January 2018 Newstrack

NewstrackisthemagazineofDerwentValleyOrienteersEditor:sal.chaffey@gmail.com

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Chairman Andy Hawkins a.hawkins517@hotmail.com Vice chair Jane Burgess janeburgess50@yahoo.co.uk Secretary John Hawkins john.hawkins16@sky.com Treasurer Roger Keeling rogerjkeeling@aol.com Fixtures Secretary Stuart Wicks stuwicks@stadtgenwicks.plus.com Minutes Secretary Dave Chaffey dave.chaffey@gmail.com Coaching and Juniors Val Johnson gmjandfam@aol.com Club Captain Graham Johnson serendipadeedoodah@gmail.com Committee Member Rex Bleakman rexbleakman321@btinternet.com EMOA Rep. John Hurley Johnhurley870@btinternet.com Matlock Reps Viv Macdonald &

Judith Holt viv.macdonald@btinternet.comjudith.holtcooke@btinternet.com

Junior Rep Sarah Duckworth jasrduckworth@btinternet.com Mapping & permanent courses Mike Godfree mike.godfree@btinternet.com Event Officials Coordinators Ann-Marie Duckworth

Jen Gale jasrduckworth@btinternet.com jg.244@btinternet.com

Controllers Coordinator Paul Addison pxaddison@aol.com Access Coordinators Viv & Ranald Macdonald r.f.macdonald@btinternet.com Development Officer Vacant Informal Events Coordinator Sal Chaffey sal.chaffey@gmail.com Event Safety Officer Ranald Macdonald r.f.macdonald@btinternet.com Equipment Paul Wright cpstwright@tiscali.co.uk Web master John Cooke jholtcooke@btinternet.com Press Paul Wright cpstwright@tiscali.co.uk Publicity Sal Chaffey sal.chaffey@gmail.com Social Rep Anne Cunningham annecunningham15@googlemail.com Welfare Officer Sue Russell 01773 857318

NewMembersAwarmwelcometoourwinterjoinersLisaCooke,GeorgeJennings,RowanandKatherineBrook,OmarSattaur,AndrewStuart,JennGaskell,ChristineOngomaandDaveDuffy.Seeyouataneventsoon!EditorialHappy2018toallreaders.Inthisissue,DaveNevell’scountdownofour100mostpopularareasmakesinterestingreading,anddrawsattentiontohistoryweareoftenunawareofwhenwe’rebusyfindingourflags.Pleasetakethecovercartoonwithapinchofsalt–itwasincomposedinthepubatlastyear’sDalesWeekend!ThenextNewstrackwillbeavailableatourHardwickParkeventonApril15th,whichmeansacopydateofApril8th–timedperfectlyforitemsaboutJK2018intheWestMidlands.sal.chaffey@gmail.comThanksinadvance!

DVOGoestoDerbyVelodrome!3OrienteeringSkillsCoaching3DVOSocialEvents3ClubCaptain’sCorner4YvetteBakerTrophy20184NavigationtipsforO5RoutegadgetforOpreparation7LettertotheEditor8SportsPersonality/2017EMLeague9WhenSundayComes112018OPlanner13SiAC:we’reallstilllearning!15LocationsofDVOevents1969–201716OEnjoymentasTimeGoesBy25EdinburghBigWeekend25PuzzlePage27EventOfficialsNeeded28

CommitteeandOpenmeetingdatesTraditionallyclubCommitteemeetsonthesecondTuesdayofMarch,June, SeptemberandDecember–sonextdateis13thMarch2018.DVOOpenMeetingstakeplacequarterly(ish)onthesecondWednesdayofeachmonthattheFamilyTreeinWhatstandwell.Allarewelcomeandthereisarunbeforehand,at7pm,withtheMeetingstartingat8pm.Baravailableandfreeteaandcoffee.Thenextoneis11thApril,atwhichValwillbedeliveringthe‘CartoStart’workshop,forallthoseinterestedinhelpingbeginnersgetusedtothewayoureventswork.Allwelcome!

Eventpagesandclubnews,opentonon-members

Chatamongclubmembers

Activeagainsoon!

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DVOGoestoDerbyVelodrome!When? Saturday17thFebruary2018Time? 11.00amto6.00pm(approx)What? TheNationalOmniumChamp-ionships.Eightracesinall

4eventseachformenandwomen.Howmuch?£10/£6(over60s/under16s)TicketscanbebookedonlinethroughDerbyLivewww.derbylive.co.uk(apparentlyit’scheaperthanbookinginpersonorbytelephone).Wewillmakefurtherplansforthedaywhenweknowwhoisgoing.

ValJohnson

OrienteeringSkillsCoachingAttheJanuaryOpenMeeting,followingarequestbyclubmembers,weraisedtheissueofOskillscoaching.WeagreedthatweshouldgetawayfromeverysingleOeventbeingarace.Forinstance,theLevelDeventscanprovideanopportunityformoreexperiencedorienteerstopractiseaparticulartechniqueasguidedbyoneofourCoaches.AbeginnerattendingaLevelDmightpractisesomebasicskillsperhapsstartingwithLegend,FoldingandThumbingandprogressingthereafter.Themoreexperiencedmightpractise,forexample,relocation,oraimingoff,orcontouranalysis.Thecontentforthebeginnerscanbedeterminedwithoutworryingundulyabouttheterrainorthequalityofthemap.However,forthemoreexperiencedorienteersthetechniquetobetackledwilldependontheterrainandthequalityofthemap.Acoachingsessionforbeginnersandmoreexperiencedorienteerswillbeoffered30minutesbeforeRegistrationatallourLevelDeventsstartingatOker,10thMarch.DetailswillappearontheeventinformationontheDVOwebsite.

