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Essex Stragglers Orienteering Society (SOS) |
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Newsletter
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 Springtime in Essex |
Editorial - Geraldine Russell
We have a very pictorial edition thanks to Kath who diligently took all the photos at the British Championships and the Compass Sport Trophy despite cold fingers.
We have yet again won the heats of the Compass Sport Trophy with some very fine runs by our members helped by the sheer force of numbers who turned out. Well done everybody. Now we can look forward to a great day out to the Compass Sport Trophy Final on October 18th (See Captain's Corner). This should be a good social event with a coach being laid on and there will also be hot soup and rolls and cake after your run! Put the date in your diaries now so we have maximum turnout.
It is hoped that some specific technical training can be organised over the next six months to help members fight the gremlins that haunt a lot of us out in the forest to help us bring the Trophy to SOS.
Chairman's Chat - Martin Sellens
Well, the 'big event' season is now in full swing. At the British Orienteering Championships, held in the New Forest at the end of February, 28 Stragglers
completed the individual event (though, admittedly, six contrived to get themselves disqualified by mis-punching) with excellent results coming from Alex and Thomas Birkett,
Stephanie and Rhiannon Ware, Jenny Collyer and Geraldine Russell. Chris Sellens also managed a top 20 place in the elite men's event, covering most of Hampshire in
just over an hour. Our valiant relay teams, (how shall I put this?) also managed some, er, notable performances underlining the club's adherence to the philosophy that
it's the taking part that matters and not the winning. Almost half the teams managed not to get disqualified and the Junior Ad hoc team of Ellen Sanderson with Alex and
Rhiannon Ware achieved a creditable top ten place. Congratulations to us all, and many thanks to club captain Jenny Collyer for managing the increasingly tricky intellectual
gymnastics necessary to formulate the relay teams!
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| The run-in at the British Relay Championships | ||
A mere four weeks later, at the Saxons' Millbank event, Stragglers came through to win, yet again, the regional heats of the Compass Sport Trophy against strong opposition and despite some key runners being unavailable due to international commitments or injury. Particularly notable performances came from the fast, blue women (not in any risqué sense) with Daniela Brohm leading home in first place followed by storming runs from Suzy Robertson in 3rd and Nina Tant, Jo West and Claire Harrison in very creditable 4th, 5th and 6th places. The blue men also managed some solid performances with David Sanderson excelling in 5th place and a spooky dead heat in 8th for Steve Robertson and Clive Tant. Our more mature, but ever-green women also pulled out all the stops with Lyn West and Sue Carton bringing home the points in 3rd and 4th places. James Lyne, super fit from his "studies" in Edinburgh, was 4th on the brown with Duncan Harrison in 10th. Invaluable points were contributed on the light green course by juniors James Park (2nd) and Hannah Newton (4th), and on the Orange by Thomas Birkett (2nd) and Nicholas Harrison (3rd). I hope you're keeping up! Fantastic performance by all runners and well done to you all, whether you counted or not. Of course, this means that we shall once again be flying the flag for the region in the final in October in deepest Leicestershire. To make this a real club occasion we shall be hiring a charabanc, investing in a crate of Newcastle Brown and carousing up the A14. Put the date (Sunday 18th October) in your diary now as attendance is compulsory.
Next on the calendar is the JK and many of us will be enjoying the traffic jams on the A1 en route to Northumberland in the next day or two. Hope to see you there. Meanwhile, Julie Laver has been busy again on the development front and has won for the club more resources from Sport England, via BOF, to develop our coaching structure and bring on local juniors, some of whom currently don't even know they are destined for Orienteering greatness. If you have any ambitions to become a coach, then keep your eyes glued to the web pages and newsletter as opportunities are imminent. And if not, but you are prepared to help at low-key coaching events, then please let Julie know. Many thanks to Julie for her invaluable contribution to the club. Finally, and along similar lines, event organisers are always looking for willing assistants. If you have not yet experienced the untrammelled joy of contributing to the enjoyment of others as well as having your own hour or so of fun and games in the forest, then rectify the situation soon by making yourself known to the organiser of an imminent event (see fixtures list in this newsletter or on the Stragglers' web pages) or to Dave Skinner, fixtures secretary extraordinaire.
