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Walton Chasers Chase Challenge 8-9th March 2003 Incorporating the UK Cup & Future Champions Cup |
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Walton Chasers Chase Challenge 8-9th March 2003 Incorporating the UK Cup & Future Champions Cup |
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March 9th, Walton Chasers Badge Event, Sherbrook
Planner's Comments
Despite various other planning activities over the years, this is only the second badge event I have ever planned; the first one was ten years ago on Fairoak and Brindley. I think this one is much better.
I wanted to set you a challenging course with good route choice and varied terrain. There aren't any BIG hills (though I'm sure they felt like it at times), there are paths everywhere going in all directions and Cannock Chase is simply at it's best at this time of year for runnability, so it was always going to be a challenge for me to keep the courses interesting and get the lengths right. Even with S.I. controls, crossovers were never considered necessary or desirable. From the comments I have received first and second hand and the results I have seen, it seems I got it right. Many thanks for your kind comments.
Why 5a and 5b? M45L, M18A and W21L were originally planned as a single course. M45L needed to be at 1:10000 and so was assigned course 4. M18A and W21L needed to be at 1:15000 and so were assigned course 5. Time passed and I received a call from the entries secretary who was concerned at the number of people needing seeding for the Future Champions Cup and the UK Cup competitions, and the possibility of running out of time slots for the combined three classes. I decided to split the W21L off by using the gaffling technique (essentially the same course as the M45L and M18A, but with a few controls different). To save causing ourselves confusion, it was decided not to renumber all the courses, but to have 5a and 5b.
I thought I was being innovative putting pictorial and written descriptions on some of the courses, but I have since been told that I have been beaten to it. It is a good way to introduce beginners to pictorial descriptions, and I would like to see more of it.
Interesting fact: Deer like insulation tape. I can only put it down as something lacking in their diet . . . or maybe it was a cunning plan by the deer to sabotage the event. Either way, I couldn't tape the sites fast enough!
And finally, the role of honour list: Putting on an event of this size takes up many people's time and energy. My grateful thanks go to Neil Lawford for invaluable assistance with OCAD8 (I have never used OCAD in any form before this event); the Stodgells for printing duties and S.I. boxes programming help (never done that before either) despite working feverishly on their house in an attempt to sort out their bedroom and bathroom before their baby was due (Holly arrived on 4th March, the work continues . . .); the various people who helped with the bagging of 1200 maps - the Peels, Jim Knight, Jane and Anne Christopher, and Ian Turner; Jim Knight (again), Dennis Keley and Chris Horwill for planting and picking controls; Jane Christopher (again) and Heather Shilling for planting controls; Chris Boycott, Ian Turner (again) and the Waters for picking controls; and last, but by no means least, my wife, Alison, for bagging maps, sorting, planting and picking controls (despite hurting her ankle on the morning of the event), and giving me her full support throughout. Thank you all.
Andy Yeates (WCH)
Controller's Comments
Good courses from Andy, good weather specially arranged by John, and my favourite Mediterranean pasta from Wilf's - what more could a Controller want?
None of Andy's courses was changed as the technical standards and lengths followed the current (1997) Guideline. We know this is unsatisfactory with regard to some Junior course lengths and that is why change is coming. There was one query about a Junior course length being inconsistent with the summary of the proposed Ageless Junior courses published a few days before the event in Focus. Of course, we don't have a new Guideline yet and the advice in the Event Officials' Newsletter which was published with the new Rules was that we should follow the current Guideline for the time being. This is what was done. I expect the final version of the Guideline to be issued after the next Event Standards Committee meeting in June.
Multi-event weekends are usually shared by several clubs, but Walton Chasers deserve a pat on the back for staging three events. A tremendous amount of work was done by all involved.
John Bennison (OD)
Organiser's Comments
What a lovely day! We have seen the full flowering of the electronic event, with flyer, road map, final details, start lists and control descriptions all appearing on the web before the event, and results and splits being posted on the web by 1710 on the day, perhaps a record. It is now eighteen years since I processed Badge results at Sherbrook using a 1980s microcomputer, and times have certainly changed! Some competitors chose not to have any final details posted to them by snail mail, but to get their start time and control descriptions solely from the web. We ran out of maps for the Colour Coded courses - no problem, we just printed some more on site from the OCAD-produced master maps. The Planner Andy Yeates overprinted all the maps, even the Colour Coded courses, with course & control descriptions. None of this would have been possible without the impressive computing set-up masterminded by Mark Stodgell, who became a father the previous Tuesday; congratulations to him and his wife Cath and new daughter Holly Bethan: an exemplary performance on all counts!
Modern electronics influenced this event heavily: most of the organization was done by email; the impressive computer installation in the event marquee on the day has already been mentioned; SportIdent stations were used throughout for both Badge and Colour Coded; all the event information, results and reports were mounted on the Walton Chasers web site; and mobile phones were used for communication between officials on the day. New software has made registration of hired dibbers on the day much easier; and if dibber numbers are known to the database (from the BOF database or by electronic registration on the day) it is not necessary to enter the course into the database - the runner and the course are identified on download from the dibber number and pattern of controls dibbed during the run. Walton Chasers has used SportIdent at all its events in this way for some time.
There were over 1200 competitors at this Badge Event, the largest WM regional event for several months. The weather was kind to us, particularly since it had rained heavily the previous day, spoiling the Chase Challenge MTBO event to some extent. On Sunday all seemed to enjoy themselves, basking in the sunshine, eating at Wilf's, discussing the pasted-up results, and chatting late into the afternoon. Thanks to you all for coming.
