oldglutton6

Jon Duncan Junior Deeside Cup 2019 – rankings after 6 events

Following Potarch and Balmedie here are the rankings after 6 events.

Oli Robertson still leading M10 while Joanna McDonald has taken the lead from Emily Robertson in W8. Sam McDonald is lying 2nd W10 and the Farquharson twins are comfortably leading W16 too so well done everyone!

Upcoming events:

28/8/19   MAROC   Glen Fearder EEE via Maroc website
6/10/19   GRAMP   Forvie
10/11/19 MAROC   Cambus O’May

• The (JD)2C competition will be run over 9 events with the best 5 scores counting for each runner.
• There will be 5 classes for girls and boys, using the ‘standard’ age classes, i.e.M8, M10, M12, M14, M16, W8, W10, W12, W14, W16
• Within each event, the Gramp/Maroc Junior who is highest placed for each course scores the  maximum course points: White 200, Yellow 300, Orange 400, Light Green 500, Green 600, Blue 700, Brown 800
• Points for subsequent runners are calculated using this formula:
  score = [(winner’s time)/(runner’s time)]*(maximum course points)
• Every effort will be made to provide a White course at each event. However, if this is not possible, the JDC organisers will review how many events will qualify for the M8 and W8 classes.
• If you are being shadowed or running in a pair, please declare this when you register. You will score half points for your run.
• The competition aims to provide competition in each age class. Juniors may choose the course
  appropriate to their ability. More difficult courses earn higher points.

Rules and events list pdf     Age class/course table

Summer Series 21/8/19 Raemoir

Dennis McDonald has a novel training twist lined up for you: “Downhill orienteering at overspeed. Coming from a hill running background…what would you really expect? I’ve tried to use paths for the uphill sections where possible, so hopefully, there won’t be too many complaints.”

Sounds like some of us might be in for a whole new experience. I’ve often wondered what it feels like to be able to run at elite speed – here’s hoping I find out…. 

Parking in the yard around the the farm steading NJ687 003. From the main entrance to Raemoir Hotel take the A980 west and then 2nd left up farm track towards and past castle ruins and farm buildings, keep on to the end of the track and park as closely as you can around the yard.

Many thanks to  Mrs Alexander at Cluny Crighton Farm for giving us permission to use this area for parking. Please do not enter the barns or touch any farm machinery or livestock.   
what3words: booth.toothpick.quiz    Streetmap

•easy (all on paths – white/yellow standard – up to 2km)
•medium (partly on paths – orange standard – up to 3km)
•two as-hard-as-we-can-make-it courses of different lengths (generally referred to as short and long tech with as-the-crow-flies distances between 2.5 and 5km)
•Technical training twist: downhill overspeed orienteering 

Run faster than you normally would do in a competition. The downhill element makes it possible to train your orienteering abilities in higher speed than would normally be possible.

Summer Series 14/8/19 Mulloch

Results

I haven’t distinguished between map memory and the regular course, partly because I think there was some peeking going on, partly because a few people seem to know the area very well*. That said, my hat goes off to the handful of brave souls who went out there without a map for backup! 

Apologies to Paul Duley, whose brikke malfunctioned, and thanks to David Esson, who is valiantly trying to interrogate it. Many thanks to everyone who helped and/or collected in controls including: Hugh Nicholson, Adrian Will, Bob Daley, Dennis MacDonald, and Adrian Northcott.                        Ros

*Knowing the area didn’t help much as I got blase and accidentally started looking at the Short Tech map memory slices half way round the Long and then just made it up to finish thinking I knew what I was looking for but it’s all changed** so dramatically in the last 2 years it took me ages to convince myself I was on the so-called ‘ride’ leading to the last control.

**Definitely time for an update which is the perfect timing for me to mention our plans to get some extra hands on board to help Stuart Anderson break the back of the backlog of tweaks to be made to our maps. Anyone out there interested in a training session on how to operate Ocad or equivalent and get some tips on what to include and what to leave out etc?  Let myself or David Esson know and we’ll try to arrange something to suit a bit later in the year.    Rachel

Strathearn 2019 Scottish 6 Days

Good morning, Grandtully! This was the peaceful, misty scene snapped by Pete as he was waking controls up at 7 on Saturday morning for Gramp’s big day. A few hours later there were heffalump tracks everywhere and folk milling about all over trying to keep track of subtle vegetation changes while helter-skeltering downhill, gravity assisted. Great area and a great challenge to end the week.

Thanks to everyone who helped out on Day 6 and dutifully plugged away all day at the various tasks thrown at you, not least our GJOs Maya, Hannah, Duncan, Kirsty and Morven who worked like the proverbials and even accompanied me (fairly) uncomplainingly up that hill one last time to help collect tapes.
Crash courses on data entry, providing the smiling front-of-house at Information, herding 3000+ runners through the Starts and String Course, providing sympathy to the unsuccessful at Download, pasting results, setting out and collecting in enough stakes and tapes to reach to the moon (OK I made that stat up), fetching coffees, filling foot baths, directing traffic, emergency loo roll delivery… you name it, we did it and so smoothly that both Sam and Lesley Gomersall got a run too. Big thanks to them for Day Organising and also to joint Planners, Zoe Griffin and Pete Lawrence, for all heading up Team Gramp.