AtLeaGreenrecently,Valdidasessiononfoldingandthumbingofthemap;thisbasicbutimportanttechniquekeepsyouorientedandmakesforfinermapcontact.AndyHawkins’articleonpage7outlinestheseskills,andafewothers.MorearepromisedinAprilNewstrack,butwhynotputthemintopracticeataLevelD?OrcomealongtoMatlockClubNight,onWednesdayeveningsstartingafterEaster.

DVOSocialEventsInNovember2017attheClubChampsIundertookasurveytogaugetheclubmembers’thoughtsregardingsocialevents.Thefirstquestionaddressedthefrequencyofsocialevents.Themajoritywereinfavourofquarterlyevents.Otherclubsarrangeasocialmeetaftertheirlocaleventsatahandypub,sothiscouldalsobetrialled.

Iofferedseveralsuggestionstostarttheballrolling.Aquiznightwasapopularchoice;maybewecouldhaveacoupleoftheseayear.Anothersuggestionwastohavea“posh”clubdinnerandtheidealopportunityforthismaybetheclub’s50thanniversaryin2019.

Bowlinggotthethumbsupandcanoeing,rafting,cycling,archery,mountainbikingandvisitstoJCB/Toyota,climbingandacurrynight.Theunicyclegangsaidthattheywouldbehappyandprobablyamused(althoughtheydidn’tsaythat!)toorganiseaunicycletastersession.

ValsuggestedavisittotheDerbyVelodrome.ThereisanomniuminFebruarywhichmaybeagoodstartingpointandthiswasadvertisedbyValinthelastNewstrack.TheOmniumisonthe17thofFebruary,standardticketsare£10each,over60’sandunder16s£6.00,whichmightapplytoacoupleofpeople.

IfwearetoconsidergoingtothepubafteraDVOevent,theeventorganiser/plannercouldpotentiallyidentifyavenueandaddthistotheirfinaldetails–justbecausetheydon’thaveenoughtodo!

AsbowlinggotsuchagreatresponseIcouldaimtoorganisethisforApril/May.

Ifeelthatthefrequencymaybedeterminedbythetypeandexpenseinvolvedinaparticularevent.Irealisedthatnoteveryoneisonsocialmediabutitmaybeoneavenuetoairyourthoughtsregardingeventsorotheractivityideas.Otherwisepleasefeelfreetoemailme,annecunningham15@googlemail.comorbyphone07442824658.

Ifyouhaveotherideasandespeciallyifyouarewillingtoarrangeanevent,Iwouldlovetohearfromyou!

AnneCunningham

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CompassSportCup–Sunday,11thMarch2018TheCompassSportCupco-ordinatorhasconfirmedthatourdesignatedheat for the first (andonly)qualifyingroundwillbetheonethatIrequestedatCanklow,justsouthofRotherham,onSunday,11thMarch2018.Iwillshortlybesendinganemailtoeveryoneintheclub,askingthemtoindicatewhethertheycantakepartin this year’s competition, so, if you can attend on 12th March, please don’t hesitate to respond(serendipadeedoodah@gmail.com)orspeaktomeattheEyamevent.Canklowisonly43milesand48minutesfromDerby,soitain’tthatmuchofaneffort.Although, when sending in the entry, I indicated DVO’s choice of venue as, first, Canklow and, second,Nesscliffe(78milesfromDerby),itwasonlyasIwasabouttosendtheentryinthatInoticedthatDVO,asanEMOA club, had been lumped in with E(ast) A(nglia) OA and allocated a default ‘East Midlands’ event atShouldhamWarren,whichforthegeographicallychallenged(inc.mewhohadtolookitup)is103milesaway,tothesouthofKingsLynn.Asexpected,NOCandLEIhavebothgonewiththischoicesoDVOwillnotbeabletoclaimbraggingrightsastopEastMidlandsclubfor2018.Ididpointouttotheorganiserthat,lastyear,we’dbeensent85milestothesouthofLouth,nottomention250milestotheFinalinDevon.I’mhopingthatnextyear,ourEastMidsoptionwillbeabitcloser.Iwaspleasantly surprised to find that ouronly opposition at Canklowwill be SYOandCLOK. I thoughtwemightbeupagainstAirienteers,buttheyhaveoptedfortheSELOCevent.I’dliketothinktheywantedtoavoidDVObut I’dprobablybedelusional.SinceSYOwere in thetopthreeat theFinal,andweareunlikely tobeatthemespeciallyonhomeground,thismeansthat,accordingtotherules,we‘only’havetobeatCLOKtomake

theFinal.CLOKmade lastyear’sFinalaswellwhere they finished9th,andtheyhavea lot further togo thanwedo.Thereshouldn’tbeanyexcuse,butweshouldn’tgetcomplacenteither.Maximumeffortandattendancestillrequired!The geographical distribution of clubs nationwide has produced some strange quirks. Be gratefulwe aren’t in thesouth-eastorsouth–sevenclubs includingHappyHerts,SouthernNavsandSouthdownsallhavetocontest theoneeventatBalcombe.Bycontrast,inthesouth-west,twoclubsqualifyfortheFinalifthecurrentcup-holders,Bristol,win–andthereareonlytwoclubs,BOKandDEVONtakingpart.Theymightaswellnotbother.WhensubmittingtheDVOentry,Ialsohadabitofamoantotheco-ordinatorabouttheShortGreenVetsclass,andinparticular,theplightoftheW70s–seelastNewstrackifyoucanbebothered–whoareexpectedtocompeteagainstM70sinthesamebloatedclass.IhavebeenassuredthatthisissueistobelookedatbytheCSCCo-ordinatingGroupafterthequalifyinground,soW70smayfindthemselvesinadifferentandhopefullyfairerclassinfuture.AlthoughCanklow is not that far away, the subject of car-sharinghasbeen raisedwithmeand I think that it’s anexcellentideasoifanyoneisabletoofferaliftorwantsone,pleaseletmeknowtoo.JKRelays–Monday,2ndApril2018Asmentionedlasttime,this isonBeaudesert,Cannockandtheclosingdateis4thMarch.JKrelayteamsaregenerallyorganisedonatotalagebasis(e.g.120+)whichisbetterforteamcaptainsasthisformulaallowsformoreflexibility.Iwillbeemailinganyonewhohasenteredasat28thJanuary(whenthemiddleofthethreeescalatingentryfeesexpires)toseeiftheywanttobeincludedinaRelayteambutifyoudo(orhaveenteredtheindividualbutdon’t)andyouseeme,letmeknow.Youneverknow,Imightremember.Nexttime,I’llreportontheCSCtieandstartbangingonaboutBritishRelays. GrahamJohnson,ClubCaptain

