Welcome to the BOK Blog

This blog is used to populate the news section on the BOK Website.

Friday, August 31, 2007

July Committee Meeting Minutes

A summary of the minutes of the committee meeting held on 27th July 2007 is now available.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Bohemia 5 Day Event - 15th - 19th August

Christine Farr writes:
Three hardy BOK members braved the sandstone pillars and humid conditions last week at this biannual event held at Melnik, a picturesque town 20 miles north of Prague. Duncan Innes, Chris Farr and Gwen Tanner spent a couple of days chilling in Prague before making the journey to Melnik. Our first event was the Sprint through the old town centre. It is safe to say that Duncan's pre-race beer may have slowed down his brain somewhat! It was a fun evening rounded off with a meal of local meat and potatoes and a few of the delicious local beverages!
The first day proper was quite a shock to the system – the maps were at a 1:7500 scale to enable competitors to try and make sense of the complex system of rocks and crags. Needless to say we were out for quite some time! The 30 degree temperatures didn't help either!
After a couple of days we got into our stride and started putting in some more impressive times. Unlike a number of other competitors we didn't go any incorrect controls!
Chris ended up 25th out of 31 finishers on D21A, Duncan came 20th out of 29 on H45A and Gwen (in her first competition outside the UK) came 15th on D45A.
A fantastic time had by all. Nothing like it in Britain. We must have improved during the 5 days – so watch out for some great performances from us this Autumn!! Full report and photos to appear in BOK News at some point (once we get back from our next holiday!)

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Scottish 6 Days - Speyside August 2007

A large number of BOK members, including a good proportion of juniors, enjoyed an excellent Scottish 6 Days in Speyside. Although Day 1 was fairly uninspiring and Day 5 was punishingly physical, the other 4 days provided lots of interest and challenging navigation, particularly on Days 2 and 3 at Balavil and Inshriach. The dunes at Culbin on Day 4 caught a few people out (myself included) while the final day at Anagach provided a fitting end to the holiday in very pleasant and runnable terrain after the more arduous nature of some of the earlier days.
The weather started wet but improved to include some fine sunny days in the later part of the week, unfortunately finishing damp again on the final day. Various post-orienteering social events took place, including afternoon tea parties at the Hurfords and Hanstocks, cricket on the beach at Findhorn, swimming in Inverness and tours of the Glenlivet distillery (for those fortunate enough to be staying in the magnificent Glenlivet House). The rest day also saw a range of activities including hill walking, mountain biking, the Cairngorm mountain railway and sprint-O for those who couldn’t face a day without orienteering.
The general standard of competition was high, with Scandinavian and other European clubs featuring prominently in many of the classes, but BOK members nevertheless managed to achieve some good results. Notable amongst these were:
Anne Donnell and Pat Grenfell - 1st and 2nd in W75L (Anne won 5 of the 6 days); Denis Hamment – 2nd in M80; Laura Daniel – 8th in W21E; Alice Bedwell – 3rd in W45L; Jackie Hallett, Alison Simmons and Jo Foster – 4th, 16th and 17th in W50L; Clive Hallett – 5th in M40L; Mark Saunders – 7th in M45L (despite bruised ribs from a fall on Day 1); Michael Hallett – 7th in M10A; Matt Lyle – 9th in M20L; David Palmer – 22nd in M60L; Ann Monro – 4th in W65S; Jack Kelsey – 5th in M14B; Jamie Hayward – 7th in M16B. Full results, reports and photos can be found here.
Looking forward to Tayside in 2009.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

QO Galoppen (16th September) Cancelled

Richard Sainsbury of Quantock Orienteers writes:
"I am sorry to tell you that we have had to cancel our Galoppen due to permissions being unexpectedly refused by a landowner. We have considered alternative venues but we are unable to find somewhere suitable at short notice. We will reschedule our Galoppen for sometime next year. Another event will have to be found to be the Yvette Baker Qualifier."

First Aid Course for Orienteers - Saturday 20th October

A first aid course for orienteers, organised by BOK and the Red Cross, will take place on Saturday 20th October 2007 in Warmley, near Bristol. More details here. Please note the change of date from the one previously advertised in BOK News.