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Newsletter
Volume 18 Number 17
April 2006

Editors: Jenny and John Collyer, email jcollyer48@btinternet.com

Contents

• Editorial - John and Jenny Collyer
• Chairman's Chat - Martin Sellens
• Captain's Corner - Jenny Collyer
• Development Group - Lyn West
• SOS Notice Board including
  • Congratulations
  • Coaching at Roman Valley
  • Club Picknics
  • Hylands Update
• Schools League - Julie Laver
• SOS National Rankings
• Being Well - Are Orienteering different? - Stephen Cartwright
• Tiptree Heath Permanent Course - Jack Isbester
• Risk Assessment Workshop - John Collyer
• Planting trees at Fordham - Jack Isbester
• THe SOS EAGAL in Hockley - Jack Isbester
• Fixtures - Jack Isbester

Editorial - Jenny and John Collyer

New Club kit has again been actively discussed. Many members feel that the old-style nylon tops are nowhere near as comfortable as the new layered fabrics recently introduced into sports clothing. These help to wick away sweat and would be a boon during the hot months as we struggle to stay cool, and in the winter when the shaped design helps prevent that cold, sticky feeling of wet nylon. Lyn West has produced a design which she is currently getting feedback on from two of the major "O" suppliers, and it is hoped that we will soon have stocks for sale. The top features club colours and abbreviated name, whilst there are both short-, and full-leg trouser designs.

Chairman's Chat - Martin Sellens

After what seemed to be a long, cold, dark, miserable winter of only sporadic Orienteering and certainly no discernible running through sun dappled forests, the Sellens family (mature end) have been enjoying a flurry of activity. I use the e word in its broadest sense, and not to imply that enhanced psychological state one or two rungs up from contentment. Indeed, nothing could be further removed from contentment than the mood in the finish tent at Hatfield a week or so back as the queues grew and the Sellens/Tant/Skinner team battled with the arcane art of SI doku. Those of us with long memories and longer teeth recall the days of Orienteering BSI when results envelopes dropped on the doormat weeks after the event and unreliable "washing lines" of stubs were the only way to get an idea of how you had done on the day. Those were the days (my friends, we thought they'd never end) when Casio 40 lap memory watches were the ultimate in hi-tech for the orienteering anoraks poring over their splits. How quickly we have come to expect the instant gratification of printed split times, interim results sheets and the same night fix of spliff browser and progressograms. And how rarely are we aware of the fantastic amount of effort put in by the ITophiles and their acolytes who make this technical wizardry work with apparent ease. And then you volunteer to do the results. And Andrew Cordle has a weekend off. And suddenly the precipice of an event where the systems fail and the dibbers remain undobbed and the chattering printers are silenced and there are riots in the forest looms large.

Perhaps you were there. Perhaps you didn't even notice the red mist of anxiety emanating with the breeze from the finish tent or hear the muttered expletives. Perhaps you had a late run and got back when the gremlins had finally been defeated. But those of us who fought the gremlins and won will forever remember the fields of Hat and wake, trembling and sweating in the dead of the night, and vow to learn how to drive the hard software that is SI. Whether you were or you weren't, stay cool when things go wrong at download and recognise the efforts of the few who toil for so long that you might enjoy your hour or so of restorative recreation.

We discussed the near-debacle at the committee meeting the following day and eschewed the obvious solution of banning Andrew from a life outside the finish tent. Instead we are working on putting together organising teams; probably two, each of which will have specially trained experts in SI (so that excludes me then), to alternate between events, thus developing expertise and giving everyone a chance to orienteer in Essex occasionally. Expect to be included and to share in the satisfaction of helping to provide the fix of O that keeps so many potential reprobates off street corners on Sundays.

The other orienteering activities on the near horizon include the British Championships, the CompassSport Cup/Trophy regional heats and the JK in quick succession. A trinity of Orienteering extravaganzas that you really shouldn't miss. I hope to see you at one or three of them. Expect the announcement of a Stragglers victory in the CSC/T, engineered by Captain Jenny Collyer, in the next newsletter. And don't forget to come along to the events, large and small, we are putting on over the summer. If the SOS relays happen, and we are at present looking for an organiser, then plan on a barbeque or picnic at Hylands Park in early July. Meanwhile, now that the buds are budding and the evenings prolonged, may you really run through sun drenched forests.

