Wimborne Orienteers Minutes of 43 rd AGM held at Canford School on Friday 7 th October 2011

Transcription

1 September 2012

2 Wimborne Orienteers 44 th AGM - Friday October 12 th 2012 As in previous years the AGM will be held in the Governors Room at Canford School 7.30 for 7.45pm. The minutes of the 2011 meeting are attached and the 2012 Agenda is given below Agenda Apologies for absence. Minutes of last meeting and matters arising Secretary's Report Treasurer's Report Election of Chairman Election of other officers Election of Committee. Club Fees for 2013/2014 A.O.B. Discussion of report by the sub committee on possible amalgamation of Wimborne and Wessex Orienteering clubs Refreshments Wimborne Orienteers Minutes of 43 rd AGM held at Canford School on Friday 7 th October 2011 Present: Karen & Andy French, Mike Kite, Jo Stanley, Martin & Gillian Cross, Judith & David Bland, Tamsin Horsler, John Shucksmith, Sue Spillar, Bernice & David Tonge, Keith Mitchell, Lynn & Chris Branford, Dick Keighley, John Whittingham, Deborah Mays, Di & John Tilsley, Hilary & Kevin Pickering, Trevor Bridle, Barbara & John Warren, (26) Apologies: Kath Pike, Nikki Crawford, Richard Brightman, Kirsty & Eamon Staunton, Keith Henderson, Sophie Lawrence, Penny Harwood, Peter Fale, Simon Branford, Noel & Jane Smith, Beth & John Cameron, Mark Bentley, Steve Horsler, Sue Hands(17) Minutes of last AGM: Had been circulated as part of the September 2011 Waffle and were approved by the meeting and duly signed by the Chairman. Chairman's Report: Dick Keighley presented a comprehensive review of the various club activities during the past year. Treasurer's Report: Trevor Bridle presented a detailed analysis of the club finances for the past year. When added together the General fund ( ), North Dorset Schools

3 Grant ( 5000), and the SI fund ( ), the total financial reserves of the club stood at 10, The audited accounts were unanimously approved by the meeting. Trevor is standing down as Treasurer and he was warmly thanked for many years of outstanding service to both Wimborne Orienteers and the SW Region. Election of Chairman Dick Keighley had completed a further year as Chairman and did not wish to stand for re-election. His contribution as Chairman was outstanding and he was thanked for his time, expertise and skill. The Chairman and Secretary had approached several members to stand for election, but all had declined. After a debate by the meeting it was agreed that for there would be no formal Chairman with committee meetings chaired by members of the committee in rotation,with a view to a Chairman being appointed in a year's time. This proposal was made by John Whittingham,seconded by Di Tilsley and approved by a majority of the meeting. Election of other Officers Secretary John Warren indicated that he was prepared to stand for re-election for 1 more year. He was nominated by Karen French,seconded by Gillian Cross and unanimously elected by the meeting. Treasurer Karen French was nominated as Treasurer by John Tilsley and seconded by Barbara Warren. The meeting duly voted in support of this nomination. It was agreed that Karen would be supported by Trevor Bridle during a transitional period. Election of Committee: During the past year John Whittingham has served as a co-opted member of the committee, but is now standing down due to the likely demands of a new career when he leaves the Army. His input and technical skills have been invaluable to the club. John Shucksmith pointed out that the club's constitution provides for the election of three officers and six committee members giving 9 elected members with the power to co-opt further members if necessary. A full discussion as to the committee's function and structure took place. A proposal was made by John Tilsley and seconded by John Whittingham to re-elect: Hilary Pickering, Mike Kite, Martin Cross, Chris Branford, Trevor Bridle and Dick Keighley. With no Chairman elected, the meeting decided to elect six committee members, with,john Shucksmith invited to attend Committee Meeting as an adviser. Fees for Trevor Bridle recommended that for 2013 that club fees remain at

4 8 for Family and Seniors and 1 for Juniors. The proposal was supported by David Bland, seconded by Judith Bland and adopted unanimously by the meeting. He also reminded members that 'helpers' at events pay only 3 entry fees to cover levy and printing costs. A.O.B. Martin Cross put a proposal to the meeting that 'As from January 2012, the club magazine' Waffle' and the SWOA magazine 'SINS' will be made available to members electronically only. Any member without or internet access may request in writing to the Secretary that printed copy be posted to them' The costs of preparing,printing and distributing the two newsletters now exceeds the Club membership income which is allocated to support this function. An extensive discussion followed and it was made clear that all club members would be contacted to confirm their agreement with this proposal and that this will permit a check of all current E mail addresses. This proposal was accepted by the meeting Having been editor of 'Waffle' since 1981 Barbara Warren wished to stand down. Mike and Mary Kite had offered to be editors and to work in parallel with Barbara and John over the next few issues before taking full responsibility. The meeting accepted this proposal and thanked Barbara for her years of service to the club. The following was proposed by Chris Branford, seconded by Trevor Bridle: ' That Wimborne Orienteers appoint a sub-committee to look at the feasibility and desirability of amalgamating with Wessex Orienteering Club to form one club; the sub-committee shall canvass the opinions of members of the club, consider the advantages and disadvantages of such an amalgamation, and report its recommendations. Remit of the sub-committee: To consult the membership for their opinions. To consult Wessex Orienteering Club as to their vision. To publish a report prior to 2012 AGM (circulated to all members) so that a decision can be taken at the AGM' A discussion followed when it was agreed that the composition of the sub-committee should be carefully considered to ensure that a balance of opinion was achieved. The motion was accepted by the majority of the meeting. Di Tilsley asked that the club should recognise the untiring work of the Club Coaches in both the junior and adult field. This sentiment was strongly supported by the meeting. There being no further business the meeting closed at 9pm Refreshments were then served and were followed by an outstanding and entertaining presentation by Andy French on the visit by the French family to the Finnish 'Jukola' midsummer relay event.

