East Pennine Orienteering Club

                 Controllers Comments

I too must add my apologies to the competitors on the JM2/JW2/Yellow course.   Mike explains what happened in his comments and in my final checking I didn't revisit the web descriptions, a mistake I shall not make again.   Looking at the splits browser some competitors lost more time on the following leg to 171 than they did to 176.   Somehow they managed to make some sense of the error and completed the course.   Neither team manager on the day wanted the course voided so I made the decision to accept control 172 and allow results to stand.  

Mike is right about the electronic developments in the sport and the potential they bring for errors.   There is no doubt they bring enhancements and are here to stay and evolve, so as planners and controllers we need to make sure that our procedures evolve to deal with any potential errors.    It is also important to follow David's advice on the bulletin board as it appears we are not the first to make this mistake, in my view the responsibility lies with the controller.

Ogden has long been one of my favourite areas in the region as it provides a contrast between the wood and the open moor.   Mike made good use of the area and presented you with a few problems to solve.   Two weeks ago the moor was quite dry but the rain since then made for heavier going.   David, the warden, commented that the reservoir rose by 1 metre overnight.   On the northern end of the moor I watched competitors as they were drawn by the green grass from control 82 to 81/80, instead of what looked like a firm run it was very wet and difficult underfoot.   Did anyone stick to the firmer ground to the north?

Twice I visited the moor when visibility was down to 20m, much easier when controls are in place rather than looking for tent pegs.   You had good visibility on the day but this led to some sloppy technique.   Controls on the moor will be difficult, but as Alistair comments on the bulletin board "if you were spot on with your compass it was ok, and there were subtle, but definite contour changes that could be detected."   Many of you were spot on, or aimed off and knew exactly where to go.

Mike put a lot of effort into the courses and was well supported by Anthony and the members of EPOC.   I would like to thank them all on your behalf.

Finally planners and controllers, remember to do a final check of web descriptions, just in case!