South East Lancs Orienteers - Regional Event
INCLUDING COMPASS SPORT CUP \ TROPHY EVENT AND FIRST ROUND OF NW ORIENTEERING LEAGUE
Sunday 16th January 2011
Watergrove, Wardle, near Rochdale
(previous venue of Harvester and British Night Champs)
UPDATE ** 25/01/2011 **
Final Results
Final updated results are available here
Provisional Results
Provisional individual results with split times available here
Routegadget is now ready to receive your routes.
Controllers, Organisers & Planners comments have now been added (Click Read more to view)
Controller's Comments
Watergrove certainly lived up to its name on the weekend of the event. Despite the continuous rain, fortunately the temperature was comparatively mild (although I'm sure the gallant Main Start & Finish teams didn't feel that was the case). These conditions contrast sharply with the corresponding time last year when Edward and I ploughed through waist-deep snowdrifts in order to tag and check the last few control sites on the high moor. Unfortunately there was no way we could hold the event in those conditions and we reluctantly had to cancel the event (after a return to the area just before Christmas I had a horrible feeling of 'deja vu'!).
In view of our experience last January I suggested to Edward that he shorten some of the original course lengths, using BO recommendations for the course length ratios compared to the Brown Course. Looking at the results it appears that some of the times were quicker than recommended - if anyone feels their course was too short, it is me you should blame, not Edward.
Since November 2009 I have seen Watergrove in all its moods and, despite sometimes atrocious conditions, I have enjoyed every visit. It is in general more runnable than most of the Lancashire moorland and has some interesting areas where old quarrying work has taken place.
One objective for the Controller is to represent the 'Competitor' and on your behalf I would to like to thank Edward Mellor for the considerable time and effort he has put in whilst planning this event (twice) over the past 15 months. Alongside everything else, at short notice, he also produced a 2nd set of (slightly shorter) courses in case the December snow remained to reduce competitors' speed. I found it really enjoyable working with Edward and, within the limitations of the area, I think he produced some very good courses.
Organising an event like this one in good conditions is hard enough work, but in addition Clive and his small band of SELOC helpers had to cope with the heavy rain and strong winds that lasted throughout the weekend. I was very impressed by the dedication shown by the helpers - they pulled out the stops to ensure that everything went well on the day. What a great club to work alongside! My thanks to you all and, in particular, Clive for his leadership.
Lastly my thanks to you, the competitors - what a tough bunch you all are! Most members of the public would not even contemplate going out onto the moors on Sunday and there you were, walking down from the Finish with smiles on your faces. Well done to you all!
Steve Ingleby
DEE
Organiser's Comments
Thank you to all the competitors and club teams who attended the event despite the atrocious conditions. From what I could see you didn't appear to be put off by the weather and you all appeared to enjoy Ed's courses
A special thank you to Steve Ingleby, the controller. It was pleasing that Steve, unlike all the other controllers at events I have organised in the past, took an interest in the organisation side of the event as opposed to the just the course planning.
Also a BIG thank you to Stephen Jones the United Utilities ranger who went out of his way to be as helpful as possible and even had the sedge grass in the pony field cut for us so we could park the 4 x 4 s on it. You were so helpful Steve perhaps we should hold an 'O' event at W'grove 3 or 4 times a year !?
A big thank you to all the organisation team who helped make the event at Watergrove today a success. It was a credit to all of you that despite the inclement weather you didn't complain and were cheerful and smiling throughout.
And thanks to the bottom gate team, Kath Etherden, Caroline Barcham, Annmarie Thetford, Joel Thetford and Melody Thompson, out on a limb on sentry duty, putting their lives on the line on behalf of SELOC, repulsing the Wardle hordes trying to gain illegal access to the Watergrove estate when they discovered the bottom gate was open. A special thanks to Melody, alone on the grave yard shift until 3 30 pm on her own when all the competitors had left and everyone else had completed their duties and gone home.
Thanks to the registration team - Alan Heron, Fran Heron, Paul Booth, Pauline Booth, Kevan Latham and Joan Arnold. Calmness under pressure personified; registering entrants on courses despite not having all the information to hand they needed. And Wendy Olsen, in a tight spot (literally) perched on a chair in a corner of the information centre dispensing dibbers to eager competitors.