CallingallJuniors!RunforDVOintheYvetteBakerTrophyHi,it'sSarahDuckworth,I'mDVO'sjuniorrepresentative.Thejunior-onlyeventtheYvetteBakerTrophyheatthisyearisatCademanandThringstoneWoods,Sunday25thFebruary:http://www.leioc.org.uk/event-details/?item=%201910Thecompetitionisopentoalljuniorsrunningthecolourcourse(excludingWhite)thatsuitstheirability,theymustbeabletorunYelloworabove,seethelinkbelowforsomeagelimitations:https://www.britishorienteering.orguk/page/rulesSection2.2ofreportL(YvetteBakertrophy).Entryisontheday.WewouldencourageallDVOJuniorstocompeteasit'sagoodwaytomeetotherjuniors&goodfun.LastyearwemanagedtoreachtheFinaldowninthesouth-east!ThefinalthisyearismuchcloserintheWestMidlands.Ifthereareanyquestionsjustemailme:jasrduckworth@btinternet.comandifyoucanconfirmyou'regoingbyemailitwouldbegoodsothatwecanmanagetheteamandtelltheorganiseroftheeventexpectednumbersfromDVO.

Thanks,Sarah

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Howtofindtheflag:Navigationtipsfororienteering AndyHawkins

1. Studythemap.Noteparticularlythescale,usually1:10,000butyouwillfindothers,andcontourinterval,almostalways5m.Arethereanyunusualfeaturesonthekey?Youwillsometimesgetachancetolookatthemapbeforeyoustart,butifyoudon’titisworthspendingaminuteonthis.2.Foldingthemap.Onceyouhaveabsorbedthemap-dataabove,foldthemapsothatyourcurrentlegisvisibleplusabitoneithersideoftheredline.Refoldasneededforeachleg.Notethattextisnow‘wrongwayup’.Youwillnowseetheadvisabilityofcarryingtheloose(paper)controldescriptionsheetinsomekindofholder.Ifyoudon’t,youwillbeconstantlyunfoldingandrefoldingthemaptoseethecontroldescriptionsprintedthere.3. Orientatingthemap.Youneedtoholdthemapinfrontofyou,sothatwhatappearsontheleftofthe‘redline’onthemapwillbetoyourleft,andsoon.Acompassisagreathelptoorientatethemap.Youwillneedtore-orientatethemapforeachleg,andsometimesduringaleg.(Thinkofatypicalroughlycircularcourse.)Howtoorientatemap,withstandardcompass:Holdthecompassonthemap,andturnthemaparounduntilthenorthlines(“eastings”)areparalleltothe

magneticneedle,andtheredendofneedlepointstothenorth.Withathumbcompassorientatingthemapismucheasierandquicker,andyourtechniquewillalsoincludethumbingthemap(seeFig2).

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4. Planyourroute.Beforeyoustartrunning,decidethebestwayofgettingtothecontrol.Itwillbeacombinationof‘fastest’and‘safest’(=easiestnavigation).Itwillonlyrarelybealongtheredlineitself.Trytoavoid(darker)greenareas.Maybeuseapathortrackthatisparalleltotheredline,whereyoucanrunfast,andminimisethechanceofgettinglost(butbewareover-runningwhengoingflat-out!).5. ‘Thumbing’themap.Putyourthumbasnearaspossibletoyourcurrentposition,andkeepupdatingit.Thisistoavoidyouhavingaquicklookandseeinginsteadanothersimilarfeature,anothernorth-southpathforexample.Butbeawarethatyourthumbmayhideadetailthatcouldbeimportant,solookunderthethumbfromtimetotime(spotthedifferenceinFig3).

Fig3a(left),andb(right).Notehowyoumoveyourthumbalongthemap,fromno.6tono.7,asyouprogressontheground.

Fig1showstheLindopmapfoldedforlegs9–10and10–11.

Fig2Usingthumbcompass,Stage1.Laythesideofthebase-platealongtheroute,intherightdirectionthatyouwanttogo(i.e.here,1to2)Twistthedialuntiltheredlinesatthebaseareparallelwiththegridlinesonthemap.

Stage2(yellowarrow).Keepingmapandcompassclampedtogether,turnthewhole‘unit’,andyourself,untiltheneedleisparalleltothegridlinesontheO-map,andtheredendpointstothenorthofthemap.

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6. Ticking-off/anticipatingfeatures.Asyoutravelalongyourplannedroute,tickoffinyourheadthefeaturesonthemapasyoumeetthem–pathjunctions,aruinontheleft,ahillontheright,etc.Thiswillturnintoyouanticipatingthem–“next,inabout200m,I’mexpectingasmallpondontheleft”.Ifthefeaturedoesn’tappear,eitherthemapiswrong,oryouare.99%ofthetime,I’mafraid,itwillbeyou!7. Hand-rails.Ahand-railisalinearfeaturethatgoestoyourcontrol(orclosetoit),orisroughlyparalleltotheredline.Linearfeaturescouldbepaths,hedges,ditches,fences,streamsorvegetationboundaries.Eitherfollowthehand-rail,orkeepitinsight.

