Brimham Rocks 22 Nov 15
Final results are now posted here. They have been revised to remove a leg on some courses, as explained below.
Organiser’s comments:
We were delighted by how many people came to visit Brimham Rocks on Sunday. We hosted Yorkshire Superleague competitors from far and wide, not just from within White Rose territory. Red Rose clubs were also well represented, plus visitors from as far away as Sussex. It was great to see a group from York University Orienteering Club too. We hope you all enjoyed the courses which were designed to take you through the fantastic rock formations at Brimham.
The National Trust were pleased to have so many visitors on a November Sunday and enjoyed the ‘buzz’ of people who were fully appreciating exploring the outdoor environment at Brimham. My thanks to them for making us welcome during our preparation and on the day.
A range of weather conditions were experienced within the time period the courses were open – mild and misty, sunny & cloudy , bitterly cold with rain and sleet followed by calm and clear. We were aware ‘compulsory cagoules’ were perplexing for some but the conditions can and did change quickly at Brimham.
My role as organiser was made significantly easier by the willing teams of CLARO volunteers who worked well performing the important roles of registration, start, finish, parking & download. They all help with cheery good humour for which I am very grateful. The real hard work and success of the day was down to our two planners, Liz Potterton and Graham Ramsden, and Chris Dicken as Controller. They have had a tough physical job , often in foul weather , planning and delivering challenging and interesting courses particularly having regard to their daytime and JK 2016 commitments. My thanks to Graham, Liz and Chris for making the event so enjoyable.
One control on the day was rather more challenging than intended and thank you to those competitors who brought this to our attention. We all get cross with ourselves when we miss something however with the adjustments made and explained below I think the outcome is fair. We appreciate all the positive and helpful comments and the great thing is we all want the day to go well for everybody involved- volunteers and competitors alike. Brimham is a special area which we are pleased we are able to use and showcase to other orienteers. Thank you all for coming.
Sue Birtwistle (Organiser)
There were two items of lost property. A pair of purple trainers (small) and a pair of striped socks (grey / multicoloured). Contact the organiser.
Course adjustments explained:-
Courses Green Upwards – Control site 219.
We must apologise for the incorrect positioning of the control kite on the boulders just at the northern tip of the control circle, rather than on the crags as marked by the centre of the circle. After some consideration and given that this event was part of the YHOA Superleague, it has been decided to void the leg leading to this control on all courses. It is felt that the small difference in location of the control and considering the routes to the following controls on all the affected courses, it is not necessary to void the on-going legs.
We hope that this did not affect your enjoyment of your course or the area, which is undoubtedly one of the best in our region.
Thank you for your understanding.
Graham Ramsden (Planner TD5s) and Chris Dicken (Controller)
Planner’s Comments
This was my first time planning at Brimham (and hopefully not my last after control 219!) and what a joy it was. There’s no end of control locations to choose from and I must thank Chris Dicken (Controller) for his guidance and for keeping me in check with the course distances. As with all planning I found that I was swaying between thinking that the courses were ‘too easy and too short’ to thinking that they were ‘too long and too tough’. On Saturday, as we were putting out controls, you can probably guess which way I was thinking as I stood up to my ankles in a patch of marshy tussocks on the eastern side of the road, with temperatures at about minus one (before the wind-chill factor!). However, an hour earlier I’d just started putting out controls and as I appeared over the top of a ridge, there right in from of me was a herd of deer. We just stood and stared at each other for what seemed like ages, before we all trotted off in our own directions; the perks of planning!
The section to the East of the road is a bit of a ‘Marmite’ area. In places it can be very tricky under foot but there are some very detailed and interesting parts; where possible I tried to keep you in the best bits. To the west of the road is ‘classic Brimham’ with those confusing rock pillars. During the event, Chris and I managed to get to a great vantage point in this central area and watch many of you navigate your way around the obstacles. Who said that this wasn’t a spectator sport?
My thanks must go to Sue Birtwistle for ably Organising this event and it was great to see so many of you enjoying your runs.
Graham Ramsden (Planner TD5 courses)
Controller’s Comments:
Thankfully Sunday was relatively calm (much calmer than forecast). The previous afternoon, with sub-zero temperatures, ice and snow on the ground and a 20mph wind giving some nasty wind chill, the area was significantly colder.
Brimham is always a challenging area, not only for the competitors but also for the planner & controller. Both Liz & Graham came up with some interesting and testing courses and it was good to see so many people enjoying the challenges set.
Some people commented on the ‘cagoules compulsory’ ruling, but having been on the area (300m and exposed) in mist (that’s interesting), driving rain and as noted above strong winds with low temperatures – some of this weather forecast, some not – and conditions changing very quickly, I stand by my decision, given the late Saturday conditions. Whilst individual orienteers may not like the decision, the officials in charge have responsibility for the whole of the event and everybody’s safety.
Control site 219 :
The decision and explanation over voiding legs running to this control site is given at the end of the organiser’s comments.
As to not having spotted the incorrect siting, my only defence is that due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to fit checking into a tight timescale and this control site was the last to be checked after a long hard day at Brimham with its inclement weather conditions – obviously 1 control site too far. (My mind was probably on the hot bath that was beckoning). I trust this did not distract too much from your run.
Despite the two above issues, the majority of competitors I spoke to were very happy with the event, had really enjoyed their courses and were looking forward to coming back. Thanks to all of you for your kind comments and of course to Sue for her excellent organising which made all the other bits of the event run so smoothly.
Chris Dicken (Controller)