Training Log Archive: grilla

Nice recovery rn with Nat after 2 of the girls had gone to camp. Started from my place, into Bruce Ridge and return via Black Mountain-ish. Another spectacular day outside after a Chilly start!

Event: NSW State League #2 - Snows Hill (ACT League #2)
 

Not much time in the bush today, lots of standing and walking around. Checked the last 5 controls after we had set up and started getting people out.

Given the forecast conditions we had decided to prioritise getting set up and getting people out over turning on controls - hopefully not too annoying for the early starters. Weather when we arrived was perfect 10 degrees and calm. Wind started to get up at about 10:30 and seriously so about 12:30.

Had a walk to the start and back to see how things were going there - all good apart from maps blowing down the road as I arrived, and finding out that some idiot had refused to put his precious SI AIr stick in the CHECK box as he did not want to waste the battery. Seriously, if your battery is that important, take a different stick - you don’t need Air when you take over 2 hours to do your course!

We had a nervous time waiting for a few competitors who were late, well beyond course closure time. We need a better way to offer a significant challenge to experienced orienteers but not quash those less experienced. Strict age classses don’t facilitate this and it would have been a wasted opportunity to set the courses differently, Snows Hill is such a unique area and so difficult to organise at we won’t use it for dumb planning...

Finally all the competitors were back by about 1:30, control collectors by 2, but where were the (not quite yet a) search party????

Next time the organiser will learn the controller how to interrogate a control and be chained to the assembly area!

Eerie driving home through a dust storm. Not envious of the long drive everyone else had back to Sydney, that’s for sure.

Putting out SI units at Snows Hill while Simon carted a truckload of water to the drink controls. A champion effort on his part doing that, as well as getting all but E/VE controls out last Sunday so we had the luxury to do this.

Had a few vague moments, really enjoyed it out there - its challenging but also rewarding when you get it right. My only real mistake was after I sat down for a snack, I decided to go around the fallen casuarina to get the next control - but ended up going so far around I walked a massive circle to get to the control...
duh.
Did an extra 2km or so putting out tapes for E/VE.
Warm by the end of the day, hoping for similar conditions tomorrow.

Ride to work via Black Mountain. An improved variation, need to extend the bit along botanic garden fence...

Work to gym to pick up Aoife.