Ham Hill

Organisers' Comments

The idea of putting on an event to celebrate the return of Orienteering to QO came in the depths of ‘lockdown’ from the Toomers who had planned a QOFL on this date.

It was clear that a virtual event was needed, but if it was to be more competitive than the series of virtual JOG’s held last autumn, it needed to have an extra element (in the event of GPS ‘drift’) at control sites. Our ever-inventive Chairman, Alasdair Shaw proposed the use of QR codes at the controls as an alternative to dibbing and the use of the latest version of MapRun6 which enabled this.

Thanks to the co-operation of the Ham Hill Wardens and the strenuous efforts of Ray & Sue, the use of the complex area was successful despite the large number of public around, celebrating the fine weather and easing of restrictions. COVID caution required dedicated car parks, no entries on the day, registration, or download. Pete Akers went through a steep learning curve as a Controller using the new technology, having to field comments from frustrated competitors with a variety of phones with different settings!

As usual our volunteers were prompt, flexible, and cheerful. Many thanks to them. The numbers of entries were manageable given our restrictions, yet sufficient to make it feel worthwhile. Social distancing was evident but relaxed enough to enjoy the open air and renewal of friendships. We extended the period of the event to spread out competitors and this meant a long day for everyone.

If you have not seen the results, I suggest you look on the website where Alasdair has worked his magic to analyse your runs and summarise them. His Routegadget ‘race’ of the Green course (below) is most entertaining (and revealing!). If you feel your results have been missed or not registered contact him at chair@quantockorienteers.co.uk and he will investigate it.

Roger & Judy Craddock

(Organisers)