EDITORIAL
Readers of CompassSport will have read a letter from ex-NOC member Mark Thomson in the last issue. One point raised in the letter was the fact that EMEWS refused to publish it, "because Mark was not a member of EMOA". The EMEWS side of the story:
Mark Thomson sent a letter to the EMEWS editors in the first week of January 1998, arriving on the copy date for EMEWS 166. The letter clearly formed part of an on-going dialogue between Mark and Ray Barnes (NOC Chair). Since the letter contained no background, and the copy deadline prevented any further research, we felt it would not be informative or interesting to EMOA members.
Following the CompassSport article, the editors have received a letter from Keith Streb highlighting the loss to East Midlands orienteering arising from Mark's decision to join another region.
EMEWS is printed by Audio Visual Services Ltd, Loughborough University, LE11 3TU.
COPY DATE FOR NEXT ISSUE:29th June Contributions are always welcome but especially on 3.5" IBM PC format discs or by E-mail. Until we sort out which formats we can import, please use Word 2, RTF formatted text, or ASCII text. Please send printed copy if possible, and check the arrival of E-mail. Next committee meeting Mon. 29th June.
After the wettest April for hundreds of years the woods are drying out rapidly and times should improve. I know that every course I ran was muddy and energy sapping, but still enjoyable. Annesley Forest was particularly muddy but being a new area was very satisfying. In fact, the forest has been used before but not for 10 years and I suspect that few of us remember it. After the Annesley event I checked the results on the internet. It was the first time I had looked at the BOF pages and I found them quite a revelation. If you have access they are worth a browse.
In the last EMEWS you may have noticed a letter from Derek Mill. I have nothing more to say on the topic raised; it has been fully aired and answered and even the reason for late accounts stated, but letters to EMEWS are welcome as they are a way of keeping the EMOA in touch with the problems/desires/cares of its members. (editors note: please keep letters succinct, and remember that libellous or defamatory material will not be printed.)
Also in the last EMEWS was a note from the Hodkinson familty aout the Galoppen. They have run this very successful competition for the last 4 years and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their hard work. Thank you very much indeed. As EMEWS goes to press Roger Williamson of LEI has volunteered to take over the running of the galoppen - many thanks!
John Woodall
The Galoppen prizegiving will take place at the LEI Grace Dieu Badge Event on Sunday 7 June, around 1.30pm. There will be prizes for the first three competitors on each course - a shield for the winners and certificates for those in 2nd and 3rd place. All these prizewinners should by now have received letters from us informing them of their success; if not, please contact us. Do come along to the prizegiving and show your appreciation of the skill and commitment of our region's prizewinners. For many of the juniors, it is their first orienteering prize and they deserve our recognition and encouragement.
As we announced in the last issue of EMEWS, we are now retiring as Galoppen organisers. But the Galoppen itself will go on! After the plea in the last EMEWS, Roger Williamson of LEI has volunteered to take the Galoppen on. We wish Roger and his family every success in what we have found to be a very rewarding post.
Over the years we have contracted many debts to organisers, planners and results teams who, in addition to their normal work, have taken time to provide us with results in a form which we could use for our calculations. We should like to thank them all collectively. The successful running of the Galoppen is testimony to a spirit of co-operation within the region which stretches beyond our loyalty to our separate clubs
The Hodkinson family
Back up to contentsEarlier this year I was selected to represent England at M14 in the international match at Havelte against teams from Holland and Germany and two teams from Belgium. My trip began at 6 o'clock on Friday 6 March when we drove south towards Watford. At Watford we waited for the coach to arrive to take us to the Channel Tunnel that we would be travelling through overnight.
After breakfast at a service station in Holland we trained for an hour in an area called Beekhuizand in the middle of Holland. The area was wooded with intricate contour detail and between the areas of woods there were areas of sand. Then we had travel on to Havelte where in the afternoon we ran in a Sprint-O on a nearby area which gave most of us our first chance at Orienteering abroad. We decided not to take it seriously and use it as a training exercise and to become used to the unusual map. In the evening we had a team talk and they gave us our England O-Top for the following day's run.
Next morning I woke early because I had the 2nd start on the course. I had a good run, except for the 2nd control where I made a 3-4 minute mistake. In the end I finished 3rd out of 12, just over a minute down on the winner, Mark Saunders from LOC; so not that bad really. Altogether the team points tied with one of the Belgian teams; but we won because we had more class winners. We left after the prize giving at 14:30 for the long journey across Holland to Calais for the ferry back to England.
I really enjoyed the trip and I would like to thank Dorothy Pelly for the lift to Watford and back and EMOA and NOC for financially supporting me on my trip.
David Hodkinson (NOC)
All the open clubs in the East Midlands are organising summer evening events this year, so I thought some cross-border publicity would allow people to try other club's events for a change.
May 27 Snibston Discovery Park 129 / 417 145 June 2 John's Lee Wood 129 / 505 100 June 10 Burbage Common 140 / 452 952 Jume 16 Wakerley/Fineshade? 141 / 963 987 June 24 Roecliffe Manor 129 / 534 126 July 2 Burrough Hill? 129 / 766 114 July 8 Cycle-O, Bradgate Arms PH Newtown Linford July 14 Altar Stones 129 / 484 108 July 23 Brigstock & Fermyn 149 / 951 851 July 30 Cademan Woods 129 / 440 167 Aug 5 Sarah's Wood 128 / 309 156 Aug 11 Treasure Hunt, Reservoir PH Cropston Aug 12 Martinshaw ?