Fig4Usingastreamasahandrailbetween3and4.Noteyoushouldhaveamappedfeaturetotellyouwheretoleavethehand-rail(thestreaminthiscase)oryouwillhavetopace-count(seebelow).

8. Catchingfeatures.Usuallylinearfeatures,asabove,butwhicharebeyondthecontrol,sostoppingyoufromgoingmuchtoofar(althoughinthecorrectdirection).Catchingfeaturescouldalsobecontourfeatures,suchasavalleyorahill.Ifyouhaveachoiceofroutestoacontrol,itmaybesometimesadvisabletochoosethedirectionofapproachthathasthecatchingfeature.

9. Trafficlighting.Thisreferstoyourspeed&needstobereducedincomplexterrainornearthecontrol.Dividethelegintoagreensection,whereyougoasfastaspossible,andwhereyoucan’tgowrong(famouslastwords!),suchasaforesttrack,anambersectionwhereyougoslower,needingmorecarefulnavigation,andaredsection,whereyouperhapsevenwalk,approachingthecircle.10. Compassbearing.Occasionallyyouhavenootherchoicebuttofollowacompassbearingandpace-count.Thisisreasonablyaccurateacrossopencountrywhereyoucanaimforadistanthill,say,orapylon.Throughwoodlanditistrickier.Here,followingabearingisinaccurateoveranydistance,andespeciallyacrossaslope,sotryinsteadtouseabearingtoanintermediatefeature,andthenagain.Butprepareinyourmindtohaveleftthebearingbyasurprisingamount.Forexample,a5°errorover400mmeansyouwouldbe35mawayfromthecontrol.Inwoodland,thiswouldmeanyouwouldn’tseetheflag.Usingathumbcompassmeansyouarealwaysfollowingacompassbearing.11. Aiming-off.Ifyouarerunningonacompass-bearingtowardsacontrolonalinearfeatureroughlyat90°toyourangleofapproach,itisalwaysagoodideatodeliberatelyaimtooneside(atleast30mtotheside).Thisway,whenyouhitthelinefeature,youalreadyknowwhichwaytoturnalongit,andyoushouldbeabletomaintainspeeduntilyouseethecontrol.Withoutthistechnique,youarriveatthelinearfeatureanddon’tknowwhichwaytoturn!Youtryleftfor15m,thenturnbackandtrytheoppositedirectionfor30m,ifyoustillhaven’tfoundit,yougobacktotheoriginaldirection,butgoabitfurther…Youcanwastealotoftimethisway.Iknow,Ihave!

Fig5CatchingfeaturebeyondNo.4.Asyougetmoreskilledwithpace-countinganddistanceestimation(seebelow),youwillneedcatchingfeaturesless.

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Routegadget–agreatpreparationresource SalChaffeyManyorienteerswillbrowseoldmapsand/orRoutegadgetbywayofpreparationforanimportantevent.Thisisareallygoodwaytoimproveperformance,(a)bylookingatthenatureoftheterrain,and(b)bycomparingotherpeoples’routes.ForUrbanevents,combinethiswithGoogleStreetViewandyoucanbegintodecipherhowthemapperhasdepictedlayerssuchastunnels,bridgesandrooftops.Thisisgeeking,notcheating!Rock-climber,lecturerandcommentatoronoutdooreducationPeteLivesey(1943–98)saidthatorienteeringisallaboutexpediency.Thedefinitionofthis–“beingconvenientandpractical,despitepossiblybeingimproperorimmoral”–shouldbetemperedwiththestatement“aslongasit’sallowedintheRules”.Basically,inOthefastestwins;therearenomarksforstyle!Davedrewmyattentiontoanothernuanceofexpediency–thatit’sfinetochangeyourmindmid-legifitgetsyoutherequicker.ButnotethatthisappliesmoretolongerlegsinterrainO,thantoUrbanandSprint,inwhichthedifferencebetweentworoutechoicesisoftenonlyseconds,so,oncecommitted,justlegit–don’tdither!AmoreproactiveuseofRoutegadgetistoaddyourrouteaftereacheventandtoseewhereyoulostorgainedtime.AfewreadersmayhavereceivedaGPSwatchintheirstockingthisyear,sohere’saquickguidetouploading!HowtoaddyourroutetoRoutegadget• FollowthelinkfromtheResultspage,orgodirecttoRoutegadgetandselecttheclub,*andthentheevent.• ClickontheDrawtabandselectyourNameandCoursefromthepull-downs.

*DVOandNOCdon’thavealinkfromtheRoutegadgetHomepage.Thisissowecankeepthefilesunderourowncontrol.ForDVO(ifnotlaunchingfromtheResultspage),launchfromtheRoutegadgetbuttonontheright-handcolumnoftheDVOHomepage;forNOC,searchRoutegadget2NOC.TouploadyourroutefromaGPSwatch1. AssumingyouhaveaGarmin(mostpopularbrand),onGarminConnect,clickonthecogicon(topright),andselect

ExporttoGPX.ThefilethenappearsinyourDownloadsfolder.2. InRoutegadget,clickChoosefile,andselectfromyourDownloadsfolder.Yourtraceshouldappearonthemap;if

notquiteperfect,clickAutofit,whichstretchesthetracesoitgetsallthecontrols.NowclickSaveGPSroute.3. Sometimesyouhavetomakemanualadjustments.Lookcarefullyattheinstructionsforredandgreen‘handles’on

thebottomleft.It’squiteeasytomanipulateyourtrace,butrememberyoumusthavetheMovemapandtracktogetherboxunchecked.

4. Whenyouhavefinished,clicktheSaveGPSroutebutton.Toenteryourroutemanually1. SelecttheDrawtab,thenselectyourcourseandnamefromthedrop-downs.2. Ifyouwantthemaptoalignwithavirtual‘directionoftravel’(akintoorientingthemapinarace),clickAlignmap

tonextcontrol.3. AddyourroutebyclickingshortsectionsfromtheStarttriangletothefirstcontrol.Notethatonceyouhave

‘arrived’atacontrol,thesubsequentcontrolappearsred.Thishelpsyoutocheckyourtracehasvisitedthemall.Ifyoumissone,youcanusetheUndobuttonontheleft.

