Ringwood Forest North-West on Sunday 11 November 2012

Trevor Bridle writes "...thank you all for your input and help at today's event which was a great success. We had wonderful weather, some 290 competitors and it does make the organiser's job so much easier when you have so many club members who are always willing to give up their time and help out."

Chris Branford adds "...Special thanks to Steve Mallison for planning, Trevor Bridle for organising and Ian Sayer (WSX) for controlling.  Also Karen French for the string course (they got cup cakes for finishing!!) This was Steve’s first planning for a major club event and he certainly gave us good technical courses that tested our ability and determination.  The 12/14/16 age groups showed us how to run the courses and the winners recorded excellent times.  Also thank you to all the club members who helped to make the event such a success."

Results         RouteGadget

We had a sleep in (till 7am) as we were not on the very early team.  Just as well because it was not very warm and I got out my duvet jacket (sure sign that I froze last Monday at Gillingham and decided winter had come)

Arrived at Ringwood North and set up the junior start (well I thought I was but someone called my wife said I was getting in the way and sent me off to do something useful).  So I took the event fliers to the download tent and said ‘hello’ to everyone en route.
 
Then went for a walk with my camera and took some picture.  By now rapidly warming up and was starting to ‘cook’.  Three jumpers and a duvet was probably a bit over the top.  Went back to car and took off several layers and then went for another wander and took a few more pictures.  I usually get comments like ‘don’t publish that one’

Wandered down to start and took a few more pictures there.  The string course looked rather good and they did have an added attraction of a beautiful display of cup cakes.  I nearly changed my mind and did that course instead but Charlotte and Grace were guarding them and standing no nonsense.  Not two young ladies to argue with.

Decided I had better do something useful and get changed and have a cup of tea before I went for my run.

Arrived at start again and had another look at the cup cakes.  Very tempting.  Finally get started.  Don’t worry – not the string course.

59 minutes later - I finished.  No Charlotte and Grace and NO cupcakes.

Went to tent and downloaded.  Oh dear!  Someone has done 42 minutes!  Who!  Harry Butt!  ‘You cannot be serious!’  Typical – beaten (thrashed) by an M16.  Oh dear I am only 7th.  Who else beat me.  I don’t believe it.  An M12 – Zac Hudd and a W14 – Chloe Potter (thrashed by 3 juniors in one day)  Then to make it even worse my number 1 competitor Dudley Budden beat me by 1 minute.  O woe is me.

I will have to sulk now – no good walking back down to junior start – get no sympathy there from you know who!
And I still have to help collect in the controls without any cupcakes!

All in a day’s orienteering!!
 
Chris Branford

         

         

Photographs by Chris Branford on Flickr

Organising an event

All Clubs require a number of planners, organisers and controllers to ensure that events can be staged regularly and the more these jobs can be shared around the better. To organise an event may sound daunting but it would be good to see some new club members volunteering to get involved. Initially we would ensure that you were assisting an experienced organiser so that you were able to see exactly what is involved.

And so what does the organiser do and what should he be responsible for? The Organiser is responsible for establishing the event framework which includes everything before the start and after the finish including the start and finish. The Organiser is also responsible for the safety and welfare of the participants and other members of the public in the event area.

Initially then land permission is required before an event can be contemplated and then the event has to be registered with BOF. These initial actions are normally undertaken by our Secretary and Fixtures Secretary. Once these have been dealt with then it is a question of looking at access to the area, car parking arrangements and sorting out an assembly area. This would also need the input of the planner to some extent as to where he would like to put the start and finish for the event.

Another consideration for our larger events such as a Gallopen is do we require a caterer and if so then he needs to be contacted and booked for the day.

Publicity needs to be agreed and a flier giving full details of the event then circulated at events say for a month or two prior to your event. A decision has to be made as to whether entries will be taken on line or via an entries secretary. A risk assessment has to be completed and then signed off by the controller.