Captain's Corner - Jenny Collyer

One down - two to go! It must be unusual for the three events needing my input to take place on three consecutive weekends. We have just returned from the British Championship weekend with a very muddy club tent (amongst many more muddy things) from Saturday's Assembly area quagmire. The club tent does make a good focal point for us all especially with the club banner aloft on its pole. Our three teams enjoyed Great Common, Woolbeding, with its complex areas of old mining activity.

We now look forward to Sunday's Compass Sport Trophy round at Lynford where we have 30 competitors tackling the eight courses and then on to JK when on Easter Monday we have seven relay teams taking part at Bramham Park.

Development Group - Lyn West (Development Officer)

For several years, SOS has had a Development Group. We have had occasional meetings and primarily run the introductory day for schools in July plus the odd follow up session. There has also been an attempt to start some coaching particularly for the juniors. However, in the last six months we have become more active. The club now has several qualified coaches and are starting to move towards holding more coaching sessions. A number of requests have come in for talks to youth groups and members of the group have responded to these. There is an interest in orienteering among the wider community and we need to utilise this.

We have two main projects on the go at the moment. The first is to achieve the BOF/Sport England Clubmark Award. This is a quality assurance standard that tells the outside word what a brilliant club we are. Once we have achieved the Award, we will be able to put the logo on publicity material. It should help with marketing ourselves to schools, parents and young people. Orienteering is one of 19 sports that have developed criteria for accreditation of their clubs for young people. This is largely a case of putting in place documentation to demonstrate that we do what we do. A typical 21st century exercise! Andrew Cordle has been doing a terrific job co-ordinating the whole process and chivvying us to write policies, guidelines and job descriptions for the main committee to adopt! We hope to be ready to submit our file by the end of May.

The second project is a series of introductory events in the summer starting in Castle Park in May. These are aimed at families and will include white, yellow and orange courses plus a string course. To help us with mapping and publicity, we have received a grant from BOF Development Fund of £675. So if you have any friends who have expressed an interest in orienteering, these events would be ideal to get them started. The events will run from 10.30-15.00 each day. We would also welcome offers of help at the events, even for an hour or so. We want to be able to offer plenty of help and one to one advice. Hopefully a stylish T shirt will be available to wear for the occasion. Contact me at lyn@stragglers.info or 01206 322905.

Castle Park	Lower Castle Park	Saturday May 13th
Highwoods	Chanterelle Car Park	Saturday June 17th
Wivenhoe	University car park, Wivenhoe end	Saturday July 15th

SOS Notice Board

Congratulations to the following East Anglian Champions:-

W20 Emma Johnson
W21 Katie Sellens
W50 Hilary Sellens
W60 Jenny Collyer
M18 James Lyne
M50 Martin Sellens

James also won the Joan George Trophy for the best junior performance.

Junior Captain

James Lyne has taken over this position from Jo West who is soon to be off on her travels.

Coaching at Roman Valley

The Development Committee hope to offer some coaching for all ages and abilities from 12.30 to 1.30 at Roman Valley on the 23rd April with anyone welcome. On this occasion the focus will be on control flow and doing things on the run, although trying not to be too physically demanding following people's runs.

Club Picnics

All members are welcome to join in these following the events at Hylands Park on June 11th and the Broaks on July 2nd.

Next SOS Committee Meeting

22nd May at the Russells'.

Hylands Update John Collyer

Those of you who ran at Hylands Park last February will remember how the work being carried out had made things difficult for Orienteering: ongoing work for the restoration of the grounds to its original Repton plan, and the placement of facilities for European and World Scout jamborees, had left trees decimated, the lake empty, vast areas of sticky mud, and many on-going trenches. A recent visit to bring the map up-to-date for the June event, revealed that work has slowed down, and this coupled with the dry winter, has left the ground hard and firm.

There are however, numerous changes that the discerning runner will notice:
1. Many new fenced enclosures have been planted away from the line of sight of the House.
2. The gardens below the House have been cleared and fences removed to give uninterrupted views.
3. The Eastern Car Park has been extended and the Northern one has more hard standing.
4. Two new paths have been created; one Sustrans-sponsored for cycle access to town (which at the moment only goes to a newly created gate in the eastern wall), the other for disabled access to the lake from the east car park.
5. Ditches have been extended and some copses removed, others thinned and edged with new planting.