Summer Series 7/8/19 Perwinnes Moss

Results

Many thanks to Zoe and Tim (Maitre de Loops) for a fresh take on Perwinnes Moss in its newly denuded form in the old quarry. Both Technical courses had an option to complete up to 4 memory map mini loops of 2 controls each which went down well with everyone who tried them. Much discussion over tea and cake about how hard it is to remember 2 control locations compared to one for some reason and what works for some folk but not others. Amazing how the human brain works – or doesn’t!      

• easy (all on paths – white/yellow standard – up to 2km)
• medium (partly on paths – orange standard – up to 3km)
• two as-hard-as-we-can-make-it courses of different lengths (generally referred to as short and long techwith as-the-crow-flies distances between 2.5 and 5km)
• Technical training twist: map memory to help you simplify

Summer Series no event 31/7/19

As most of our active planners/organisers are at the 6 Days there will be no event 31st July. Hopefully business as usual for Perwinnes Moss the following week though.

The AWPR Three 24/8/19

We’ve taken a leaf out of STAG’s book and are planning 3 events in one day on Saturday 24th of August  (Bank Holiday weekend in Englandshire) all linked by the AWPR.

Areas:  A bit of everything…
Dunnottar (forest avoiding the slopes and really nettly bits!) – Westhill (classic suburban area with lots of controls and changes of direction packed into a small area) –
Balmedie (sand dunes)

One sprint course on each area approximately Orange standard.
Winning times of 15-20 minutes but everyone is welcome even if you can’t run like the wind. If you know you’re slow, just aim to start as early as possible as course closing times will be enforced today so that the AWPR3 Circus can roll on to the next venue.

Cost
Adults £4.00 per event, Juniors £2.00 per event
Whole day discount Adults £10.00, Juniors £5.00

EEE: It would really help us plan ahead if you could drop us an email asap to say you intend to come so we can set up the computing database and know how many maps to print. Please send an email to grampoc@gmail.com by 21:00 Friday 23rd with AWPR Three in the title your name(s) and which event(s) you’d like to enter. By using the Early Email Entry system there’s no obligation to run and no money required up front. Thanks.

BBQ/picnic at Balmedie to finish the day. Bring your own food and drink.

DUNNOTTAR WOODS   2.4km 50m climb

50% paths 50% offroad so trail shoes recommended and also full leg cover even
though Rachel will have bashed paths through the worst nettle patches
for you!

REGISTRATION 10:00 – 11:00
STARTS 10:30 – 11:30
COURSE CLOSES 12:30

Parking/registration in southern car park (height barrier) and road outside
what3words: bystander.spark.logic     Streetmap

WESTHILL  2.1km 5m(!) climb
Paths, some small grassy areas and very minor roads so 12-16’s can
run unaccompanied, 12 and under need a responsible adult with them.

REGISTRATION 13:00 – 14:00
STARTS 13:30 – 14:30
COURSE CLOSES 15:30

Parking/registration in Westhill Industrial Estate
what3words: pile.coupler.tentacles     Streetmap

From AWPR take A944 turning to Westhill, past Tesco (loo/lunch stop) and
then second left signposted for Westhill Industrial Estate and marked
with O signs.
Follow Enterprise Drive round to the right, past Technip and
Schlumberger offices and look for an O sign pointing right past a row of
one storey industrial units to the parking area.

BALMEDIE  2.5km 85m climb
Orange standard course on paths and dunes. Fun at the seaside to round the day off in those lovely undulating dunes but again full leg cover advised against marram grass if you want to leave the paths to cut corners.

REGISTRATION 17:00 – 18:00
STARTS 17:30 – 18:30
COURSE CLOSES 19:30

Parking/registration in southern car park
what3words: backhand.breezy.grass     Streetmap
Don’t forget your BBQ food/drink for afterwards. Everyone welcome.

Summer Series Glen Dye 24/7/19

Results

From comments at download and earwigging conversations it seems most folk who took on the contour only map challenge for Long and Short Tech enjoyed the novelty factor and surprised themselves by managing to get their head around all the squiggles more easily than they thought they would and Katrina said she actually enjoyed the lack of distracting paths as she saved time by not deliberating distracting alternatives before choosing her routes.

In fact, if anything, the penultimate control on the gully proved the most problematic where all those helpful squiggles suddenly disappeared and counting contours and keeping tabs on height gained, or not, became key.
Some folk approached it by creeping up – hill to the left, boulder, boulder, bearing.
Some aimed deliberately high or low for the right sort of distance then turned 90 degrees and trawled down or up to it.
Some had prior knowledge of the area and went looking for the earth banks that run either side as they are quite large and noticeable even at a distance.