Such an event will always have some hiccups. Compliments to St John Ambulance, who dealt competently with a few medical incidents: two, a case of snake bite, and one of lacerated temples from colliding with a tree, were shunted off to hospital by the County Ambulance Service; the only other serious incident was one of severe exhaustion - competitors are warned that it is foolish to run too soon after recovery from a viral infection - the young lady in question after treatment was seen safely into her transport back to university. In another domestic vein, I had hoped that the gents' urinal, equivalent as it was to four cubicles, would reduce the load on the toilet cubicles; observation, however, showed some longish queues at peak time. Apologies to those of you who had a longer wait than you would have wished, but bear in mind that it would be totally uneconomic to provide the very large number of cubicles which would produce no queues at peak times.
It takes a lot of people to run such an event. Everybody involved worked very hard and it seems to have been a very successful event. Special thanks go to Team Leaders David Bushnell (Car Parking & Road Signs), David Schofield (Pre-entries), Dorothy Wilson (EOD), Jonathan Howell (Start), Mike Dudley (Finish), Ray Collins (String Course), Bob Strophair (Enquiries), Julie Nokes (Drinks and Toilets), and Barbara Heathcote (Pasting up Results), and to all their teams. I had my first go at a String Course, and even beat the Controller! Thanks also to the traders (Wilf's, Ultrasport and Compass Point) for supporting the event. I would also like to thank the farmer Tim Nichols for permission to use his land during the lambing period - a lovely site.
A typical letter of thanks stated "We thoroughly enjoyed the occasion. The facilities were first-rate: little things like enough toilets, catering facilities, first aid presence, excellent parking, and the Start & Finish being close to the event centre make all the difference. The helpers were efficient and friendly, the location superb, and the courses well-planned for maximum enjoyment." Praise indeed!
Lost Property
If you wish to have an item returned, please describe it to the Organiser.
Badge Times & Colour Coded Qualifiers
All times given below are subject to confirmation.
| Class | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| M21L | 94.38 | 113.34 | 151.25 |
| M21S | 59.25 | 71.18 | 95.04 |
| M35L | 108.32 | 130.15 | 173.40 |
| M35S | 74.14 | 89.04 | 118.46 |
| M40L | 90.37 | 108.45 | 145.00 |
| M40S | 61.48 | 74.10 | 98.54 |
| M45L | 78.57 | 94.44 | 126.19 |
| M45S | 49.50 | 59.48 | 79.44 |
| M50L | 73.49 | 88.35 | 118.06 |
| M50S | 48.01 | 57.38 | 76.50 |
| M55L | 69.33 | 83.28 | 111.18 |
| M55S | 49.32 | 59.26 | 79.15 |
| M60L | 78.36 | 94.20 | 125.46 |
| M60S | 49.00 | 58.49 | 78.25 |
| M65L | 70.56 | 85.08 | 113.30 |
| M65S | 47.35 | 57.06 | 76.09 |
| M70L | 63.55 | 76.42 | 102.16 |
| M70S | 44.59 | 53.59 | 71.59 |
| *M75L | 75.00 | 90.00 | 120.00 |
| W21L | 78.48 | 94.34 | 126.06 |
| W21S | 49.45 | 59.42 | 79.36 |
| W35L | 81.35 | 97.54 | 130.32 |
| W35S | 58.06 | 69.43 | 92.57 |
| W40L | 86.14 | 103.29 | 137.59 |
| W40S | 53.46 | 64.31 | 86.02 |
| W45L | 70.23 | 84.28 | 112.38 |
| W45S | 47.13 | 56.40 | 75.33 |
| W50L | 65.39 | 78.47 | 105.02 |
| W50S | 46.13 | 55.27 | 73.56 |
| W55L | 64.43 | 77.40 | 103.33 |
| W55S | 45.33 | 54.40 | 72.54 |
| W60L | 59.30 | 71.24 | 95.13 |
| W60S | 42.14 | 50.41 | 67.35 |
| W65L | 62.45 | 75.18 | 100.24 |
| W65S | 44.32 | 53.27 | 71.16 |
| *W70L | 78.07 | 93.45 | 125.00 |
| M10A | 28.11 | 33.49 | 45.06 |
| M10B | 22.40 | 27.12 | |
| M12A | 34.38 | 41.34 | 55.26 |
| M12B | 27.13 | 32.40 | |
| M14A | 54.49 | 65.47 | 87.42 |
| *M14B | 41.34 | 55.26 | |
| M16A | 65.35 | 78.43 | 104.57 |
| *M16B | 65.47 | 87.42 | |
| M18A | 69.18 | 83.10 | 110.53 |
| *M18B | 78.43 | 104.57 | |
| M20L | 100.48 | 120.58 | 161.18 |
| M20S | 68.56 | 82.44 | 110.18 |
| W10A | 29.13 | 35.04 | 46.46 |
| W10B | 16.06 | 19.19 | |
| W12A | 48.35 | 58.18 | 77.44 |
| W12B | 35.45 | 42.54 | |
| W14A | 36.18 | 43.34 | 58.06 |
| W14B | 45.05 | 54.06 | |
| W16A | 54.58 | 65.58 | 87.58 |
| *W16B | 65.00 | 78.00 | |
| W18A | 58.26 | 70.08 | 93.30 |
| *W20L | 87.30 | 105.00 | 140.00 |
| *W20S | 62.18 | 74.46 | 99.42 |
* Small classes, adjusted by the Controller
Colour Coded Standards
Light Green First 22 on list Red First 9 on list Orange First 11 on list Yellow First 15 on list White All finishers
These Colour Coded Standards are also marked by an asterisked line in the printed results.
John Wilcock (WCH), Organiser
Tel: 01785 258979
Email: jdwaw@dellmail.com