British Sprint Championships and UK Cup Weekend May 20-21 2006 - Not just for the elite!

SMOC and WAOC invite all orienteers from the region to a weekend of exciting racing on May 20-21 2006. On Saturday May 20 the British Sprint Championships will be held at Campbell Park in Milton Keynes, followed on Sunday May 21 by Middle Races at Rowney Warren, near Shefford. The organisers are keen to stress that these races are not just for the elite and that both are suitable for club orienteers.

In the Sprint Race there will be a qualifying race in the morning, with times from this race used to decide who you run against in the afternoon. Estimated winning times for both races are 12-15 minutes. In between these races, a Young Orienteers' Festival will provide light entertainment, as teams of youngsters from towns and villages across the region and beyond compete against each other to see who is fastest.

The Middle Races feature courses for all ages. Estimated winning times are 30 - 35 minutes. The beautiful and well-contoured woods of Rowney Warren have been remapped by Dave Peel for the event and will offer challenging and exciting racing. A spectator control will give you the opportunity to cheer on the leaders and there will be prizes for the winners of each course, as well as spot prizes for specified fastest legs. Don't miss it!

This is a great opportunity to watch the elite in action and to compete alongside them. Further details at www.waoc.org.uk and www.sprinto2006.co.uk with entry via the internet strongly recommended for both. Postal entries will also be accepted - look out for the special flyers - but there will be no entry on the day.

WAOC and SMOC look forward to seeing you there!

Schools League Co-ordinator - Julie Laver

We are near to the climax of the 05/06 season of ESSOL rounds with the meetings at Hatfield Forest and Tunstall out of the way. There is only one more event at Hylands Park, Chelmsford on June 11th so I hope you all make it there to see the overall winners. The current leaders are as follows -

Up to Y6 boys	Bryn Wilkinson	Up to Y6 Girls	Olivia Becher
Y7/8 boys	Michael Park	Y7/8 girls	Sarah Roach
Y9/10 boys	Conor Weed	Y9/10 girls	Ellen Sanderson
Y11/12/13 boys	James Lyne	Y11/12/13 girls	Emma Johnson

Well done to all these juniors. However there is still an opportunity for all participants to score more points. All juniors scoring over 100 points will receive a participation certificate through their school so could you all check the ESSOL web page and send me any corrections ASAP.

SOS National Ranking Positions

		
M21L  83rd Jeff Powell Davies     M60S  14th John Collyer
     140th Chris Sellens  (3)     M65L 104th John Russell
M40L  60th Bert Park              M70L  35th Jack Isbester
M40S 110th Robert Hammond (4)     W20L   2nd Hazel Tant
M45L 115th Mark Lyne              W21L  29th Eleanor West
     150th Kevin Machin (5)             54th Nicola Robertson  
M45S 101st Stephen Cartwright (3) W21S  59th Suzy Robertson (3)   
M50L  71st Martin Sellens         W35L   3rd Ann Roller	
      95th Clive Tant             W45S  65th Wendy Welham (3)
     113th Nick Pugh (M55)        W50L  55th Lyn West
     116th Steve Robertson        W50S  42nd Julia Robertson
     130th Colin West             W55L  97th Nancy Powell Davies
     150th Geoff Pye              W60L   3rd Jenny Collyer
M50S  67th Richard Barker               35th Geraldine Russell

Being Well - Are Orienteers different? - Stephen Cartwright

Studying counselling at evening classes the concept of what it means to be genuinely well has naturally raised its head.

It's probably something we think about quite a bit as orienteers at times.  Am I a bit mad? .......  All this travelling ..... Has my running or perhaps my overtraining made me go a bit silly?  Is my sleep ok or have I become irritable etc. etc? Am I enjoying life and looking after myself properly?  Do I have time to rest?

What do some of the experts think applies to ordinary people?
1.    They well know themselves.  They do not blame externals or live in the past to their detriment.  
2.    They tend to be positive in their thought and action, and are self controlled.
3.    They are mature and secure.  Less frightened and emotional.
4.    They know less psychological and physiological tension, and are less defensive.
5.    They have an increased tolerance to frustration and greater ability to cope with life's problems.
6.    They tend to be more creative, intelligent, spontaneous and genuine.
7.    They perceive they are a person of worth, worthy of respect rather than condemnation.
8.    Their standards are based on their own judgements, not imposed by others, and they are comfortable with that.
9.    They are loving and sociable, with socially acceptable behaviour.