And a big hand to the car parking team - Steve Round, Mark Seddon, Rashid Murphy, Dave Anderton, Harry Anderton, Eric Burton, Tony Varley and Albert Sunter. Well, a big hand to 3 of them, anyway. We really need to obtain a few more big hands for directing traffic. You all did a good job fitting everyone in as I was concerned beforehand things could be tight. Well done. You are right Steve, we could do with some walkie talkies for big events in future.
And what about the main start team, perched on a hillside in the rain? Stephen Richards, Eric Riddall, Karen Smith, Ross Smith and Joss Sammon. Good to see our younger member getting involved Ross and Josh. Anyone at the start could immediately detect a sense of the camaraderie which had obviously developed as the team struggled together to conquer the elements and get all the competitors away safely. Must be your charismatic leadership abilities Stephen?
At the far flung corner of the Watergrove empire, at the other side of the reservoir from the information centre, John and Roy on the Yellow course start. You will have heard on the expression 'being sent to Coventry'; well SELOC has it's own version of it now - 'being sent to the Yellow course start'.
Thanks to Pete Kidd and Lisa Kidd for transporting 300+ bottles of water to the finish and then setting the finish up. Thanks to everyone who helped on the finish including Annmarie Thetford, Paul Booth, Catherine Oakes and Angela Tompkinson. I am sure the competitors were reassured by your happy, smiling faces at the finish as you huddled together against the rain. Because of the weather I was concerned that we would end up taking most of the bottled water back with us - offering a drenched competitor at the finish a bottle of water is almost like offering a drowning man a drink. Anyway, I am told you did a good job Catherine persuading the competitors to take a bottle of water and by the end there were only about 30 bottles left to take home. Special thanks to Paul who was also on registration then went for a run then unexpectedly appeared at the finish to pack it all up.
And Phil Ellis - did you mange to take any pics Phil or was it just too wet?
Thanks also to Rick from Compass Point for being in attendance and Ean and Jan from Scott's Catering. Stephen and Eric said they were specially grateful to you Ean and Jan for being allowed, after a long, hard day to get your stuck trailer out of the mud!
And once again a sincere thank you to all the on the day helpers. You all did a good job in difficult circumstances and helped make the event a success. I am sure the competitors appreciated your efforts
Clive Atty
Planner's comments
Work started on this event way back in 2009 with some remapping of the depressions and of the new fences which do make the area more difficult to plan on. It was for this reason that the longer courses visited the eastern side of the map which has not been used as often and where the runnability is good (very good judging by some of the times).
Having visited Watergrove several times over the last 18 months, the Sunday of the event was fairly typical weather and contrasted with the waist deep snow of winter 2010 and with the Monday after the event when the sun came out whilst the remaining controls were being collected. Even so, I've not come off Watergrove with dry feet yet. (Note to the next planner to wear wellies).
As Steve Ingleby has said, the times on some courses were very quick so apologies to those who were 'short-changed'. There was a reserve set of courses of about 75-80% in distance and with considerably less climb, on which it would have hardly have been worthwhile for some people to leave their car!
Having spent most of the event drying my clothes in the wardens office I had a lot of time to view the wet queue of orienteers waiting to download. Walking back in to the download area after putting out the final 19 controls on the morning of the competition I was just glad I wasn't then allowed to go round the brown course. Huge admiration for everyone who completed the courses on such a miserable day. Thank you all for making the planning worthwhile.
Huge thanks from a novice planner to an experienced controller, Steve Ingleby, who was always helpful and who allowed me to avoid making obvious errors. The courses and the event were all improved by Steve's input. Thanks also to Clive Atty, the organizer, who did everything but the courses. Thanks also to the 5 control collectors who went out for a second time on the Sunday to collect in the majority of the controls. Once I'd got dry I couldn't face the walk up the hill again. Special thanks to Stephen Round who came back to retrieve the last group of controls on Monday.
Edward Mellor
Good luck to all those competing in the British Champs this weekend! #orienteering