Most events will comprise an easy course, an intermediate course, and a technical course where the area permits. Registration & starts 18:30-19:30, costs:£1-50/50p, Co-ordinator: Chris Phillips . Events with a "?" are under threat - check at preceding events or with the series co-ordinator beforehand.
Date Location June 9th To be confirmed June 16th To be confirmed June 23rd To be confirmed June 30th To be confirmed July 7th To be confirmed July 14th To be confirmed
Areas will include Lincoln South Common, Hartsholme Park, and possibly Stapleford. Events will be varied in nature, to include norwegian, score, etc. Starts 6-45 to 7-30pm, cost 50p. Co-ordinators - John & Alice Bennett
Date Area Type of Event June 5 Allestree Line June 12 Drum Hill Line June 19 Eckington Window June 26 Shining Cliff Brown Only July 3 Darley Park Norwegian July 10 Shipley Park July 17 Elvaston Corridor July 24 Robin Wood Compass/Pacing July 31 Stanton Moor Compass/Pacing
Yellow & lt-green courses, plus those mentioned above. Some areas are still subject to acess confirmation, so either check at other events, or contact the co-ordinator, Sue Russell (DVO).
21 May Thieves Wood 4 June Rushcliffe Country Park 11 June Wollaton Park 18 June Haywood Oaks 25 June Bestwood 2 July Walesby 9 July Morton Hall
Registration from 18:15, starts 18:30-19:30. Co-ordinator: Paul Billam
Most summer evening events are organised, planned and manned by just one or two volunteers, possibly newcomers to the joys of organising. Please be patient when registering!
The third round of the CompassSport Cup sees NOC playing TVOC at Kingswood, near High Wycombe on Sunday 28 June. The winners of this match will progress to the final in October.
A coach has been booked to leave Nottingham at 8-30am. More details, including coach seat bookings, from Janet Evans,
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May And summer's lease hath all too short a date Shakespeare, Sonnet 18
A combined course for major event organsers, planners and co-ordinators, together with a grade 1 controllers course, is being held a Lilleshall Hall National Sports Centre, Staffs, on 26-28th June. Particularly for the planners and organisers courses, a main aim of each course is to allow the officials of future events to benefit from the experience of equivalent officials for this year; to pick their brains and to hear at first hand of any lessons learnt. Contact BOF to reserve a place immediately.
Ernie Williams (LEI) will be leading a course for colour coded event planners on 26 September 1998. Contact Ernie for venue, pre-course work, etc.
The Junior Squad event at Sherwood Forest raised almost £290, plus £158 from the cake stall. Many thanks are due to NOC, for the maps and control cards; to EMOA for waiving the regional levy; to the squad members and their parents for all their work, and for everyone who turned out and spent their money. Thanks to this "windfall," a larger contingent of the squad went to the selection race at Mabie Forest on May 10th, hoping for selection for a BOF summer tour to either Scandinavia or Scotland.
Don and Shirley Moir (LEI) have kindly donated a number of trophies to the EMOA. These will fill the gaps in the EMOA Championships set, from which a number of trophies have gone astray over recent years. Thank you.
The controllers course organised by Ernie Williams (with assistance from Pete Hornsby) on April 19 was well supported, with 8 attendees from the West and East Midlands. The BOF material was well presented, and lively discussions greeted the example courses. Little "new" information appears at courses like this, but the exchange of ideas, covering topics as diverse as site-taping protocols, the relative sizes of control circles on different scales of map and how to ensure the safety of those weary volunteers who collect the controls after the event is invaluable. Thank you, Ernie, on behalf of those who attended.
Event safety was high on the agenda, especially after the JK cancellation. I felt the "do everything possible" approach a sound philosophy, but I feel that if it came to legal action as a consequence of personal injury, it would be difficult to demonstrate that sufficient precautions had been taken. Finally the proverbial stub check was debated. Most people in the room could remember one event where the stub check had worked, and all the cards were matched to stubs before the courses closed. I was appalled how infrequently this happens - competitors who don't fill the stub properly, fail to hand it in or retire without reporting to the finish are jeopardising the future of a system that should be a simple and effective life-saver.
DRB
Congratulations to the following in achieving the noted colour-coded awards
White Robert Drew (NOC)
Light Green Richard Filipczak (NOC) & Sarah O'Neil (NOC)
Green Eric Heritage (LEI), Alison O'Neil (NOC) & Matthew Winser (NOC)
Blue J Middler (NOC) & Andy Stevenson (LOG)
To receive your award send a 9x6 SAE to Steve Kimberley listing the three events at which you have achieved certificate time.
Certificate time is 150% of the winner's time or after half the entrants whichever is more generous, except on white where certificate standard is given to all finishers
In the new super-regional format, all EMOA and EAOA clubs will meet in the first round of the 1999 CompassSport Cup competiton on Sunday 10 January 1999, at a specially organised EAOA event. Make a note in those diaries!
As a fund raising initiative to send their school team to the World School Championships in Latvia, UVHS Orienteering Club have produced a guide to the restaurants and inns of Southern Lakeland. This purely advertising booklet contains location maps and sample menus of 74 hostelries, including prices, so gives a valuable reference of where to eat in the Lake District. As a money raiser, the quality of printing has been kept to a minimum, but my mouth was watering just reading it! Available from Wilf's at major "O" events, priced £3-00.
DRB
A rare nomination for an orienteer who isn't an EMOA member: Malcolm McIvor of DEE, controller of Day 2 of the JK. Malcolm made the most talked about decision in recent orienteerng history - cancelling 21 courses because of snow, on what turned out to be a warm and sunny day (hence this month's cover, courtesy of Ernie Williams, as ever).