Thanks to my control collectors – Bob, Tim, Zoe, David, Carol and Norman – and to Ros for picking me a lovely big pot of blaeberries. (Pudding Night tonight in the Scott-Lawrence household!)

Scottish 6 Days Day 6 Grandtully

Gramp is planning/organising Day 6 at Grandtully* and Sam Gomersall recently emailed everyone with a helpers list showing who’s been allocated which jobs.
Just in case you changed email address recently but not told us or Sam’s email didn’t get through for some other reason and you have entered Day 6 so think you should have received it please get in touch asap or hunt Sam down in the club tent on one of the other days for instructions.

(*Pronounced “Grantly” BTW)

Summer Series Dunnottar Woods 17/7/19

Results    Apologies for the delay. Work getting in the way as usual.

“Wow! That was fun! Just think – some folk pay £50 for the Banchory Beast when they could come to Dunnottar for £4!!”

One family said they wanted to give orienteering a try after seeing the Adventure Show coverage of the JOK Chasing Sprints – not quite like on the telly as a truly luxurious growth of nettles this year combined with a fair bit of rain for double dose of mud made for pretty adventurous conditions tonight so well done to those who gritted teeth and braved the stingers to complete and also those who sensibly decided to go the long way round or just wave at some of the controls long distance.

Thanks to Bob Daly, Dennis McDonald, David Esson, Pete Lawrence and Rachel Scott for control collecting and Helen Rowlands for going back out to keep an eye on beginners.

Summer Series Tyrebagger 10/7/19

Results

Apologies for the control in the wrong place. Clearly those who read the warning note on the board were less likely to waste time but that is no excuse for my mistake, sorry.
Thanks to David, Hugh, Jeremy and Bob for taking in controls as well as to Matthew Thompson an ex-Grampian Junior who had come simply for a run without knowing we had an event.

Neil

(PS last weeks results updated to show Yann Newey and Katja Neumann on the correct course – Short Tech not Short.)

Balmedie 7/7/19

Results
Splits
Routegadget
BOF ranking points   will be calculated overnight Tues – need 10 BOF/SOA members finished to trigger points so no points for Brown certainly 😦

Thanks to Matt for planning today’s challenges in the dunes – apart from one slightly misplaced control and the rain showers the only ‘complaint’ I heard was an early runner on the Brown realising that his footprints in the sandy bits in the north would be a dead giveaway to anyone following.

Provisional results and splits posted above and RouteGadget for you to upload your GPS route or draw your own as Matt will be keen to get feedback to develop his planning skills further. RG user guides can be found here.
Please email webmaster@grampoc.com if you spot any errors like spelling or age classes or anything else.

Planner: Matt Parkes
Organiser: Adrian Will
Controller: David Esson
Volunteers: Hannah and Duncan Will, Helen and Stuart Anderson, Neil McLean, Pete Lawrence, Hugh and Ros Nicholson, Nigel Robison, Bob Daly, Ed Stronach, Rachel Scott.

JOK Sprint on The Adventure Show Live

The JOK sprint on Friday 28th June was broadcast live on the Adventure Show and can still be viewed on BBC iPlayer nationwide for a while yet. It was held at Callendar Park, Falkirk.

There is a good write pre-race up here: https://www.ontheredline.org.uk/articles/jok-chasesprint-preview mentioning our very own Sam Griffin.

3 Gramps entered – Rory Halliday and Sam & Tim Griffin – and there’s plenty of footage of Gramp tops running away fast from the cameras, the strategically placed banner at the Finish as well Sam being interviewed by Dougie Vipond. He came 2nd in the Junior Men’s race a mere 6 seconds behind the winner. Congrats!

The programme lasts 2 hours and includes reruns of coverage of various O events our Adventure Show friends have covered in previous years, like the Trail O Champs at Crathes in 2015. Definitely worth a watch before it gets taken down end of July.

Summer Series Scolty 3/7/19

Results
Revised for Yann Newey running his first Short Tech.

Sorry, we ran out of Short Technical maps so some people did a shortened version of the Long Technical course, very similar to Short Technical

Haven’t distinguished between those who did the Map Memory version of Long Tech as seems most had prior knowledge of the area and control sites or admitted to sensibly ‘cheating’ in order to beat the clock and be back by 8pm (much appreciated.)

Balmedie on Sunday!Balmedie on Sunday!Are you enjoying the challenge of the training elements? Do you think it’s making a difference? You’ll find out at Balmedie on Sunday! EEE by Saturday tea time please.

Summer Series Crathes 26/6/19

Results from a sunny Crathes.

Summer Series Balmedie 19/6/19

Results  balmedie-results-19062019

Here are results from Balmedie. Uncharacteristically fine summer weather for the barbecue afterwards. Thanks to Murray for organising the orienteering – and collecting the controls in while the rest of us were enjoying the barbecue. Thanks to David for organising the barbecue.