4. Whenyouhavefinished,clicktheSavebutton(upperleft,nexttoUndo).It’sgreattoleavefeedbackforPlannersandControllersintheTypeyourcommentbox.Itwillbelookedat.Moreoften,competitorsjustliketounburdenthemselvesoftheirstupidity–makingRoutegadgetanorienteers’agony-aunt!Plannersandanyoneinterestedcanaccessthesecommentsbypressingthe[?]button,topright.

FunthingstodoonceyouhaveaddedyourrouteFromtheCoursestab,youcanseewhoonyourcoursehasenteredroutes,andwheretheywent.

TheChaffeymaparchive

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FromtheResultstab,youcannowdoallsortsoffunthings.Forinstance,youcanselect2ormorecompetitorstoraceroundtogether.AtLEI’s

BurbageCommoneventinJanuary,MikeGodfreewas17secsaheadofmeontheBluecourse.Whenyouticktheboxintheucolumnforeachofus,acontrolboxappearsinthebottomrightandwhenyoupressPlayyoucanwatchusraceround!It’sagreatwayofidentifyingwhereyoulosttime,forexampleIwasabitcautiousaboutthefencewhenexitingNo6andbacktrackedneedlessly.Itwasclearlyacrossablefencewithsingletags.Therearelotsofotherfeaturesthatareworthstudying…why

nothavealookatthemapandroutesforourCompassSportCupHeatatCanklow(SYO)?

Routegadget–somuchmorethanacollectionofoldmaps!

LettertotheEditorDear Newstrack Editor,

WewereshockedtoreadtheclaiminyourDecember2017editiononthepartofyourcorrespondent,MsChiswell,thatMacedonia’s ‘only real international acclaim’ is ‘its long running disputewithGreece about its name!’ Thisdoesgreatdisservicetothewondersofthisoften-overlookedjewelofanationwhereancienthistorysitsbesidegorgeouscountryside,pulsatingcitiesanduniquecuisinefortheperfectholidaydestination.Hereareeightlittle-knownfactstoexciteyourinterest:

1. Macedoniahasmoremountainpeaks(34)thananyothercountryintheworld,eachatleast2,000metresabovesea-level,MountGolemKarbbeingthehighestat2,753metres;

2. MotherTheresawasborninthecapitalSkopje(althoughitisoftenclaimedshewasAlbanian,shewasonlyethnicallyso);

3. Macedonia was the only country to receive its independence from Yugoslavia without a drop of bloodbeingspilt;

4. TheCyrillicalphabetwasdevisedanddevelopedintheninthcenturybyStCyril(hencethename!)andStMethodius,bothfromtheregionnowoccupiedbyMacedonia;

5. The Millennium Cross which stands 66 metres high on the Vodno mountain overlooking Skopje is thebiggestintheworld;

6. AlexandertheGreat,whoconqueredoneofthelargestempiresintheancientworldbytheageofthirty,startedoutastheKingofMacedonia;

7. ThecitizensofMacedoniawerethefirstintheworldtohaveaccesstowirelessbroadband;8. Vreloistheworld’sdeepestunderwatercave,havingadepthof77metres.

IhopethatyourreaderswillappreciatethattherereallyissomuchmoretoMacedoniathanapettydisputewithGreeceoverourname!Welookforwardtowelcomingmanymoreofyourreadersinthefuture.

Yoursinbreathlessexpectation,

The Macedonian Tourist Board

ThisemailmadetheEditorchucklewhenitappearedtruncatedattheBonherphone.Themissinglettersare,infact,‘luetoothheartmonitor’,not‘ear’!

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SportsPersonalityoftheMonth…atBuxton1/1/18DerekGaleforprogrammingtheboxeslabelled128and129astheopposite.Itwasunfortunatethatbothcontrolsfeaturedonall5oftheadultcoursesatdifferentpointssomostpeopledownloadingwereshownastakingcontrolsoutoforderastherewasn’ttimebetweendownloadstoamendthecoursesinthecomputer.

DaveCloughforfailingtoclearsothathis36controldibberstillhadhiswinningIlamraceinitsmemoryandafter5controlsstoppedrecording.SoshownonresultsasMissing9,12–13,15,20,22,25,27.TheJohnsons,whoenteredCourses2and3.IntheStartpen,oneofthemrealisedshehadthewrongmap(sealedfortheMassStart),butswappingwasachievedjustsecondsbeforetheblastoftheairhorn!

…atStrawberryHill&RansomWood7/1/18It'saclosething....AnnieorSarah?AnniewasrunningatStrawberryHillonherfirstGreencourse.ShehasjuststartedrunningTD5.Shemadeaperfectlyunderstandableparallelerrorlookingforno8.Thepathshapeswerethesame,andbothareasevenhadalake/marshinthesameplace,depressionsandimpenetrablegreen.Shesearchedthoroughlyforno8forsometimebeforeshebumpedintoSarahParkin.'It'sjustroundthecorner'saidSarahhelpfully.TheonlyproblemwasthatSarahassumedAnniewaslookingforno9,whichshewasintherightareafor,andwhichAnniewentoffdutifullytofind.Lesson:ifsomeonetellsyouwhereacontrolis,askwhichonetheyaretellingyouabout.Doesthatsoundungrateful?