In Forestry Commission areas it is a requirement that notices are posted to alert other users of the forest that an event is to take place and when. These days the provision of toilets is a must and these have to be ordered and then arrangements made for them to be delivered to the area on the Friday before the event and collected on the Monday after the event.

Equipment is another major item and although the planner will normally look after the stakes, SI Boxes and flags the organiser is then required to arrange the volunteer help required to cover all the jobs especially on the day. It is then also a requirement to provide all the equipment that is required for managing the event on the day. The areas to be covered include the signing to the event, the car parking, assembly area, registration, start and finish. First Aid and event safety and missing competitor procedures should also be in place.

And so how did it go at our Gallopen on Sunday 11th November 2012.  Well once it was established that we would park under the Power Lines and use the West of the area for the courses the access to the forest was more or less required to be via the Ringwood Alderholt road at Somerley. Parking on forest roads meant that a one way system was the best option although this was challenging to ensure that all competitors were reasonably placed for the starts and finish.

It was then a question of finding volunteers to cover all the jobs on the day and at least in WIM we are blessed with club members who are always willing and ready to help. So without too much trouble a list of helpers was finalised. Signing for the event is quite a challenge and after preparing numerous signs as the organiser these were passed over to Richard Brightman who did sterling work in putting these on posts to ensure everyone knew where they had to go.

Those in charge of the Starts were issued with their equipment prior to the event which was one less problem for me as organiser and John Shucksmith and Lynn Branford and their teams were able to set up and be ready well before the first starting time.

As organiser I then arrived bright and early at 8.30 with a car load of equipment to enable Registration and Download to be set up and a willing band of helpers were on hand to put up the tent, start the generator etc.. The Registration and Computing teams then arrived to get set up and we were soon ready to accept entries on the day. Banners were then erected at the Finish with the WIM banner in position at Registration. Shortly after this the car parking team arrived and arranged them selves to ensure that competitors parked correctly. We did however change our strategy here to allow those who had pre entered to park near the starts whilst those who had not and needed to visit Registration to then park close to Registration. This seemed to work well in the end.

The caterers then turned up and chose a pitch to suit them and being between the Finish and Registration this seemed to work well for them.  John and Di Tilsley arrived and parked alongside the Finish as they were providing our First Aid cover for the event.

The Start, Finish and Assembly. Parking was under the power lines.

Apart from this all signs were then put in place to ensure everyone knew where the various facilities such as toilets start and finish were situated. Maps were distributed to the starts and the event was ready to roll. The weather was superb and so from the organisers point of view it was a question of sitting back and leaving all the willing volunteers to ensure everything ran smoothly as it did.

Most helpers were able to get in a run as we always try and ensure sufficient helpers on any job for this to be viable.

After the courses closed it was then a case of the planner and his band of helpers collecting in the controls whilst the computing team dismantled their equipment and the tent was then taken down. Equipment was then loaded back into several cars to be taken back to the shed. It was not long before stakes, SI Boxes and flags were being sorted ready to clear the forest which was achieved by around 4.00pm.

Once the event is finished results need to put up on the web site which our computer wizard Dick Keighley attends to and the results are usually on line by early evening. Levies for each event have to be paid to BOF and SWOA and here we rely on the treasurer to deal with this aspect of the event.

Normally this is the end of the procedures unless like last Sunday where we did get a letter of complaint re vehicles speeding in the forest which was also passed to the Forestry Commission. And so as organiser thinking I had completed my tasks it fell to me to respond to the complainant and also ensure the Forestry Commission were fully informed.

The only matter now left to deal with is the collection of the toilets and here it is necessary for someone to be available to let the company into the forest on the Monday following the event and again we are lucky in having members who will always make themselves available.

On Tuesday then it is a case of sitting back and feeling that another successful event has been staged.  

Trevor Bridle

"The Illustrious Planner"
Steve Mallison - photograph by Ian Sayer