Gramp Junior success at the Scottish Schools Orienteering Festival 2019

Three GRAMP juniors attended the Scottish Schools Orienteering Festival held at Hopetoun House. All three represented Aberdeen Grammar school and ran really well to get second place S3 boys team . Sam continued his good form of the last few weeks to win overall and retain his title from last year. Patrick came 4th and Rory 11th. Well done boys!!

Summer Series Tollohill 12/6/19

Another Weally Wet Wednesday! Many thanks to all those that came along – you seemed to enjoy yourselves despite the conditions.

Special thanks to all the helpers – David for welcoming everyone and helping collect controls – Kate, Gareth and Bob* for helping collect controls.

Results (at last. Apologies for delay. Well done everyone for turning up!)

* find out more about Bob here https://www.scottish-orienteering.org/news/celebrating-volunteers-day-7-part-2-grampian-orienteers/

Tollohill orchid

Summer Series Foggieton 5/6/19

Results

The hawkeyed planner types noticed that the course lengths were overstated due to the map being 1:7500 and not 1:10000, which the software had been told.

So either you were glad the rainforest exploration was a bit shorter than expected, you ran really fast, or you were a Garmin/Planner/Performance person (or all three).

Apologies for the distance thing. Hope you all enjoyed it, the depression at no 1 was set to get you into the swing of things. Nice nettles too.          Sam

(Running really fast – nettles – is there a connection here? Ed)

Scottish Orienteering Champs 2019

Solway Orienteers hosted this year’s Champs way down in the southwest corner if Scotland and several GRAMPs made the long trek down to compete. We have three podium places – congratulations to Neil, Sam and David!

Neil McLean M75L 1st
Katrina McLeod W21E 10th
Lindsey Esson Yellow 7th
Sam Griffin M16A 1st
David Esson M40S 3rd
Tim Griffin M50L 13th
Bob Daly M60L 5th

Gramp 1 Sam Griffin/Bob Daly/Tim Griffin came 2nd in the 11+ points Relay category

Gramp 2 Michael Greenwood/David Esson tried their best in the 17+ points category but being one leg short of a full team meant that they were logged as DNF.
Hope they had fun anyway.

Summer Series Countesswells 29/5/19

Results    Training element: Attack points.

This was the biggest turnout we have had for a Summer Series Event in the last two years (only other over 50 was Scolty in July 2018). Apologies for running out of Long Tech maps (and thanks to those who had run and gave up their maps) but the usual demand is below 25.
Many thanks to Ian Hamilton, Sam and Lesley Gomersall, Bob Daly and David Esson for assisting in putting out and/or collecting controls.

Summer Series Hazlehead 22/5/19

Results   First Summer Series event of 2019!
Woohoo!

Thanks to all for coming along and apologies to the first few on the Long course who found control 2 was missing……. It wasn’t missing, I just forgot to put it out!   John

Forest Sprint 2019 Final Points

Final Points FS 2019 

If you spot any mistakes please let me know on webmaster@grampoc.com.

Many thanks to all our organisers and congratulations to the winners.
Unfortunately I don’t think we have prizes for you though apart from the kudos of having won and seeing your name up in lights!

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Overall:
1st Eilidh Campbell W18 MAROC  (182 points)
2nd Dominykas Kardokas M21 GRAMP (172)
3rd Kirsty Campbell W18 MAROC (163)

First Junior W: Eilidh Campbell W18 MAROC
First Junior M: Adam Barrie M14 MAROC
First Senior W: Rachel Scott W50 GRAMP
First Senior M: Dominykas Kardokas M21 GRAMP

Summer Series starts 22/5/19

Visit our dedicated Summer Series page for the full list of dates and venues and links to videos and info for beginners to explain a bit more about what the sport involves. Everyone welcome – bring friends/family and have go!
Download the pic above and post it up at work/school or forward this post to help spread the word please.

JK 2019 & BOC 2019

I had hoped to bring you some updates from JK 2019 but still can’t figure out the results by class so that’s still pending. I did have a trawl through Steve Rush’s photos and found this photo of the lesser spotted Daly though.

BOC 2019 in Yorkshire is still going strong with Relays today (6/5/19) and there were plans for a GRAMP 2-man-3-man team – well, if you’ve travelled all that way down then make the most of it! Over the weekend Bob Daly came 33rd M60L, David Esson 26th M40S, George Esson 15th M70S.

Father and son in action above on Arncliffe and Kilnsey North for the BOC 2019 Individual race – looks a bit cold and claggy but plenty of stile action to keep everyone warm judging by Routegadget.  (Photos by Steve Rush)

Forest Sprint 5 @ Scolty 8/5/19

Series points

Results  Splits  RouteGadget
If you haven’t used RouteGadget before then take a look at these guides on drawing or uploading your GPS route. Check the built in Splitsbrowser too to see where you lost time.