2017EMUrbanLeagueWinnersHerearesomeoftheclasswinnersatthepresentationbeforetheBuxtonrace,withtheirchocolateOshoes!DVOwinnerswereJake,Rachel,Sal,Francesco,LizandDoug,whohaswonMaleUltraVeteveryyearsincetheleaguebeganin2012!Alsointhephoto:AmandaRobertsandTanyaTaylor(bothofLOG)

EastMidlandsLeague2017:DVOPlacingsAlotofDVOmemberstookpartintheLeague,someperhapsunknowingly,asentryisbydefault!Amaximumofeightracescount,butforanoptimumscoretheyneedtobeonthesamecolour-codedcourse.Therunnerswhoscoredonmorethanonecourseappearinbold,butforanymorein-depthanalysis,seeemoa.org.uk/leagueWhite GeorgePowell 4th ConnieBrocklehurst 2nd

Yellow LeoCrown 4th AlexaLindsay 3rdOrange BrianWard 1st AliceCrane 3rd BenMackervoy 2 LeoCrown 3LightGreen JakeO’Donnell 1st AnneCunningham 1st BenO’Donnell 3 NicolaO’Donnell 4 PeteNash 4 JosephTurner 5 SteveHand 6 RobTucker 7 JakeBayley 8

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ShortGreen JohnCooke 10th HelenFinlayson 1st TonyBerwick 11 PaulineWard 2 RogerKeeling 14 JenGale 3 DavidParkin 18 DonnaHawkins 4 ChrisO’Donnell 20 SarahParkin 5 MalcolmSpencer 22 ChristineMiddleton 7 AnneCunningham 8 Ann-MarieDuckworth 16 HebeParr 18 SueAllard 24Green AndyHawkins 2nd JaneBurgess 2nd RexBleakman 5 RuthEllis 3 DaveSkidmore 8 RachelDavis 6 JakeO’Donnell 9 KimBuxton 8 ChrisO’Donnell 12 MargaretKeeling 9 RanaldMacdonald 14 LizGodfree 11 AndisOzols 16 RachelDuckworth 16 AndrewMiddleton 20 ClaireSelby 15 DerekGale 23 GracePennell 16 RichardNaish 24 SueRussell 18 SamDavis 27 CarolineHowells 20 BenO’Donnell 29 KathrynGriffiths 21 StuartWicks 30 AmandaPrice 25 DougDickinson 32 FionaSellar 27 JamesBedwell 33 SueAllard 29 TonyStirland 36 HebeParr 33 PaulGoodhead 48 DavidTurner 49Blue DerekGale 4th SalChaffey 2nd DavidVincent 8 ElizabethBedwell 8 MurrayWhite 8 SarahDuckworth 11 DaiBedwell 12 SallyCalland 12 MikeGardner 13 RusselBuxton 14 JohnHurley 18 MikeGodfree 20 AndySykes 22 JohnHopper 23 MichaelLindsay 33 GrahamJohnson 34 TomHartland 35 AndyParry 37 DaveChaffey 38 PaulArmstrong 40 RichardNaish 42 PaulGoodhead 43 JonCundill 44 FrancescoLari 49 AndrewMiddleton 50 NickHolland 51Brown RichardParkin 1st HelenChiswell 2nd RobertSmith 5 SallyCalland 3 DavidBennett 11 DavidPettit 12 DavidNewton 16 BenCrane 17 AndisOzols 18 AndrewPowell 19 RichardNeedham 29 JoeUprichard 23 AlanLeMoigne 31 PaulAddison 26 PaulYoung 33

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2018OPlanner=EastMidlandsLeague–best8scoresfrom14runs(DVO,NOC,LEI,LOG)

EMULEastMidsUrbanLeague–best4from8runs; UKUrbanLeague–best7from20runsUKOL=UKOLeague–best12scoresfrom24runs.BOFcategories:M(A),N(B),R(C),L(D)DPS=DerbyParksSeries,NT=NationalTrustSeries,SDS=SouthDerbyshireSeries

FebruarySat3rd L HolmebrookValleyPark,Registration1–2pmSun4th 3 LincolnSouthCommon,Reg.10–12noonSun11th 4 BestwoodCountryPark,Reg.10–12noonSat17th Social DerbyVelodromeTrip,seep3Sun25th 5 Cademan&ThringstoneWoods(YBTHeat,Reg.10–12noonMarchSun4th 6 Linacre,Registration10–12noonSat10th L OkerHill,Matlock,Registration1–2pmSun11th CSCup CanklowWoods,southofRotherham,enterviaGraham,seep4Sat17th UKOL IrchesterMiddleDistance,nrWellingborough.EntriesopenonFabian4Sun18th UKOL BelvoirCastle&Estate,MidlandsChamps. Sat24th DPS MarkeatonPark,Registration1–3pmSun25th 7 Byron’sWalk,nearHucknall.Reg.10–12noonFri30th JKSprint MoDStafford(enterviaSIentries;closingdateFeb25th)Sat31st JKD1 BreretonSpurs(Cannock)MiddleDistanceAprilSun1st JKD2 Beaudesert&BreretonHayes,ClassicDistanceMon2nd Relays RunforyourclubatBeaudesert,seep4Sat7th DPS DarleyPark,Registration1–3pmSun15th 8 HardwickPark,Registration10–12noonSun21st UKOL ThirskUrban(HALO)Sun22nd UKOL WassForest(NorthernChamps;EBOR)Sun22nd 9 SpringCottage,Registration10–12noonSat28th DPS ElvastonCastleCountryPark,Registration1–3pmSun29th EMUL SouthwellUrban,Registration10–12noonMaySat5th DPS AllestreePark,Registration1–3pmSat19th UKOL Balmoral(BritishLongDistanceChamps,MAROC),entriesviaSISun20th Relay Torphantrick(Cambuso’May),entriesviaGrahamnearerthetimeWed23rd WOD WorldODayactivitiesinWhitworthPark,DarleyDaleSat26th ExterUniversityUrban–Day1ofTamarTrippleWeekendSun27th UKOL BrauntonBurrowsLong,sanduneswestofBarnstapleMon28th UKOL BrauntonBurrowsMediumMon28th R YorkCityRace(Eborienteers)

