This is Pete Maliphant`s report on the Summer Informal event in Leigh Woods on Wed 23 May 07.
LEIGH WOODS INFORMAL EVENT. WEDNESDAY 23 MAY 2007
More than fifty people enjoyed a warm summer evening in Leigh Woods. Whether this high turnout was due to the weather or the promise of no steep hills, I’m not sure. The forest was generally runnable still, though the undergrowth grew rapidly in the previous fortnight.
Our aim was to provide some enjoyable courses with plenty of route choice and some fun elements. A ‘draw your route on’ exercise at the finish revealed a pleasing diversity of routes on Blue 4-5 and 8-9. Quite a few people found the flat forest with a dense path network more difficult than expected. The number of unmarked and often changing mountain bike paths do cause problems, but if you use pacing and some rough compass, everything on the map is in the right place!
David and I had added the unorthodox option of a Spectating control, with a two minute pause to sketch the view of the Suspension Bridge (pen and paper provided). This worked brilliantly with 15 BOK artists leaving a sketch for us to collect afterwards. (See picture). We didn’t realise that Rolf Harris was a club member and Rachel can claim her prize next time she sees us.
Many runners commented that they had never seen this view, so it was good to find a less-known corner of the woods. Several deer were also spotted.
The junior turnout was low, suggesting Neil Cameron’s words at the Annual Dinner were right and the club does have to do something more, or perhaps different, to get more juniors to join in.
It was great to see a good turnout from the recently reformed University (UBOC) club. Clubs like SYO have benefited significantly for many years from having a strong university club and as an ex-UBOC, ex-SHUOC and ex-SYO member, I hope that BOK can benefit from, as well as help, a resurgent student orienteering scene.
Thanks to everyone for turning up, to Katy and Anne Donnell for their help on the day, and to younger son Ben for helping plan and tape control sites beforehand.
Pete and David Maliphant
More than fifty people enjoyed a warm summer evening in Leigh Woods. Whether this high turnout was due to the weather or the promise of no steep hills, I’m not sure. The forest was generally runnable still, though the undergrowth grew rapidly in the previous fortnight.
Our aim was to provide some enjoyable courses with plenty of route choice and some fun elements. A ‘draw your route on’ exercise at the finish revealed a pleasing diversity of routes on Blue 4-5 and 8-9. Quite a few people found the flat forest with a dense path network more difficult than expected. The number of unmarked and often changing mountain bike paths do cause problems, but if you use pacing and some rough compass, everything on the map is in the right place!
David and I had added the unorthodox option of a Spectating control, with a two minute pause to sketch the view of the Suspension Bridge (pen and paper provided). This worked brilliantly with 15 BOK artists leaving a sketch for us to collect afterwards. (See picture). We didn’t realise that Rolf Harris was a club member and Rachel can claim her prize next time she sees us.
Many runners commented that they had never seen this view, so it was good to find a less-known corner of the woods. Several deer were also spotted.
The junior turnout was low, suggesting Neil Cameron’s words at the Annual Dinner were right and the club does have to do something more, or perhaps different, to get more juniors to join in.
It was great to see a good turnout from the recently reformed University (UBOC) club. Clubs like SYO have benefited significantly for many years from having a strong university club and as an ex-UBOC, ex-SHUOC and ex-SYO member, I hope that BOK can benefit from, as well as help, a resurgent student orienteering scene.
Thanks to everyone for turning up, to Katy and Anne Donnell for their help on the day, and to younger son Ben for helping plan and tape control sites beforehand.
Pete and David Maliphant