Series points after 4 events

Thanks to Helen and Gareth for braving the weather and doing the honours tonight. A nice wee course with a loop from number 4 that caught at least 2 folk out.

Last event in the series is at Dess/Deeside Activity Park next week and this coincides with World Orienteering Day/Week.

(Was half hoping I might spot celebrations in full swing in the woods tonight for Scottish Badger Week but maybe a bit too wet and cold for them. Or maybe they were all tucked up in their setts eagerly awaiting the start of the new series of Taskmaster like me hence the slight delay in posting results.)

Proof of the Pudding – WSOC 2019

Remember all those cakes we’ve been eating recently? Here’s photographic evidence from the World Schools Orienteering Champs of Sam Griffin during the warm up day.

JK 2019 Podium Success

Gramp has already had podium success at Day 1 of the JK 2019.

Sam Griffin came 2nd in the M16 Sprint. His father also got a top ten placing in M50.

Today is Middle Distance day, and we have three more Gramps competing, having kept their powder dry yesterday!😂

Good luck to Bob Daly, Paul Duley, David Esson and Tim and Sam Griffin👍

Picture is Middle Distance finish. Are there prizes for being first to the event😎

David

Forest Sprint 3 @ Hazlehead 24/4/19

Results    Splits    Routegadget     Cumulative scores so far

A two-hander tonight brought to you by Jonathan Smith who planned and David Esson who ran the event on the ground with a little help from some friends.

An interesting finish gave us the chance to rerun or rethink 242 to 172 – did you swap tactics the second time around or did you stick to your first plan and did it pay off for you? If you haven’t already played with RouteGadget then have a go and let us see where you went.

Next event in the series is Tilquillie – check Maroc’s website next week for directions how to reach the parking/registration point.

Forest Sprint 1 @ Tollohill 10/4/19

Results  Splits

RouteGadget (sorry, can’t quite get all controls correctly centred on features but close enough)

Many thanks to David Esson for planning at relatively short notice and hope you all enjoyed your scamper around Tollohill. It’s easy to get confused with all those paths criss-crossing as well as the loopy nature of the course and several old hands got caught out.
(And oddly when I fired up Firefox tonight there was a very apt quote at the bottom of the screen: “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” Douglas Adams.)

Apologies for the lack of splits printouts initially. A certain old hand caught himself out while trying to set things up in a rush last night. Thanks to Bob Daly for helping collect controls.

See you all next week at Glen O’Dee.

By the way, Tollohill area is subject to various Local Development Plan Bids which would eventually surround the wood with housing. Take a look at this website and follow the links for more information on bids KN069 to 72. Although not impinging into the wood itself much it looks like we’d lose the north end of the area (but gain some urban territory to mix and match?) but more importantly wildlife would lose significant corridors in and out of the woods.

Junior Sprint Selection – Go for it Sam!

GJO Sprint Maestro Sam Griffin is going down to Lancaster University this weekend for the BOF Junior Sprint Selection Race where M/W 16 – 20s from all over the UK will be competing.
It’s a fantastic location to test aspiring squad members, with multiple complex route choices on a very busy map so full on mental concentration required as well as fleet feet all the way to the finish.

Have a good one, Sam!

Cat [gjo]

Think Fast | Run Hard | Go Orienteering – coaching videos

Even if you can’t manage the Run Hard bit it’s definitely worth taking a look at this suite of 8 coaching videos funded by Sport England and produced by SLOW Orienteers along with GB Team members explaining and demonstrating various techniques to help you plan your routes between controls and nail them more accurately thus saving time and energy and making you feel chuffed with yourself as it all goes to plan. (Plus you get to put faces to the Elite names you might have read about.)

1. Setting the map – so that what you see on the map matches what you see in front of you and you don’t have to think “upside down”
2. Using the compass
3. Attack points – getting as close to the control as possible first by using bombproof features so you know exactly where you are
4. Aiming off – deliberately aiming to one side of your target when running towards a linear feature so that when you get there you know exactly how far along it you are and don’t have to guess between turning left or right to home in on the control
5. Large contour features – making those brown lines leap out at you from the map as being hills or valleys
6. Route choice – could go round it, could go through it but which is best in terms of length vs height gain vs undergrowth?
7. Intricate contours – making the really squiggly brown lines make sense – how to spot a re-entrant or a depression as opposed to a ridge or small hill
8. Simplification – forming a route plan based on the bigger picture so you can “put the map away” and don’t slow yourself down checking off every last boulder

(Personally, I just need another video now to help me remember to do all these things while I’m out there rather than tune out and drift off into a dwam as I sometimes do!)

Forest Sprint Series 2019 – Weds in Apr/May dates TBC

Sprint O is great fun – lots of controls in quick succession in a relatively short distance and fast running alone is no use in this discipline if it’s of the headless chicken variety! You really have to look closely at the map, make snap decisions about route choice, execute them quickly and cleanly while all the time trying to read a jiggling map and watch where your feet are going. Give it a go.