June also Matlock Summer Series, Wed eves, 6 June until 4 July! Sat2nd N KilnseySouth,DalesTownandCountryWeekendSun3rd R SkiptonUrban,ditto,seeAirienteerswebsitenearerthetimeSat9th Relay PegswoodnrMorpeth,BritishMixedSprintRelayChamps(NATO)Sun10th EMUL QuornUrban,Reg10–12noonSun17th 10 StantonMoor,Registration10–12noonSun24th EMUL SkegnessUrban,Reg10–12noonbutpre-entryrecommended

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July(includingLakes5Days)Sun1st HalifaxUrban(EPOC)Sun8th SheffieldUrbanSat14th SDS StauntonHarold,Reg1–3pmSat21st SDS Foremark,Reg1–3pmSun22nd BarnardCastleUrban(CLOK)

Sun29th UKOL Silver Howe, Grasmere Mon30th R AngleTarnPikes,PatterdaleTues31st R HarropTarn,GrasmereThurs2nd R AskhamFell,PooleyBridgeFri 3rd AugUKOL DalePark,NewbyBridge August(afterLakes5Days)Sun19th EMUL LincolnCity,Reg10–12noonWed15th NT IlamPark(TryO,11–2:30)Sat11th SDS SwadloncoteWoods,Reg1–3pmSat18th SDS RoslistonForestryCentre,Reg1–3pmWed22ndNT Longshaw(TryO,11–2:30)Wed29th NT HardwickPark(TryO,11–2:30)25–27thWhite Rose DuncombePark,nearHelmsleySeptemberSat1st UKOL BathUniversity,BritishSprintChampsSun2nd UKOL StockHill,nearWells,BritishMiddleDistanceChampsSat8th D WestPark,LongEaton,Registration1–3pm,newarea!Sun9th HanleyUrban,StokeonTrent(POTOC)Sun16th EMUL NottinghamCity,Reg10–12noonSat22nd N CaddihoeChase,SARUMSun23rd N CaddihoeChase,Day2,VenueTBASat29th Closed JuniorInterregionalChampionships,IndividualRace,Chatsworth.Sun30th Score JIRCsRelays,Carsington.Helpersneededforbothdays! followedby2018EastMidlandsScoreChampionshipsonsameareaOctoberSun7th EMUL Shepshed,Reg10–12noonSun14th 11 GrangewoodandTopWoodPlantations,Reg10–12Sat20th DVO ShipleyPark,funsociableevent,handicappedsowe Champs allfinisharoundnoon!Sun21st Final CompassSportCupFinalatAbraham’sValleySat27th D AlfretonPark,Registration1–3pmNovemberSun4th 12 NOCEMLEvent,venueTBC,Reg10–12Sat10th D ShipleyCountryPark,Registration1–3pmSun25th 13 BradgatePark,Reg10–12DecemberSun9th EMUL OakwoodUrban,Reg10–12noon,butpre-entryrecommendedSun30th 14 CastleHill,Reg10–12

***Pleasecheckwebsitesoforganisingclubsbeforetravelastheremaybechanges***

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BritishChampionshps2018entrycut-offdates(enterviaSI)

Non-championshipcourses,Seniors£12,Juniors£6until4thMay

SiAC:we’reallstilllearning!TheUrbanOrienteeringUKFacebookgrouprecentlyhostedathreadaboutcontactlessdibbersandtheFinish.Forthosenewtoorienteering,SportIdenthaveinthelast2or3yearsintroducedcontactlessdibbersknownasSiACforSPORTidentActiveCard.Thesesave10–15secondspercontrolasyoucanjust“waft”thedibberwithin30cmoftheSIbox,makingthatyourflowthroughthecontrolmuchquicker.HelenNisbetofThamesValleycommentedthatsheattendedLEI’sSiAC-enabledevent,yethadtodibconventionallyattheFinish.MikeGodfreeclarifiedthisbyexplaining:

youcanprogrammethefinishcontroltobeeithercontactlessortorequireconventionalpunchingbySiACdibbers.IfitiscontactlessitkeepsnorecordofSiACdibbersthathavebeenwaftedoverit.Thismeansthatintheeventofsomeonefailingtodownloadyoucannotrelyonthefinishboxtotellyouwhethertheyhavefinishedornot.Sosomeclubshavechosentoforceyoutodibatthefinish,othershaveputanextraconventionalcontroljustafteracontactlessfinish(butitmustbemorethan5seconds,say10metres,after)atwhichtheyhopeeveryonewilldib,andothershavedecidedthattheriskissosmallthattheywillallowthefinishboxtobecontactless.

Anoticeatthefinishoftenalertsyoutodibconventionally–but,ifindoubt,dib.ThecorrectpositionwasstatedbyMartinStone:• WaftingataFinishBoxswitchestheSiACoff.• AnextrasafetyboxwillbeprogrammedasacontrolandthiswillnotswitchtheSiACOFF.Itmustbelocatedat

least10mbeyondthefinishasitisimportanttheparticipantdoesn’tdipthecardtoosoonafterthefinishwhiletheSiACisstillbeeping/flashing.

• DownloaddoesnotswitchofftheSiACandaseparateSiACOFFstationshouldbeatdownloadtohandleretireeswhohaven’tbeenpastthefinish.

Itisimportant(fromabatteryconservationpointofview)butnotcriticaltoswitchoffaSiACwheneveritisnotinuse.Ifitislefton,theSiACwillswitchoffautomaticallyabout24hoursafterthelasttimestampisadded.

