Scottish Orienteering League 1 No.825.ErrochtySun 12 March, 2023

National level event

Results

• • Provisional Results & Splits
• • WinSplits
• • RouteGadget
• • British Orienteering results

Report

WE do what WE do as it is GOOD for US and GOOD for YOU.

Blair, Graham and myself wish to acknowledge the support received from Lorna, Robin, Sheila and TEAM STAG members Kenny, Lynn, Chris, Kyle, Rosalind, Erinna, Myra, Alison, Ross, Erinn, Peter, Iain, Rudi, Thomas, Freyja and Sara.

Once again a wonderful Club + friends) effort contributed to a successful event.

ORGANISER'S Report - Terry O'Brien BEM (M65)

Yes indeed there were times when it felt like this event was jinxed but we got there in the end. The plaudits must go to Graham and Blair for providing challenging courses and making the best use of the terrain. Their talent to cope with the complexities comes from over 20 years of experience in our sport but like myself age is becoming a real issue.

We always knew the forecast was for 'Light Snow' but we didn't really compute that if it fell for 10 hours it would be slightly problematic.

As mentioned above, STAG is so fortunate to have a core of individuals - less than 20% of our Membership - who support the work of the Main Officials time after time - Thank-you so much; we couldn't do this without you!

We now need to talk about the finances of SOLs as there is still a perception that these events are profitable which is just not true. Once the invoice from FLS is received, we shall publish the Event Accounts for both Faskally and Errochty. We remain the only Scottish Club who inform you of the expenditure involved in hosting such events. I wish I knew why this is. There needs to be a transparency so that both SOA and participants can gain a better understanding of why so few Clubs now consider taking on a SOL.

It isn't all about the finance but Clubs do need to gain funds to support their existence.

Our Volunteer Core Team's self catering accommodation was subsidised with 50% of the costs from STAG funds and 50% from the event income. As a 'Thank-you' our volunteers also received a 50% discount or 100% discount (if they also helped at Faskally). Club skip caps were also purchased from our Club funds and gifted to our 16 volunteers.

I do hope that other Clubs support their volunteers and don't take their input for granted.

Volunteers remain at the heart and soul of our sport and without such individuals, Orienteering shall struggle to survive.

Cost of mapping Errochty Forest v return in map royalties

Mapped for Junior Home Internationals held in October 2022 which was a closed event - Map by D.Peel (£3,000) - 100 maps @ £1 = £100 royalties returned.

Area totally remapped by Stirling Surveys for 2004 Scottish Individual and Relay Champs - £6,000. Map royalties received £700.

STAG's 25th November 2007 - 300 maps @ £1 = £300. Vegetation checked Stirling Surveys.

STAG's 30th September 2012 350 maps @ £1 = £350. Vegetation checked Stirling Surveys.

STAG SOL 2018 350 maps @ £1 = £350. Vegetation checked Stirling Surveys.

STAG Compass Sport March 2020 - 300 maps @ £1 = £300. Vegetation checked Stirling Surveys.

STAG SOL 2023 300 maps @ £1.50 = £450. Vegetation checked Stirling Surveys.

So from an investment of around £10,000 we have taken back in map royalties around £2,500 so how the notion that hosting a SOL will clear a minimum of £1,500 is just totally wrong.

You should also be aware that so as to allow SIAC use and to take the pressure off, each unit was reset to stay awake for 24 hours and not 12 hours. The drain on the battery life is still to be checked but without this volunteers would again be put under unnecessary pressure.

For Sprint O I fully understand why units should be awake but it remains a nonsense for Classic terrain races.

Outside the planning/controlling aspects of this Event, to provide competitors with a quality experience the preparation before and then after spans a minimum of six weeks - five before and one after.

Hopefully by the end of this week the equipment shall all have been checked, including the battery levels+ in each unit, the Club tent dried out, maps sent to those who were unable to attend and the event accounts/bills all settled.

Thanks also to Andy Chapman, Anne Rodger, Sue Brown, Pete, Mandy and Nikki Howard for their assistance in delivering our event.

There remains a delight in being able to do what we do and to do it so well but the drain on volunteers is immense.

Thank-you for your ongoing support.

Terry
+ When the voltage within the SI Unit drops below 3.15V, a new battery (£20) needs to be ordered.

Planner's Report - Graham McFadyen STAG (M60)

Thanks to all the STAGies that attended on the day to make the event a success. It has been a long struggle through cancellations, and parking dilemmas and at sometimes it just felt it was never going to happen. After two glorious days putting out the controls in minus temps and blue skies, the coming of the “Light Snow” threw another curved ball. It’s a tough area at the best of times.

The SOL Competition rules and guidelines looks for High Quality venues and Errochty certainly delivers this. many off the line soon discovered it was straight into TD5 and not paying attention had its pitfalls.

Thanks for the favourable comments from those who said they had enjoyed the technical challenge. Running round Parks in the winter doesn’t prepare you for Errochty.