And finally finally, tip of the month is "check the control code before, or even after, punching". May you always run in sun filled forests. But if not, run anyway.
Captain's Corner - Jenny Collyer
SOS did extremely well at the Compass Sport Round winning by a good margin. Well done to everyone - by just turning out you will have helped the scoring. There were a lot of high scores and congratulations to Dani for winning the Blue Women's course.
The date to keep free now is the 18th October when the Compass Sport Final takes place in Fineshade Woods near Corby. A coach will be organised with many pick up points.
The more people who go to this event the better our score will be jcollyer48@btinternet.com.
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| The run-in at the CompassSport Trophy heat | |||
Schools League Update - Julie Laver
The results after six events are as follows -
| Up to Y6 Boys | Up to Y6 Girls |
|---|---|
| Thomas Birkett | Bronwen Mansel |
| Kit Phillips | Olivia Jones |
| Timmy Harrison | Lucy Holder |
| Y7/8 Boys | Y7/8 Girls |
| Nicolas Harrison | Rachael Harrison |
| Bryn Wilkinson | Rhiannon Ware |
| Roderick Mansel | Charlotte Leake |
| Y9/10 Boys | Y9/10 Girls |
| Alex Ware | Isobel Chandler |
| Michael Park | Bethany Heybrock |
| Will Hooton | |
| Y11/12/13 Boys | Y11/12/13 Girls |
| James Park | Hannah Newton |
| Jonathan Cronk | Ellen Sanderson |
| Connor Weed | Jacqueline Heybrock |
| Top Three Schools | |
| Barnardiston Preparatory | |
| Beyton Middle | |
| Copleston High |
Well done to all who have taken part so far. Please make sure you are entered for the league by recording your school and year group on your registration form. You do not have to be entered via your school.
For the full list of competitors please visit the ESSOL pages of our website at http://www.cordle.net/essol. If I have missed your details please contact me and I will amend them.
The remaining ESSOL events are as follows -
17th May, Highwoods (SOS)
14th June, Wivenhoe (SOS).
There will be a grand prize giving at the end of the Wivenhoe event. Certificates will be sent to all the schools whose details I have recorded so please ensure yours are up to date.
Stragglers' League - Andrew Cordle
Top ten positions are (position at time of last newsletter in brackets) -
| Posn | Prev Posn | Name | Best 6 | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (1) | Richard Bonnett | 598 | 11 |
| 2 | (2) | Jenny Collyer | 582 | 7 |
| 3 | (20) | Martin Sellens | 571 | 6 |
| 4 | (4) | Hannah Newton | 564 | 13 |
| 5 | (6) | Claire Harrison | 560 | 16 |
| 6 | (5) | Geraldine Russell | 559 | 10 |
| 7 | (3) | Chris Childs | 556 | 14 |
| 7 | (17) | Tracey Apperley | 556 | 13 |
| 9 | (7) | Duncan Harrison | 543 | 17 |
| 10 | (8) | John Collyer | 517 | 8 |
Congratulations to those on the way up. Those on the way down can make amends at these events -
| 19 Apr 2009 | HAVOC Belhus Woods | |||
| 17 May 2009 | SOS Highwoods | |||
| 31 May 2009 | WAOC Cambridge | |||
| 7 Jun 2009 | SUFFOC Nowton Park | |||
| 14 Jun 2009 | SOS Wivenhoe | |||
| 26 Jul 2009 | HAVOC Epping SW |
SOS Notice board
Permanent Course Update - John Collyer
Progress continues with the projects based around our A4A award project:
- The High Woods, Colchester permanent orienteering course is now up and running. Maps can be obtained free-of-charge from the Visitor Centre at the Turner road entrance during normal opening hours.
- Notley Park, Braintree should be having the posts and markers put in within 10 days. Once maps are checked and printed, it too will be available.
- The official opening of the High Woods course, will be performed by Bob Russell MP, at our May 17th. event. We are arranging a small social event to go with this.
- Caroline Louth (WAOC) has started the process of mapping the remaining Chelmsford area schools, whilst Chris Sellens and Kevin Machin will be taking up the local parks.
Castle Park Colchester Come-And-Try-It Event, Saturday May 9th, 10.30 to 15.00 - Julie Laver
If there are any new or inexperienced club members of any age who feel they would benefit from an informal coaching session, please pop along to Castle Park where there will be White to Orange courses available and experienced club members on hand to give advice on any aspect of your orienteering.