What has surprised me is how the above seems to correlate with a Christian nature in the bible -
'Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control'.  Gal 5v22.

Happy Easter

The Tiptree Heath Permanent Course - Jack Isbester

The formal opening of the Tiptree Heath Permanent Orienteering Course will consist of an Introductory Event on Sunday 7th May with registration from 1000 and starts from 1030 to 1230.

The permanent White and Yellow courses will be on offer for young children and novices and in addition there will be a Norwegian or Map Memory course of about 5.0k for experienced orienteers.

In a Norwegian event, devised for small areas such as Tiptree Heath, the competitor is provided at each control with a mastermap extract which must be left in place for later competitors and which shows the next leg, or perhaps the next couple of legs, of the course. The competitor has the choice of copying the leg onto his blank map or of memorising it - the Map Memory option - quicker but less reliable.

No dibbers or needle punches will be used on the courses. Competitors will need a pencil or pen with which to mark their control cards. Each permanent control post will display a red/white orienteering marker showing a number and a letter. When finding control No.57 copy onto your control card the letter which also appears there.

There's no other orienteering in East Anglia on Sunday 7th May so why not get Tiptree Heath off to a good start. See you there.

Event carpark on the B1023 Colchester/Maldon road one mile west of Tiptree. Grid reference:TM 884148. Organiser Jack Isbester. 01621 815501. IsbesterJ@aol.com.

Installing Posts on Tiptree Heath - Jack Isbester sees how it is done

The posts for Tiptree Heath permanent orienteering course were installed early in March by BTCV, an environmental charity which works with volunteers to manage and improve habitats, manage grasslands, meadows and woodlands and build and repair dry stone walling.

On the morning chosen for installing the posts I met a party of about nine or ten assorted volunteers ranging in age from about 20 to 80. The retired folk were regular volunteers, the two youngsters were, I was told, from Writtle Agricultural College.

The Project Officer who drove the transport and provided the tools split the party into three groups, two to dig holes for posts and one to cut the 10x10cm posts into the required lengths and nail two 30cm cross pieces of the same material to each.

I joined the digging parties, to ensure that the posts were installed in the correct positions and was interested in the specialised tools which were used. The blades of the spades were shaped like very sharp large trowels which made it easy to dig deep, narrow holes. Also used was a device which worked like a huge pair of scissors with a cup at the base of each blade, their openings facing one another. Insert the device into the deep hole with its arms open then snap them together filling the cups with loose soil. Then lift the soil out of the hole.

When the holes or slots were deep enough and large enough to accommodate about 60cm of post with two 30cm cross pieces attached the posts were installed and the earth replaced. That was where the third new tool was used. To pack the earth firmly around the posts a device like an iron crowbar fitted with a sewing mushroom (ask your grandma) was used to tamp down the earth.

Twelve posts were installed between 1030 and 1330, despite a "smokoe" half way through the session, and when I left them the party were eating their lunch before dispersing with the job completed.

The volunteers are provided with tools, protective clothing and hot drinks and snacks but give their work free. BTCV charge £100/day for the work done by a group which I would think was pretty good value.

Risk Assessment Workshop, Santon Downham - John Collyer

I attended this workshop along with Jack Isbester for SOS. There were three other EA orienteers amongst a throng of over 50 other forest users from a wide variety of activities.

The first session was from the Head Forester in charge of activities in the Anglian region, Guy Drake-Brockman, who explained the ever increasing pressures on our forests. These included the need to manage the forest as a timber producing operation, whilst allowing increased use for leisure (High Lodge alone had 250,000 visitors last year) and adhering to European environmental directives.

You may know something of the CROW Act, more commonly known as "the right to roam", from the press and other sources. The FC have decided to designate all the land that they own (not forests under lease from landowners) as open public access (which under CROW only includes people on foot, but which they have extended to include cyclists and horse riders). Thus they have a cleft stick, whereby now anyone in an agreed activity eg. Orienteering, can also expect to encounter members of the public on foot, bike or horse. Hence the need for careful planning and risk assessing, well before an event can go ahead, and the imperative need for these to be implemented by officials at events. The FC are understandably twitchy about the implications of their liability.