Dates and links to all parking locations will be confirmed soon so check back here nearer the time or on each clubs’ website.

One course TD3 or Orange standard i.e. medium difficulty, about 3km, with lots of controls and route choice in a relatively small area so full on concentration required just as much as fleet feet. Great for developing Juniors too if accompanied by a TD3 standard runner. Best 4 scores out of 6 will count towards the FSS league results.

Registration: 18:00 to 18:50
Starts: 18:30 to 19:15
Fees: £4 Senior, £2.50 Junior/Student

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SRUC tick research project has recommenced for 2019

The idea is to build up a database to help estimate the risk of exposure of humans to ticks and tick bites in Scotland and many of you helped this citizen science project by Scotland’s Rural College last year by reporting the presence, or absence, of ticks after you’d been orienteering or doing other outdoor activities in Scotland.

Preliminary results have been released by SRUC. Orienteers are an obvious group to target and you can see evidence of the 2018 campaign where SRUC folk attended some of the larger events in Speyside, Moray and Deeside to raise awareness and gather data.

(Guess who submitted the purple walking report in the middle of The Minch? Who do you know with a mischevious side to their personalities and that knows an orienteer with a boat?)

There’s a lot more analysis to do yet and the project will be looking for comparative data from this year between 1/3/19 and 31/10/19 so follow the links above and register or dig out your username and password from last year and get reporting.
And if you think March is too early for ticks, it’s not! Rachel had one after the British Night Champs at Dinnet tail end of Feb.

On a more serious note, Ewen Rennie sent a link to a petition to improve The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) upcoming guidance on Lyme Disease that orienteers might be interested in.

Glen Dye 24/3/19 Regional results

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Final Results and Splits
RouteGadget (including Splitsbrowser lite)
BOF ranking points   (will be calculated overnight 26/27th March)

Very close 1-2-3 on the Brown course: all within 40 seconds of each other!
Hope you all enjoyed the sprint style section in the complex morraine area at the north end of the map – good to revisit that bit in the daylight for a change.

The day went very smoothly, a number of new people came and gave it a try and there was lots of positive feedback from the runners. Despite the forecast, the sun shone for most of the day with only a few light showers. The new club tent looked very smart as well!

Officials
Planner: George Esson
Organiser: Laura Farquharson
Controller: Jon Musgrave MAROC

And thanks to all our volunteers too: Erik, Paul, Alasdair, Oonagh, Lesley, Morven, Kirsty, Kate, Sam, Lindsey, David, Murray, Sarah, Donald (MOR), Helen R, Gareth, Ian & George.

Another news flash! Sprint Training @ Westhill Wed 27th

Maroc are borrowing Westhill for some sprint training on Wednesday and Gramps are welcome to go along too. David Esson has made up a short course of 3.6km and will supply a map for you if you want to stretch your legs after last weekend’s excesses. No controls so GPS yourself if you want some timing.
Email him on chairman “at” grampoc.com for the pdf of the map to print out.

Meet on Wed evening in the Ashdale Drive car park next to the shopping centre ready to run at 6pm. Don’t forget to bring a headtorch as some of the back alleys might be quite dark. Not sure what rules apply re under 16s and activities like this but we can work something out.

Alternatively, if you can’t make Wed you can still get a map from David and go round whenever suits. Or if you fancy something urban but longer than sprint take a look at the Street O maps we used a few years back.

British Night Champs 2019

Well done to assorted Gramps for braving a looooooooong walk in and out as well as the technicalities of Dinnet to contest the British Night Champs over the weekend.  Congratulations to the medal winners and commiserations to those who ran out of steam/brainpower especially after helping at the SOUL at Cove earlier in the day.

W21L Katrina McLeod 5th
W50L Helen Rowlands 4th
W50S Rachel Scott 1st
W55L Lesley Gomersall Bronze

M40L Gordon Urquhart Bronze
M40S David Esson 1st
M55L Sam Gomersall 4th, Ian Hamilton 7th
M75L Neil McLean Silver

(Only L courses get medals.)

Lovely clear, calm moonlit night with geese honking out on the loch and territorial tawny owls making their presence known no doubt upset at the hundreds of bobbing lights going about. All courses started with a bit of a track run to lull you into a false sense of security before spitting you out into the complex woodland over by Burn O’Vat and beyond for some tricky diagonal legs before blasting back along the south side of the loch on fast open grassy muir if you had the legs and breath left for it.
Hats off to Big Jon and Maroc for pulling this off after a long time in the planning and preparation and especially Scott Reynolds who probably never wants to see another brikke or computer for at least 6 months!

