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Essex Stragglers Orienteering Society (SOS) |
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Newsletter Volume 21 No. 9December 2011Editors: Geraldine Russell and Rachel Barford - editors@stragglers.info Club website - http://stragglers.info Contents
Editorial - Rachel BarfordThank you for the contributions this month; some most amusing verses from John, which go some way to explaining the orienteer's views on why weekends are not all slippers and rest. Thanks as always to Jack for providing a lot of very interesting material for the Newsletter I also received an email from a Slovenian orienteering club, who have an event planned, if anyone fancies a trip to this beautiful country. Notes from the Chair - John CollyerThrough orienteering Jenny and I have met many people, who we have got to know well and who have made important contributions to the club. I am sure that there are many others who will appear in the future, but it is always sad to say goodbye to members who have done so much for us over the years. The Robertson family fall into this category; they have decided to relocate back to the West Country, which is a family base for both Julia and Steve. Any rumours that Steve has retired are, according to Julia, untrue! Nicola and Susie have gone their separate ways for some time, and with Thomas now at University, it seems the right time for them to make the move. We will miss their hospitality at Moatfields and their efforts to keep the club moving forward. Both have had many roles within the club, Julia in organising events, looking after the equipment and as social secretary, whilst Steve has planned and controlled many times as well as being fixtures secretary. On behalf of the club, I would like to wish them well in their new club (Quantock Orienteers) and I am sure we will be bumping into them at various events. Both have shoes we will find hard to fill. Captain's Corner - Jenny Collyer jcollyer48@btinternet.comCompassSport Cup 2012The East Anglian round is at Thetford Warren, Thetford on the 19th February. The courses are Colour Coded from orange upwards covering the age classes as follows:
Every competitor receives a score based on their finishing position and the total of the best 13 scores gives the club score. Last year we were beaten by two points and the previous year by just one point - so we are due to win this year! This is a very popular event with our club members and always a great team event. Last year we entered over 60 members in this event which was held near Dorking in Surrey. With it on our doorstep this time maybe we can beat that. The entry fee (subsidised by the club) is £5 seniors and £2 juniors. (Students in full time education can claim up to £50 travel expenses). Please let me know if you would like to be entered. JK RelaysThese take place at Newtyle near Coupar Angus, Scotland on 9th April. The JK is an excellent four days of orienteering over the Easter weekend. There is a sprint race in Livingston on the Friday followed by two individual events in very technical areas on the Saturday and Sunday. The relay area is a mixture of deciduous and coniferous woodland and open hillside. As last year I will do the bulk of our relay entries by the first (cheaper) closing date of the 26th February. If you let me know before then that you would like a run the entry fee (subsidised by the club) is £8 seniors and £3 juniors. (After that the "late entry" supplement will be added). The British Relay ChampionshipsThese are on the 6th May in the Lake District (following the Individual Championships on the 5th). The entry fee will be as for the JK above but I have no entry information yet. Please let me know if you would like to be entered in any/all of these events or contact me if you would like any further information. An email from SloveniaDear O- friends, Please note that in 2012 there will be again some exciting orienteering events organized in Slovenian karst terrain. Lipica Open - the popular season opener with a 2 day warm up event and training camps on request; 10.- 11. March, Lipica. And of course the OOcup, Slovenian 5 day event, 1.- 5. August, Postojna. As you might already know OOcup offers some specialties - like the Ultimate classes (M21U, W21U, M35U and M35U), which are run on maps without paths. Ultimate challenge for ultimate fun! In 2012 we will also for the first time organize TrailO. Postojna is easily accessible by public transport and if you opt for the shuttle bus, you don't need your car at all. Lipica Open: www.lipicaopen.com
Slovenia is small and compact and extremely diverse, which makes it a great holiday destination. Alps, Adriatic coast, Karst (with hundreds of caves), Panonian plane, old cities and of course the endless forests.... that is Slovenia :)! Thanks for your attention and see you next season! Mark Johnson Trophy
News from the British Schools Orienteering Championships 2011The pupils of St Andrews Primary School and The Ramsey College, Halstead have been training hard at orienteering club, and set off to travel to Scotland for this year's Schools Orienteering Championships. The boys Y5 team came 3rd as did the whole school team in the Primary class. The individual results are as follows -
St Andrews Primary boys and girls both won their classes for the British Schools Score competition at Beaulieu Estate, 08/10/2011 with the individual results as follows -
The Ramsey College students came 4th out of 7 in the lower secondary school category which was really good considering their numbers.