This is a low key event to encourage new participation so if you have friends or relatives who might enjoy a romp around the park please bring them along.
See website for more details.
New for 2009
Bring your good quality unwanted 'O' kit to the enquiries point at our events and we will display it for sale.
All items to be marked with the price and sellers name and contact number. Please collect unsold kit before you leave as we cannot store items.
Also for sale are some club T-shirts and sweatshirts. For New Club 'O' kit see Lyn West.
Fixtures in East Anglia and Nearby Regions
 So many clubs' events for the Straggler to choose from... |
The information provided below normally consists of Event Date, Region (eg EA = East Anglia), Event Grade , Event & Location Names and map reference. Organiser's contact details. Contact details, costs, closing date etc. for Pre-entry when provided. Whether Entry on the Day (EOD) is possible and the surcharge payable. The range of courses offered. The address of a website from which additional information can be obtained. Additional information in plain language.
At Essex Stragglers' events registration normally opens at 1000hrs, starts are from 1030hrs until 1230hrs and courses close at 1430hrs.
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| April |
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| 26th | EAOA | WAOC Short Races, Ampthill Park Ampthill, TL024382 |
| May |
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| 9th | EAOA | SOS Come & Try It (CATI) Event , Castle Park Colchester, TL999258 |
| 10th | EAOA | NOR Colour Code Event , Holt Country Park & Holt Lowes Holt, TG083372 |
| 17th | EAOA | EA Schools Championship, SOS Colour Code Event & Essex & Suffolk Schools League (ESSOL), Highwoods Colchester, TM007281 |
| 30th | SEOA | Hainault in conjunction with National Family Week , tbc Hainault |
| 31st | EAOA | WAOC Cambridge Urban-O Event , Cambridge Cambridge, TL450585 |
| June |
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| 7th | EAOA | SUFFOC Come & Try It (CATI) Event , Nowton Park Bury St Edmunds, TL865622 |
| 7th | EAOA | NOR Score Event & NOR AGM , Bacton Wood North Walsham, TG318312 |
| 13th | EAOA | HAVOC CATI Follow up, Thorndon North Brentwood, TQ604928 |
| 14th | EAOA | SOS Colour Code Event & Essex & Suffolk Schools League (ESSOL) , Wivenhoe Park & Woods Colchester, TM030240 |
| 27th | SEOA | DFOK Local Event Shorne , Shorne near Gravesend , TQ682699 |
| July |
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| 5th | EAOA | SOS Relay Event, The Naze Walton on the Naze, TM263234 |
| 12th | SEOA | Wimbledon Common Frolics, Wimbledon Common Wimbledon, TQ231713 |
| 26th | EAOA | HAVOC FROLIC , Epping South West Chingford, TQ394949 |
Photoquiz
Our industrious juniors have built a club teepee at the CompassSport Trophy event. What happened next?
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Click here for the answer!
Maldon Training Course
The Development Committee ran a successful five week training course at Maldon Promenade Park recently which was funded by development money directed at Clubmark Clubs of which we are one. Clubmark is a quality assurance scheme to show we meet or exceed nationally agreed standards of child protection, junior coaching and other guidelines aimed at encouraging safe and appropriate participation for juniors of all ages and abilities.
The club coaches, along with volunteers from within the club ranks, delivered five successive Saturday morning sessions targeted at Families and Juniors in the Maldon and surrounding areas. Leaflets from the new advertising range offered by British Orienteering were distributed to local schools and our publicity officer, Rachael Archer, managed to get coverage in local newspapers. The sessions were linked and progressive from stars and loops on the first week to a fun score at the last. The results of this are on our website and the picture shows some of the participants with certificates awarded at the end. Free run vouchers were also issued to encourage further participation at future events.
A big thank you must go to the coaches and volunteers who made this event possible. It has hopefully resulted in some new participants being enthused to take up our sport and who will get as much enjoyment as the rest of us from getting lost in the woods on a Sunday morning!!
 Graduates of the Maldon course with their certificates |
Essex Stragglers support the Woodland Trust and its objectives |
Essex Stragglers' development activities are supported by Sport England |
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