Orienteering - Urban race (NGOC Score) 1 [0] 0.01 km (1:40 / km)
shoes: Saucony Powergrid Triumph 9
All the positives from earlier on in the day now lost. Hugely fundamental errors on the behalf of NGOC and the organiser today that were so bad that it shouldn't be allowed to be a club at all.
Got to the quoted grid reference at 5.50, no signs anyway. Go on a bit, turn around, head back, go south for a mile find nothing, head back. Go back into Tewkesbury take every side road and do several laps of the town - found only what looked to be a lost Tony Noott not having found assembly either. Head the other way and do a grand tour of Northway - see an orienteer running, then 40 minutes after first arriving find and chase after Neil Cameron who tells me where to go. Grid reference was wrong and the first three times I drove past the turning there was no sign/kite and the fourth time there was a kite but was only visible from the other direction.
Get there so pissed off that I have some sharp words to say to both Pat and John Fallows. Too angry and upset to hang around or orienteer - so much so that I felt I could cry. Reminds me exactly why I've been getting so disenfranchised with orienteering recently - very tempted to just pack it in now and find something else to do. Have another counselling session at work tomorrow - the expectation was that a day off would do me some good...
In the latest Legend, Pat expresses disappointment in the numbers attending the Thursday evenings. I for one will never bother making the journey up to attend until the following basic event standards are used:
* event flyer
* correct grid reference
* signs from the point where it is supposed to be signed
(I would then add an expectation for a proper map and proper courses at a reasonable length rather than 13k but I suppose that isn't quite so basic...)
I know we are not supposed to criticise volunteers, but I would rather there be no event than for one this badly organised.