River Dee RadioRiver Dee Radio feature on night O and BNC

SAT 23/2/19 BTO SOUL 3 @ Cove, Aberdeen

Results  To show splits, go into your class page and look for the orange “Show Splits” button at the top or bottom of the page

RouteGadget show us your wiggles
Apologies to those trying to draw routes manually as it’s not letting you save at the moment – working on it but not getting very far very fast at present 😦

Photos taken by Steve Rush

BOF results page for ranking points
SOUL rankings

Huge thank yous go to:
– Phill and Lorraine Batts and Emit UK for providing the Touch Free punching system, timing and results. (Fun to see you all playing “chicken” with the test control to see just how far away you dared get and still get a flash.)

– Altens Hotel for allowing us to use their car park

– Blair Gordon of the Altens Community Centre and Michele McPartlin of the Cove Community Council and others for helping us spread the word

– residents of Cove who agreed to host a control for us

– our willing band of volunteers, some of who just refused to stop! – David, Sam, Lesley, Josie, Helen A, Stuart, George, Laura, Kirsty, Morven, Helen R, Bob, Evgueni, Dennis, Ian, Dave, Lachlan and Chris Huthwaite and Richard Barret pp Jeremy.

– sponsors bto Solicitors

Planner: Pete Lawrence
Organiser: Rachel Scott  Contact the Organiser
Controller: Tim Griffin

Have you seen the new look SOA website?

SOA have launched the long awaited new look website (new behind the scenes too for the geeks amongst you) and looking very inviting with plenty of action pics and intuitive top level menu.

Go explore and see what you think.

2019 Scottish Night and Sprint Champs

We can’t claim any champions this year but we can claim some near misses.
Pete, Rachel, David and Katrina ran at the Night Champs held at the John Muir Country Park just outside Dunbar 2/2/19 – very flat and fast compared to most DNC fare but good fun and an amazingly clear and starry night to enjoy a quick blast through some pines and mini dunes.

Rachel might have managed 1st or 2nd W50 had she not lost her dibber early on (aye right?!), Katrina came 4th in W21, David 5th M40 and Pete 5th M55.

Pete and Rachel then camped out in the van nearby  before driving over to Broxburn/Uphall to say hello to the Hicklings, Jayne McG, Richard and Ann trying out their new ESOC personas organising and helping out at the Sprint Champs 3/2/19. The Farquharson 3 and Sam Griffin joined them for 2 races: the first for the Sprint Champ titles and combined times with that and a second race for SOUL 2 results.

Sam came joint 2nd M16 only 8 seconds behind the winner following a bit of operator error with his SIAC dibber at the finish – bit of a dibber theme developing here? – bad luck Sam, I feel your pain!  Morven and Kirsty came 4th and 5th W14, Katrina 7th W21, Laura 5th and Rachel 7th W50, Pete 5th M55.

Photos all courtesy of Steve Rush BOK who pops up at urban races all over the world taking photos while his wife and daughter are out racing and  who will be doing the honours at GRAMP’s next event, SOUL 3 at Cove. Speaking of which… entry fees go up by £1 tonight and last online entry is 18th Feb if you’re still swithering and haven’t entered yet. Entry via Fabian 4.

Steve’s Flickr account

DNC Glen Dye 6/2/19

Results  Splits   RG (sorry – georef’d version of the map isn’t playing tonight so you’ll have to adjust your GPS tracks manually)

Thanks to Sam for planning and the family for assisting on reg and anyone else who helped collect the controls as that was the final Gramp offering for this year’s DNC.
Only 2 more to go, where does the time go? Seems like only yesterday we were getting all excited at the prospect of darkness by 4 in the afternoon and wondering whether to upgrade our headtorches this season.

Short course 3.3 10 controls
Long course 4.9 12 controls

DNC Scolty 23/1/2019

Results  Splits   RG

Was a great night, even with the computer freezing in the cold. David Esson spent a productive hour later on and reuploaded all the brikkes into the computer in the warmth of the house and it all worked perfectly of course.
(Need to add a hot water bottle to the Planner’s kit list?)

Thanks to Dave K for the fun courses, and to Helen R, Dave K and David E for collecting the controls.

NEWS FLASH! Gramp Training Event Sunday 26th January

NEWS FLASH! Gramp Training Event Sunday 20th January

DNC Crathes 9/1/2019

Results and Splits
RouteGadget

Good to see some different faces there tonight – trying to get in some more practice before the upcoming Scottish Night Champs no doubt.

Thanks to Paul Duley for planning, David Esson for computing and David Kirk who helped the other two collect controls afterwards.

Two courses (long 5.3km, short 3.1km)
Note map scale is 1:7500

Jon Duncan Junior Deeside Cup 2019

Rankings after 6 events

If you enter any of these events you will automatically be included in the (JD)2C rankings so all you need do is get out there. Good luck everyone!