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OrienteeringEnjoymentasTimeGoesBy JenGaleDecember17thatOutwoodsandacolddrizzlyday.Iwasn’tlookingforwardtoitandthelongmuddywalktothestartdidn’thelp.But,therewerelovelybitsofforestwithfallenleavesandnobramblesandIfoundIwasenjoyingmyself.Oddly,gettinglostacoupleoftimesactuallyaddedtothis.It’swhatorienteeringisaboutforme.I’mnotarunner(forthosewhoareyoucanstopreadingnow)andthemapreadingandlogicalworkingoutofwhereyouarewhenyougoastrayiswhereIgetmyloveofthesport.AsIwalkedbackdownthemuddytrackafterwardsIreflectedthatasyougetolderandlessablephysically,theplustonolongerbeingcompetitiveisthatyoucanenjoytherealheartofthesportwithoutfrettingaboutwhethertakingthisextratimewillmeanthatoneofyourpeersisgoingtobeatyou.Youcanreallytakeyourtimetoenjoythechallengeofworkingoutwhereyouareandfeelthesatisfactionofbeingright.So,somethingtolookforwardtoastheclockticksby.ThoughIhavetoadmitthatfindingwhenIlookedattheresultsthatallthepeopleImighthaveanoutsidechanceofbeatinghadsoundlytrouncedmewasalittlebitofadowner.

EdinburghBigWeekend Mike&SalADVOcontingent(includingJen)attendedtheEdinburghBigWeekendrecently,with4eventspackedintothe3days.Onewasanindoorevent,andMike’smapisshownonpage33.ThevenuewastheJamesClerkMaxwellBuiding,partoftheuni’sMathsandPhysicsDepartment.Miketook25minuesforthecourse,andcommentedthatLevel7,aflatroof,was’lethallyicy’.Healsofoundthespiralstaircases‘mostdisorienting’!Indeed,theicyconditionsmeantthattheCityRaceplannedforSaturdaywasmadenon-competitive,butstillavailabletorun/treadgingerlyaround.Permissionhadbeenwithdrawnforafewofthecontrols,sothiswasagoodcompromise.TheWomen’sVetscoursetookme89minutesfor6.9km,runningwherepossible.TheactualdistancerecordedonmyGarminwas10km,with141mclimb,ratheronthelongside!AssemblywasintheGeorgeHeriot’sSchool,foundedin1628fromthelegacyoftheeponymousgoldsmithasahospitaltocareforthe‘puirfairtherlessbairns’ofthecity.Therun-inwasthroughGreyfriarsCemetery,whichIrevisitedintheafternoononafascinatingwalkingtour!ThegravesinthechurchyardgaveJKRowlinginspirationformanyofthenamesintheHarryPotterbooks–TomRiddleandWilliamMcGonagall‘PoetandTragedian’included.

GreyfriarsBobbystatue,saidtobringyougoodluckifyoutouchedhisnose!

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TheSundayeventwasHolyroodandMeadowfieldParks.Ifthatsoundstame,thinkcoursesplannedbyfityoungstudentson250mhighArthur’sSeat.We’dtravelleduponthetrainandI’dleftmyspikesathometosaveroom,butafterSaturdayIdecidedthatthepurchaseofanewpairwasjustified!TheBluecoursewas5.8kmwith390mclimb;actualdistance(forme)was8kmwith350mclimb.Arealadventureintheice!

MapshowingmyrouteonthelastfewcontrolsofBlue.Arthur’sSeatisthecentrepeakonphotoandthenorthernpeakonthemap.

Mike’smapfortheIndoorEvent:nocontroldescriptions,insteadanotesaying“thefinaldigitofthecontrolcodeshowsthelevel.”Mapscale1:1500

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PuzzlePageDaveNevellThe finalpuzzleof2017,PassingObservations,wasnot toohard.The two traininggroups took3.75 seconds topasseach other. The answer is the same regardless of how spread out the two groups are. I had correct solutions fromFrancesco Lari, John Hawkins and Jen Gale. Alan Le Moigne was somehow a factor of 2 out. Double points foreverybody.Jen’scorrectsolutionmeantthatonceagainsheheadstheyearlylist,althoughitwascloseaftershefailedtosolvethetrickySeptemberpuzzle(wasthisthefirsttimeIhavestumpedher?).Thefinalpointstallywas:JenGale 10FrancescoLari 9JohnHawkins 9SimonGale 5AlanleMoigne 4DavidPettit 2SalChaffey 2AndyMackervoy 2DonnaHawkins 2DavidVincent 12018CompetitionEntrieshavedroppedoffabit thisyearbut I’llkeepthepuzzlescomingas Isuspect (correctly!–Ed.) therearemorepeoplewhohaveagowithoutactuallyentering.Advice–yougetsomepointsforsubmittingwronganswers.Haveagoatthistwoparter–thesecondismuchharder.

Economyofeffort“It is,” remarked Fred, reclining in the snugbar of the Thirty First Control, “somuch easier if you can cut down thenumberofbearingsoneneedstotake.Forexample,inthelasttwonightscoreeventsIcompletedtheentirecoursestaking4and6bearingsrespectively,passingthrougheverycontrol.Theonlydifferencewasthat in the firstcasethestartandfinishwereindifferentplaces,whilstinthesecondtheywereco-located.”Thecontrolsatthetwoeventsareshownbelow.FindfeasibleroutesforFred’sclaim(4 linesthrough9controls,6linesthrough16controls–the6linesmustbeinaclosedloop).

Answerstodnevell3@gmail.combytheeditor’scopydateplease.

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EventOfficialsNeededfor2018Please contact Ann-Marie if you would like to plan or organise one of our events this year: jasrd@btinternet.comSupport in the role is avaliable fromexperienced clubmates, and it’s a great opportunity tomake friends and learnskills!

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You know you’ve helped at a lot of events when …Youdon’tleavehomewithoutaspaceblanket,YoucloseyoureyesandseeOCADorExcel,Normallayersofclothingfeelabitrisqué,

MondayshoppinglistsareoftenjottedonthebackofSunday’scontroldescriptions!