried to reflect fairness as much as possible (bigger features, better-mapped areas), while sacrificing some challenge and interest level. I think the courses mostly came out ok, but certainly far from spectacular.
I got some good feedback from Chris and from Tom Nolan, and would love more from anyone who ran. Thanks to everyone who came out on this cold, wet day!
We had some bad luck: the original date of the event had to be changed because the park closed all trails due to wet conditions. We got it rescheduled for December 1, a Saturday, thinking that it's good to get it done soon and not need to re-vet all the controls if we waited until later into the spring.
With the late date change, somewhat limited publicity, another event scheduled for the Sunday of the weekend, and terrible weather, we expected the turnout to be low. And it was. We got 65 starts, compared to the 220 at Prince William the day after!
I think the people who turned up did have a good time, but it was a tough day for all involved, and QOC volunteers were amazing in making everything happen. Alli, Dasa, Alexis, Rick O, Bob R, Valerie, Amy, Jon T, Mike D, Michelle S, Don F, Tom N, Dave L, Chris G, Vido A, Mike N, and probably others I forgot went above and beyond without a single complaint, all while being very cold and wet. A special thank-you to Heidi, who seemingly did everything to make the event run smoothly and to feel competitors feel welcome. She also disassembled and put away the entire event setup and stayed till the very end of control pickup. Thank you Heidi!!
Course setting at Little Bennett, especially from the side where we were parking, is a different kind of challenge. Much of the terrain is bisected by a long, deep creek, surrounded on both sides by very think thorny bushes. There are a few exceptions to this, and the courses needed to utilize the least thorny crossings to be even remotely pleasant. This dictated the shape of all the longer advanced courses. I think green and red suffered somewhat from this, in not being able to reach the nicest terrain due to length and shape constraints.
When scouting control locations, I had to scrap more than half of my original control placements on the advanced courses, as either the map was inaccurate or the feature non-existent. This meant that my final courses tried to reflect fairness as much as possible (bigger features, better-mapped areas), while sacrificing some challenge and interest level. I think the courses mostly came out ok, but certainly far from spectacular.
I got some good feedback from Chris and from Tom Nolan, and would love more from anyone who ran. Thanks to everyone who came out on this cold, wet day!