Nancy and Julie who have been coaching the club this term are really pleased with the pupils. They have been training well every Monday and it is really paying off. They have done a mixture of exercises including score and point to point courses around the grounds of both schools which is a linked site. The have also had a go at planning their own courses. Well done to all. Sunday, Sunday - John Collyer
Diamond Wood - a note from Jack IsbesterOrienteers love trees - the majestic beeches of Epping Forest, the sturdy oaks of Baddow Ridge, the conifers of King's Forest or the lonely rowans of mid Wales. Whether met as a copse or a forest, a thicket or a landscape dotted with isolated trees they are the raw material of the fascinating sport of orienteering and life would be much less fun without them. Trees provide shade to keep us cool in summer and shelter us from the icy blast in winter. We love trees but we British have been cutting them down for the last thousand years and now England is one of the most treeless countries of Europe. The Woodland Trust is a charity which is trying in the long term to double the wooded area of Britain by buying land and planting native species of trees. In recent years volunteers from the ranks of Essex Stragglers have helped with the planting of thousands of trees at the new Woodland Trust site at Fordham, near Colchester where, fifteen years from now, Stragglers can expect to be navigating their way amongst mature trees to reach that elusive Control 11. Now, in preparation for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the Woodland Trust is trying to raise £3.3m to buy Diamond Wood a 460 acre site within The National Forest where they plan to plant 300,000 trees, creating the largest continuous woodland under single ownership in the National Forest in North West Leicestershire. There is no need for the general public to raise the entire £3.3m - the Woodland Trust has access to various funds by way of partnerships with commercial organisations and government funds but some must be triggered or matched by donations from the public, so your contributions are needed. The endeavour deserves the support of orienteers. For more information about the site or to make a donation please visit jubileewoods.org.uk/diamond appeal
Forest Challenge!The orienteering board game for 2-6 playersAvailable now. Ideal for:
"We had such fun that we immediately had another game ... We've already got plans to put one of our favourite areas onto the hexagons" "I think it's a brilliant game - the kids love it."
You can buy your copy for £7.50 through the post (please add £1.50 for postage, cheques payable to NGOC) from Alan Brown, 10 Brizen Lane, Cheltenham, GL53 0NG. All profits to the Woodland Trust. Email legend@ngoc.org.uk for further information. Pods Wood - a dream come trueJack Isbester provides the backgroundI first orienteered while on a two year secondment to Anglesey in 1971. When I returned to Tiptree in 1973 and joined the reconstituted Stragglers with Derek and Jesse Keeble and Bill and Pauline Stephens I looked for likely orienteering venues in the neighbourhood. Pods Wood looked a good possibility but when I explored I found that it contained an extensive plantation of young conifers - it would be best to wait a few years until they matured. By 1987 the wood was well developed but that was the year of the Great Storm which wreaked havoc on Baddow Ridge and also flattened the conifers in Pods Wood. Happily the Forestry Commission chose to replant the wood with deciduous trees and, by 2005 it began again to look fit for orienteering! By then I was SOS Fixtures Secretary and I nursed the ambition to link Pods, Coneyfield and the nearby Layer Woods for what, in those days, we called a Badge Event. I applied to the Forestry Commission for the necessary permissions, only to be given an unexpected and disappointing response. They owned Layer Wood and we could use it, but Pods and Coneyfield Woods were held on a 250 year lease commenced in the 1960s which specified 