Errochty will rest up now. Forestry Land Scotland (FLS) have marked out a lot of work on the East end for the near future, so we shall see this area evolve yet again and I hope STAG will be able to invest in the remapping once FLS are finished so “we” can come back to this great venue

Thanks to Blair and Terry for their support and guidance and with the event now done, I look forward to my pending vocation in the Moroccan heat.

Graham

Controller's Report - Blair Young TINTO (M65)

There was a certain feeling of deja vu about the combination of: Terry, Graham and myself combining at Errochty. Having been involved since pre mapping visits in 2000, we have each seen the “development” of the area over the last two decades. The conditions on Sunday were very reminiscent of those during my first visit but as Graham said they were in complete contrast to what we experienced during the set up on Friday and Saturday.

Errochty presents a real challenge to competitors and the weather on Sunday just added an extra layer to sit alongside those presented by the terrain. Graham’s planning made full use of the best parts of the area and our thanks to all those who took the time to comment on their courses.

We have one outstanding issue from Sunday that could have had serious consequences and has been passed on to the SOA for consideration. The actions of one “competitor” has led to serious concerns and could have resulted in the need for a search party to be organised*.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to another very successful STAG event.

Blair

* This comment is in no way related to any competitor who struggled to report to Finish/Download around 2:30pm.

Further organisational comments

Outside the planning/controlling aspects of this Event, to provide competitors with a quality experience the preparation before and then after spans a minimum of six weeks - five before and one after.

Hopefully by the end of this week the equipment shall all have been checked, including the battery levels+ in each unit, the Club tent dried out, maps sent to those who were unable to attend and the event accounts/bills all settled.

Thanks also to David Ritchie (A4 D&P), Gerry Thomson, Ted Finch (Clocks), Andy Chapman (Parking field), Anne Rodger (Field across Errochty Water), Sue Brown (FLS East), Pete Stephens and Mandy (Active First Aid Scotland), Nikki Howard (SOA COO) and Scotloos.

Thank-you for your ongoing support.

Terry

+ When the voltage within the SI Unit drops below 3.15V, a new battery (£20) needs to be ordered.

WE do what WE do as it is GOOD for US and GOOD for YOU.

Location Info

Near: Blair Atholl
Lat,Lng: 56.74859 ,-4.01743
OS Grid Ref: NN737637
Postcode: PH18 5UF

Open an interactive map in:
GoogleMap - Streetmap (OS 50k)
OpenStreetMap - BingMap (OS 50k)

Directions / Parking

As in all past events in adjacent field with agreement from Mr.Chapman.

Please note that the entrance to the parking field is 3.5m wide therefore we cannot accommodate any vehicles larger than this.

Travel directions to The Event from A9 (1.5km west of postcode PH18 5UE)

From the South: Perth > A9 > turn LEFT off A9 to Calvine. Turn RIGHT onto the B947 (*). Pass under railway bridge > village of Struan and follow B947 for approximately 2 miles. Turn LEFT off B847 then sharp LEFT into parking field after 30m.

From the North: A9 > Drumochter > turn LEFT at Bruar Lodge then sharp LEFT to arrive at Calvine. Please do not cut across the A9 before this junction. Turn LEFT onto the B847 signed for Kinloch Rannoch and follow directions as (*) above.

Travel directions From The Event to A9

After the event if you are rejoining the A9 please take the following routes. If travelling SOUTH – RIGHT onto B847 > Calvine > RIGHT> Jct @ Bruar Lodge Services > RIGHT > LEFT > A9.

If travelling NORTH – RIGHT onto B847 > Calvine > LEFT > Jct with A9 > LEFT.

Read more about the mapped area

Map / Terrain

Updated by Stirling Surveys November 2022.

Registration and Start times

Start times from 11am > 12:59pm. Check out our News feed on a daily basis for updated information.

Course Information

SOL Rules and Guidelines. Enter by Colour

Live results shall be here

Distances and climb confirmed Monday 6th March 2023

* White is an out and back course staying on the main forest track as used successfully in the past.

Entry Details

Late entries may be accepted up until 9pm on Wednesday 8th March if maps are available - see above.

If your entry can be accepted, the window shall be reopened for you to enter. Maps are not confirmed until you have processed your entry.

Start times can be found here

Organiser Terry O'Brien BEM STAG

Planner Graham McFadyen STAG

Controller Blair Young TINTO

Dog restrictions

On leads at all times and only in parking field.

Miscellaneous

Our forests are at risk from tree pests and diseases. These can dramatically affect the health of our trees, upsetting the delicate ecosystem balance and devastating large areas of woodland.
Pests and diseases hitch a ride in mud and debris on shoes, paws and tyres, ending up in new forests. Here, they can spread rapidly in environments with no natural resilience.

SOL 1 STAG Final Details 12 March 2023 BY 070323

Read more about this on the FCS website.

Fls keepitclean flyer