A Planning Initiation...

It’s all change……..

Who would have thought 5 years ago when I was introduced to orienteering that I would now be credited as a planner at the recent Stonebarrow and Golden Cap event.

It isn’t to say that I’m unfamiliar with planning outdoor events, having run D of E expedition units for several years and also being a mountain leader, but until 5 years ago my knowledge of orienteering extended to participating in a few KIMM’s, well before it became the OMM. This was at the time when volunteers manned the check points and wrote down your team number as you passed, supported by the occasional pin punch.

So imagine my shock 5 years ago, being introduced as Michelle’s partner, and helping at a Compass Sport qualifier in Moors Valley. What are these funny little electronic dibber things, and much to Michelle’s insistence they are ‘controls’ not ‘check points’. I was finally convinced, with a bit of persuasion from several WIM members, to give it a go. I remember the map was really confusing (sometimes they still are), my Walsh fell trainers fell apart half way around, but somehow I finished.

Moving on a few years, having attempted Orange, Light Green, Short Green and Green courses, in 2020 I found myself sat in Michelle’s Mums living room, with Dick Keighley training 3 of us as Event Planners. Michelle had already spent several long evenings pondering over maps of the Ocknell area, finding possible control locations and we had visited several times before it was realised her Event Planners certification was out of date, hence the need for the course. Like most outdoor activities, and life in general over the last 10+ years we have changed to certificates and training now outweighing experience. This has both negative and positive outcomes, but I will avoid getting on my soap box on that subject. So where was I, yes the training, as I was there it was suggested, why not sit in and do the training as well, after all you never know when it might come in handy, was how it was sold to me. The training was certainly an eye opener.

The following day, full of (possibly too much) enthusiasm, Michelle and I were out and about in the Ocknell area tagging possible controls and critiquing potential route option. Possibly, I critiqued too much as on a subsequent visit I was soon dispatched to ‘sort out’ the White and Yellow routes along with several other legs. Unfortunately Ocknell was cancelled due to the horrendous weather so we never got any feedback as to how well the route worked.

Then came the request for a ‘Planner’ for the Stonebarrow and Golden Cap event. Given it is right on our door step how could we not volunteer. I think I interpreted Michelle’s suggestion of shall ‘we’ plan, as she would plan and I would help. This soon changed as I realised whilst pondering over maps of previous events, when it was clearly pointed out that I was planning the Orange and Short Green courses.

With maps from previous event, and an updated map from Mike the planning task began. The area was visited time and time again. We walked, well Michelle ran, everything that we thought were possible routes choices. Gates, fences etc were checked that may needed to be crossed until we thought we had something that worked. On almost every visit we tagged new, and possibly better features and removed unused tags. Eventually, through the exchange of e-mails we were down to the point of titivating the maps before we could send then off to be printed…..however…….the National Trust had different ideas!!!!

Michelle was the recipient of all the e-mail traffic and one evening the computer was discarded in disgust, expletives muttered, before a final rant about the National Trust stopping us from going into a key area and the event having to be cancelled. Clearly it wasn’t cancelled and rational thought prevailed, but the Green and Blue courses needed re-planning. All this had to be done a matter of weeks before the event.

Back we went to remove some of the tags and to identify new potential controls in the Golden Cap area. Whilst Michelle was never really happy with the revised routes it was surprising to see how the area was changing with flora putting on a growth spurt and previously impassable gates now being open, adding to potential route choices.

Finally it was almost time for the event. We decided to put out as many of the controls flags as possible the evening before the event. This would make it much easier, and hopefully quicker, in the morning to carry and place the control boxes without having to carry all the equipment.

Despite visiting most of the control sites several times, there had been yet another growth spurt, requiring significant undergrowth trampling to make the Orange controls visible.

There was however one last panic in store....

Just as were about to relax, and spend the rest of the day as an orienteering spectator, the download revealed that we had two 141 controls registered. I was certain that I had put the right box in the right place, but you always start to doubt yourself. Michelle dashed off with a newly programmed box and the issue was quickly fixed. Thankfully I hadn’t made a mistake in my box placement, it was a control box error, as there were two programmed to number 141 from a previous event.

The next few hours passed without incident. Spectating proved to be interesting, with a number of people taking route choices that we hadn’t even considered. Hopefully most competitors enjoyed the routes and the event could be seen as a success.

From left, WIM volunteers Kath, Steve, Rob, Rodney, Lynn, Di, John T & John W

So it’s all change, but what have I learnt and what would I recommend….

On the personal side the change from not really knowing anything about the world of orienteering, to planning, well helping plan, an event has been interesting and certainly challenging. Most significantly the Planning activity has probably improved my skill level with greater recognition of how features are mapped and physically appear, plus the consideration of route choices.

How many times have we all read on the pre-event something like….since planning the event X, Y and Z have happened / changed, without realising the impact felt by the ‘Event Organisation’ team. Certainly I will now have more appreciation.

Orienteering, like many other activities, only survives because of the number of volunteers. These volunteers are often low in number compared to the overall membership, and are the same familiar faces. If I had been asked to volunteer to plan an event I probably wouldn’t have. Like many of us we feel that we don’t have the right training, certificates and / or experience to give it a go. However, I expect many of those volunteers would welcome some assistance, so why not offer to shadow them and give them a helping hand.

Finally change…..it’s happening all the time, you can embrace it or resist it, but it will still happen. Who knows what will happen to orienteering in the coming years.

Rodney White

 

Background photo looking SW from Stonebarrow