Ground nesting birds, including Nightjar, Woodcock and Stone Curlew, are the subject of environmental directives, so that the land they like to nest in - cleared forest and young trees up to 15 years old - will be out-of bounds for "off-track" activities from March to September (inclusive). Many activities are of the "on-track" type, but orienteering will be impossible - you only need to look at the current Brandon patchwork of blocks to realise that there is no way that we can use it for events during that period.

The second session was a workshop in which we were cunningly divided into groups of mixed activities; each group being given an activity with type, location and a series of perceived risks for us to rate as to level of risk, and then discuss how we would manage the risks to acceptable levels. This was followed by a reporting back session from each group.

I found the workshop a good PR exercise for both the FC and clubs, it gave a positive approach to Risk Assessment without being too heavy and off-putting. The FC want us to use their forests, but we need to be very mindful of the way that the ground rules have changed.

Planting Trees at Fordham - Jack Isbester

Fordham Hall Estate just West of Colchester, the Essex Stragglers' own forest in the making, enjoys a special place in our affections. Part of the growing woodland has been paid for with donations from SOS members in memory of former family, friends and clubmates.

A total of 126 volunteers enjoyed the bracing weather on 26th February 2006 whilst planting about 2,200 oaks, ash, lime, hazel, field maple, hawthorn and willow saplings. Geoff Sinclair from the Woodland Trust told us that this year's recruitment of volunteer planters had been low key, with a big effort planned for next winter. He has been asked to ensure that his planting date does not clash with an East Anglian orienteering event.

Stragglers planting trees at Fordham this year included John and Jenny Collyer, Martin and Hilary Sellens, Dave Skinner, Julia and Tom Robertson, Nancy Powell Davies and Jack Isbester.

The more duplicitous ambitious orienteers were memorising riveting information such as "The small clearing is immediately past the third oak tree and next to the hawthorn that Jack's just planted crooked".

Roll on 2026 when SOS's first C3 event is planned in the area.

The SOS EAGAL in Hockley- Some thoughts on the Results, from Jack Isbester

A copy of the faded, stencilled results of the SOS Hockley EAGAL event of 25th February 1979 was recently passed to me. It was thought it might interest me because it was an event that I controlled.

I recognise many of the names but few are still with SOS. John Fulwood who drew the map and was at that time SOS Secretary still orienteers with HALO and visits East Anglia from time to time. Derek Keeble, a mainstay of the club for fifteen or twenty years, and now a Life Member, still leads walks in Essex but has given up orienteering. His wife Jessie was also an active member of SOS and whilst walking round the course could usually, by careful navigation, beat most of the runners. John Webb of SUFFOC has just become a very competitive M70 and still controls events within the region and Chris Thorne of CUOC has also joined us in the M70s.

Derek Ladkin of SOS still competes occasionally when he can find time amongst all his other activities which include canoeing, cross country skiing and coracle racing. He helps when we orienteer at the Naze, at the bottom of his back garden. His son Russell has transferred to WAOC near his current base but I'm sure his heart remains with SOS.

Other distinguished competitors, sadly no longer with us, included Lionel Eagles of NOR and Bud Kenway and Bill and Pauline Stevens of SOS.

The event attracted more than 170 competitors competing in age classes ranging from M/W10 to M/W56. All the region's clubs were represented including WASH - in those days separate from NOR - but excluding SMOC which had not then become part of EAOA. The only competitors from outside the region were from CHIG, right on our doorstep.

Courses were A: 7.3k, 20 controls, B: 6.2k, 17 controls, C: 4.0k, 13 controls and D:  2.3k with 9 controls.

R Warner of SOS, an M17, "Failed to report back". He'll be aged about 54 now and will probably have a long beard. If you see him in Hockley during our event in September, perhaps caught in the brambles, tell him that he is now an M50 and should return to the Start for a new map.

Essex Stragglers easily outpace the opposition! - Flying off the Shelves at.... Sainsbury's

What and why? Taste the Difference Mini Hot Cross Buns (six for 99p)

How many sold? In the first six weeks of this year, Sainsbury's sold 27m hot cross buns, compared to a mere 19m in the same period last year. The biggest eaters of the buns live in Stanway, Colchester, where 205,000 were sold in the first six weeks of the year, followed by Hedge End, Southampton (175,000 buns), Kiln Lane, Epson (167,000) and Springfield, Chelmsford (164,000). (As found in The Guardian, 8th March 2006 by Jack Isbester)

Fixtures in East Anglia and Nearby Regions