'no recreational use'. We did use Layer Wood for an event in 2007 or thereabouts and I didn't give up on Pods Wood. I was able to speak to the Agents for the owners of the woods who said that they could see no problem with orienteering in their woods. With this information I returned to the Forestry Commission who said they were fearful of complaints arising from our use of the woods but, when pressed, admitted that they had never known of any problems arising from use by SOS of Broaks or Chalkney over many years. In a final throw of the dice I told the Forestry Commission ranger that I was aged 75 and my ambition was to orienteer in Pods Wood before I died! He agreed to one event, with any return to be conditional on no complaints being received. Sadly by then the conifers occupying much of Layer Wood had been felled rendering it unusable for the time being. Even then a final problem remained. Mark Lyne had found a 'set aside' field between Pods and Layer Woods for parking when we orienteered in Layer Wood but, unexpectedly, that field was no longer available - scheduled to be ploughed a few weeks before our event. We were very close to our final possibility when Park House Farm agreed to provide parking for us amongst the farm buildings. In the competition area we were following in the footsteps of Roman Britons and their Icenian foes. The impressive Rampart earthworks are from Roman times as is the substantial Mound in the NW corner of Conyfield Wood. It is comforting to think that almost 2,000 years ago some Roman or Icenian in the same area might have been even more distressed than I was when searching for Control 18 on the Green course!
Mike Powell Davies Trophy
ESSOL - Julie LaverWe have already had six events for this seasons Essex and Suffolk Schools Orienteering League. The results so far are as follows. The best five scores count towards your league total.
Whole Team Trophy Places after 6 rounds
Well done to all of the above! For full listings please go to ESSOL page on the SOS website http://stragglers.info/schools/index.php. If you know any schools which might be interested in the League I would be happy to send further details. To be included in the League you do not have to enter through your school but please ensure your school and year are included on the registration form when you fill it in. No shadowing is allowed, although junior pairs are. Full details and comprehensive rules are available on the SOS website http://stragglers.info/schools/index.php but I can deal with any enquiries or corrections. julie.laver@virgin.net or phone 01206 826152. Preliminary ESSOL fixtures for the remainder of this season
Please note these are preliminary fixtures and participants are advised to check Club websites before travelling
Fixtures - David SkinnerFixtures in East Anglia and Nearby Regions - National Events which SOS members regularly attend are also included The information provided below normally consists of Event Date, Region(eg EA = East Anglia), Event Grade , Event & Location Names and map reference. Organiser's contact details. Contact details, costs, closing date etc. for Pre-entry when provided. Whether Entry on the Day (EOD) is possible and the surcharge payable. The range of courses offered. The address of a website from which additional information can be obtained. Additional information in plain language. At Essex Stragglers' events registration normally opens at 1000hrs, starts are from 1030hrs until 1230hrs and courses close at 1430hrs. SOS Club Nights are not included - see SOS website for details. 2011 December 10th SOS EAOA Activity 11th SAX SEOA Level C SAX Sunday series, Sevenoaks Organiser: Sarah Howes ,
sarahmhowes@hotmail.co.uk , 01892-723327 15th SAX SEOA Level D Sax KNC, Maidstone south, Maidstone 18th MV SEOA Level C MV South East
Families and Veterans Champs,
Ranmore, Dorking, TQ135504 Dogs: Under control. Organiser: Tony Burton 18th TVOC SCOA Level C TVOC Regional
Event &SCOA League,
Wendover Woods, Wendover, Bucks, SP891098 Entry times: 10:00-12:00.
