Thanks to everyone for turning out on not the best of days
weather wise. Various club members
were busy swimming or camping or doing several other things, and had all the
members who had wanted to come been there I’d have been a bit maxed out!
It’s so nice to have so much interest amongst the club these days. I hope that
you all enjoyed something a bit different, and that the newer juniors enjoyed
finding out just how difficult a British Championships Under-13 A course can be.
Don’t forget that the youngsters who were at the top of the results for
this event had been orienteering since they could walk, and most of them have
parents who are pretty good orienteers themselves.
If you keep getting the practice in by coming to events, you’ll be
amazed at how good you become after a couple of years.
If you’re prepared to be patient and develop your skills gradually
you’ll be fine!
It was especially nice to see parents doing the course with
their kids. Learning together is
the very best way to start out in the sport, and before you know it you’ll be
competing against each other. Just
look at Johnstone MacPherson-Stewart junior who often comes within a few seconds
of his dad (J MacP-S snr) in races over light green courses.
The mini sprint race seemed to go well, and I was pleased
about that. It was fast and
furious, but that’s how the top orienteers do it for the whole course…. 18
Km in the last elite race that was held at Culbin!
When you’re good enough you don’t stop – you punch quickly and run
on to the next one, planning ahead all the time when you don’t need to read
the map. To be able to do this
requires incredible skill and you can only develop this with practice.
Don’t be afraid to use smaller events to learn.
If you make a mistake somewhere it can be a good idea to go back later on
and navigate the leg again to discover where you went wrong, perhaps after
you’ve finished.
We have a busy few weeks coming up, with lots of events
organised by both ourselves and other clubs.
Because of this there won’t be another training day for a while. But
if anyone wants to help put a training day on, just let me know and I can help
you set it all up. It can be very
simple – the main thing is for us to get together as a club.
Good luck in the Scottish Championships everyone and don’t forget the
Culbin Run on 27th May!
Finally, I know that everyone wanted to know their times
for the sprint race, so here they are:
2. Mike Rodgers
2:12
3. Mark Ellis
2:16
4=.Eddie Harwood
2:20
4=.Ian Howells (Fish)
2:20
6. Malcolm Aldridge
2:33
7. Jack Rawlinson
2:41
8. Son of Banana Legs (Grant Welsh)
3:00
9. Jessica Howells
3:17
10.Ashleigh Howells
3:39
11.Katy Rawlinson
3:46
12.Lewis Stevens
3:48
13.Alana Young
4:11
14.Debbie McWilliam
4:18
15.Lauryn McWilliam
4:20
16.Craig Stevens
6:37
Mike R