6/1/19     MAROC  Glen O’Dee
24/2/19   GRAMP/MAROC   SOL1 Birsemore
24/3/19   GRAMP   Glen Dye
28/4/19   MAROC   Sluie
30/6/19   MAROC   Potarch
7/7/19     GRAMP   Balmedie
28/8/19   MAROC   Glen Fearder
6/10/19   GRAMP   Forvie
10/11/19 MAROC   Cambus O’May

• The (JD)2C competition will be run over 9 events with the best 5 scores counting for each runner.
• There will be 5 classes for girls and boys, using the ‘standard’ age classes, i.e.M8, M10, M12, M14, M16, W8, W10, W12, W14, W16
• Within each event, the Gramp/Maroc Junior who is highest placed for each course scores the  maximum course points: White 200, Yellow 300, Orange 400, Light Green 500, Green 600, Blue 700, Brown 800
• Points for subsequent runners are calculated using this formula:
  score = [(winner’s time)/(runner’s time)]*(maximum course points)
• Every effort will be made to provide a White course at each event. However, if this is not possible, the JDC organisers will review how many events will qualify for the M8 and W8 classes.
• If you are being shadowed or running in a pair, please declare this when you register. You will score half points for your run.
• The competition aims to provide competition in each age class. Juniors may choose the course
  appropriate to their ability. More difficult courses earn higher points.

Rules and events list pdf     Age class/course table

HHH Hazlehead 2019 Results

Lovely crisp morning, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves out on the courses, and they certainly enjoyed warming up afterwards with the homemade soup back at the Esson’s house.

HHH Hazlehead 2019 Splits.pdf
HHH Hazlehead 2019 Results.pdf

2018 AGM roundup and Roll of Honour

The Minutes of the 2018 AGM have been circulated around the club members by email so for those that missed out or have lost that email, here’s a quick summary of issues discussed, prizes awarded and the 2018 Roll of Honour. Continue reading →

GRAMP Champs 2018

2018 GRAMP Champs by category (for trophies).pdf

Congratulations to all our trophy winners!

Juniors: Morven Farquharson & Sam Griffin
Seniors: Katrina McLeod & Mark Stockton
Veterans: Rachel Scott* & Tim Griffin
Super Veterans: Lesley Gomersall* & Bob Daley*

*these folk retained their 2017 titles

The trophies were presented at the AGM. If you weren’t there and think nobody else might have collected on your behalf then contact John Lang asap.

In case you’re wondering how the points are calculated, these are the Gramp Champs rules:

• You have to be a member of Gramp to qualify.
• The Champs are run over 10 nominated events with the best 5 scores counting for each runner.
• Within each event, the Gramp member who is highest placed for each course scores the maximum course points:
  White 200, Yellow 400, Orange 800, Red 1200, Light Green 1600, Green 2000, Blue 2800, Brown 4000.
• Points for subsequent runners are calculated using this formula: score = [(winner’s time)/(runner’s time)]*(maximum course points)
• Men and Women’s Junior, Senior and Veteran divisions are used to decide Championship positions and individual totals are modified to try and make competition within these divisions as fair as possible:
  M/W10 +100% of total, M/W12 +50%, M/W14 +32%, M/W16 +24%, M/W18 +16%, M/W20 +8%, M/W21to M/W40 +0%, M/W45 +5%, M/W50 +15%, M/W55 +25%, M/W60 +40%, M/W65 +60%, M/W70 +80%, M/W75 and over +100%
• Any questions – contact Iain McLeod

2018 events were: Glen O’Dee, Back of Bennachie, Shooting greens, Corsedarder, Glen Dye, Crathes, Balfour, Pannanich, Scolty, Bogendriep.

If you want the results in Excel format so you can do a bit more analysis and figure out which 2019 events to target for maximum points then contact webmaster@grampoc.com.

Hazlehead Hogmany Hangover Handicap 2/1/19

Another fiendish brain bending scheme has been hatched for the HHH by George Esson so better start reading the details and inwardly digesting now…

Norwegian Master Maps – with a twist

On a Norwegian Master Map course, at the Start and at each subsequent control, the competitor finds a small segment of the map showing his next leg, which he/she then completes from map memory.

The twist? At some controls there will be a multiple choice question with three possible answers, and a map segment corresponding to each answer. If your answer is correct, at the next control you will find a kite, an emit unit to punch, and a map segment(s) for the next leg. If your answer is wrong you will find a kite and a unit (which you may punch if you wish to know how expensive your error has been) but no map segment. You will then either have to go back to the last control and pick another answer, or remember all three control site options and go from one to the next. If you get all the answers right first time the course is 3.0 km.

For this course the rule regarding proximity of controls has been disregarded.

Blank maps will be available for those lacking confidence in their memory.
Map Scale is 1:4000

A 1.2km Yellow course will also be available

Assembly is at the car park adjacent to the gates to the cafe, on the way to the golf club.
what3words  party.flag.backed

Entries and Starts 11 a.m. to 12 Noon.
Cost – £4 Seniors, £2 Juniors.

Party afterwards

will be at the Essons, 215 Springfield Road, Aberdeen AB15 8JN (just round the corner – well two or three corners). All welcome.

Bring your own left-overs and drinks; soup and tea/coffee will be provided.