Dogs: On leads in car park and woods. Organiser: Paul Greenough
, paul-greenough@supanet.com , 01494 674766 26th HH SEOA Level C HH Boxing Day
Score, Trent Park, Enfield, TQ281983 Entry times: Registration:
from 10 am to 10:45 am. Starts: 11 am mass start. Dogs: under control. Organiser: Penny Parkes ,
trent-park-26-12-11@happyherts.org.uk 2012 January 1st SOS EAOA Level D New Year Novelty, TBA 2nd NOR EAOA Level D Informal Score
Event, Horsford Heath, Norwich, TG184176 Entry times: 10.15 to
11.00 for orange course. Dogs preferred on lead. Organiser: Pat Bedder ,
01603 424589 8th HAVOC EAOA Level C Langdon Hills
SWELL Event, Langdon Hills Country Park, Basildon, TQ681865 Dogs: To be kept under
control. Organiser: Colin Jackson ,
treasurer@orienteering-havoc.co.uk 12th SAX SEOA Level D Sax KNC, Canterbury urban, Canterbury 14th DFOK SEOA Level D DFOK Kent
Orienteering League,
Limpsfield Chart, Westerham Organiser: Philip Basford
, philb@ntrg.u-net.com 15th NOR EAOA Level C NOR Colour Coded
and EA Championships,
Lynford, Thetford Entry times: 10.00 to
12.00 hours. Dogs: Dogs on lead. 22nd HH SEOA Level C HH Ace of Herts
Regional Event, Northaw Great
Wood, Cuffley, TL 299 037 Entry times: Start times
from 10.30 to 12.30. Courses close at 14.30. Dogs: Permitted in the
car park (on a lead) and on the route to start and finish. Not on courses as
they cross the land of multiple owners not all with permission for dogs. Organiser: Jacob Sharpe ,
northaw-22-01-12@happyherts.org.uk , 01223 426599 26th CHIG SEOA Level D North London
Street Events, TBC, Stratford, TQ354834 Organiser: Josh Jenner February 2nd SAX SEOA Level D Sax KNC, Sevenoaks and Riverhead, Sevenoaks 5th SOS EAOA Level C SOS Colour Coded
Event incorporating EA League,
Baddow Ridge, Danbury 11th CHIG SEOA Level D Local, Schools
League and SWELL, Claybury,
Chigwell 12th NOR EAOA Level C NOR Colour coded, Kelling, Sheringham 19th EAOA Level B EAOA CompassSport Cup & Trophy Heat, Thetford Warren, Thetford Organiser: Barbara
Fothergill , publicity@orienteering-havoc.co.uk 23rd HH SEOA Level D HH North London
Street League, tbc, tbc
25th SARUM SWOA Level A British Night
Championships, Hamptworth, Salisbury, SU228167 Entry times: Pre- entry
only via Fabian4. Dogs: Only allowed in CP & Registration areas. Not
allowed on courses. Organiser: Mary Nixon ,
mary_david_nixon@yahoo.co.uk , 01794 516298 26th SUFFOC EAOA Level C West Harling Colour
Code Event, inc. ESSOL, West Harling , Thetford, TL968836 Entry times: Starts :
10:30 to 12:30 - Registration from 10:00. Dogs: Dogs welcome but must be kept
under control. Organiser: Philip Halford
, phil.halford2@btinternet.com , 01638-717715 March 4th SMOC EAOA Level C SMOC Regional
Event, Holcote and Reynolds
Wood, Brogborough, SP969393 Organiser: Ros James ,
ros.james@btinternet.com 10th WAOC EAOA Level D WAOC Wimpole Hall
Colour Coded, Wimpole Hall, Cambridge, TL343511 Entry times: Registration
10.00 to 12.00. Starts 10.30 to 12.30. Dogs: Dogs are allowed but they must
be kept on a lead at all times as there are cattle and sheep in Wimpole Park. 11th NOR EAOA Level C NOR Colour Coded, Bilney, King's Lynn 18th SOS EAOA Level D Hockley Woods
Colour Coded inc. ESSOL,
Hockley Woods, Hockley 22nd SAX SEOA Level D Sax KNC, Millbank, Sevenoaks 24th EBOR YHOA Level A British Sprint
Orienteering Championships, York University, York, SE620504 No dogs allowed. Organiser: Keith
MacDermott , 01904 761120 25th EBOR YHOA Level A British Middle
Distance Orienteering Championships, Srensall Common, York No dogs allowed. Organiser: Mike Ridealgh ,
01904 761120
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