5 From a mystery guest... Profile of an Orienteer - but who? Fame at last however I decided to make this profile a bit of a puzzle to test my fellow WIM members. I know how orienteers enjoy a challenge so have a go at guessing my identity, there will be a prize for the person who guesses first! As an added game take the highlighted letters from the clues and re arrange to make my name - enjoy! Picture clue - I agreed to do this article so long as I could appear topless on page 3... unfortunately there is no page 3 in the electronic form of Waffle but I did manage the topless photo see below... Clue 1- I was born in Newcastle in the same year that the Winter Olympic games opened in Cortina, Italy, the Suez crisis causes petrol rationing in Britain and the Rogers and Hammerstein film The King and I starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner was released. Clue 2 - I was educated at a convent and was rather naughty at school but managed to obtain enough A levels to train as a nurse at St George s hospital in London where I met my husband.

6 Clue 3 - I studied a Human Biology degree in London, then re-trained as a teacher and now work part time. Clue 4 - I played hockey at school and university, swam competitively as a junior and now enjoy swimming challenges, swimming 10k down the river Dart is my biggest challenge so far! I have done a few triathlons, the best one was the Helvellyn tri which involved a swim in Ullswater, a bike ride around the Helvellyn massif and a run/walk up to the top of Helvellyn and back down again. Clue 5 - I first came across orienteering while running around Turf hill, an event was being held so I stuck my nose into the enquires tent and met John W the rest is history! Clue 6 for the club I have planned and organised a few events, I have done a stint on the committee and am a qualified coach (not sure of which level as it seems to change by the day!) Club 7 most of my orienteering errors are due to lack of concentration as I am easily distracted, a few recent distractions a beautiful pink running jacket, an enormous ant hill, an owl box, a bright green mosscover rock, sundew, soap suds bubbling from my running shoes... Clue 8 the Founders trophy makes me giggle. Clue 9 I was almost speechless with excitement when I received my selection letter to represent England in the Interland competition, I have also run for England at the Veteran Home International with moderate success. Clue 10 I really enjoy the traditional orienteering events but find the new urban events, the introduction of mazes and micro-navigation events really good fun and very exciting (perhaps a little too exciting at times). Clue 11 last year I achieved a long held goal; I got to stand on top of the podium, winning gold medals in the British Long and Middle distance races, plus a bronze medal in the Sprint. Letters n, o, s, u, i, k, y, r, a, t, s, t, n, t.

7 Saturday 30 June 2012 Some Thoughts from the Planner I was pleased to have the opportunity to plan the courses for this event on Mike Hampton s excellent map. I think it is important to realise that an urban race is not the same as a sprint race and different considerations apply. In particular, I feel that many urban races are sometimes poorly planned as the there are too many controls on the courses, effectively removing route choice. It is therefore important to include some longer legs where it is possible for competitors to opt for significantly different routes. I attempted to do this at Shaftesbury on the longer courses, including in one or two instances the option of a long run round the hill or a shorter run with steep climb. 4 to 5 on Course 2 - route choice on a long leg It also felt important to me that competitors should see the best of the town: the views northwards to Alfred s Tower and Stourhead from Castle Hill, the views south to Hambledon and Bulbarrow from Park Walk, and of course the iconic Gold Hill. I was pleased to be able to use the Hovis Loaf as a control site!

8 While we were very grateful to Shaftesbury School for enabling us to use their campus as the event centre and the location for the Start and Finish, there were reluctant to unlock more than a couple of gates in their perimeter, which reduced options for getting competitors away from the Start and back to the Finish. The centre of the town only has one or two complex alleyways so there were also not all that many options for placing lots of controls there, with route choice. (I don t really count having to choose whether to go round a block of buildings to the right or the left, when there is no time difference resulting, as route choice). We were extremely fortunate on the day to avoid any rain and in fact to enjoy some sunshine, which always makes urban orienteering a better experience and the absence of rain meant Gold Hill and other routes were not dangerously slippery. I apologise to competitors who found themselves the wrong side of the fence when coming to the Finish, and therefore lost a few seconds: I realised too late that it is not possible to include in the control descriptions a description (e.g. inside fence corner ) for the Finish Control, so should have sited it somewhere where there could be no doubt whether it was inside or outside the fence. Let s hope we will be able to use the map again in the not too distant future. Martin Cross Course 3 - Shaftesbury town centre and Gold Hill Mapping data licenced from the Ordnance Survey with the permission of the Controller of HMSO Crown Copyright All rights reserved. Licence Number

9 Editor's footnote: I once lived at Ludwell, 2 miles from Shaftesbury where my parents ran a pub, and got to know the area quite well. I remember those contours from decimalisation week in Feb 1971 when I trekked up & down the hills helping bemused publicans change over to the new currency. Some didn't cope despite the efforts of Dad & me and retired soon after - casualties of change, or maybe a blessing for the more elderly ones. A long time ago now! Mike Kite

10 On Monday 16 July Mr Kite took 22 Year 5s and 6s from Loders School to Kingston Lacy near Wimborne. They enjoyed a day of orienteering led by Di & John Tilsley and John Warren. It rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained. Later on it rained some more. Despite the rain, they had a great time and learned a lot. In the morning they did Cone-O to get used to setting the map, followed by finding markers on the Star course. After lunch, they did a Yellow course around the Woodland Walk. This time they used electronic timing with dibbers and SI controls. Their results were excellent! It's amazing how kids can be soaked to the skin and still have such a wonderful adventure! They were full of it on the coach home. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you to Wimborne Orienteers for planning the event and the National Trust for letting us use this superb venue. Part of the Woodland Yellow Course Mapping data licenced from the Ordnance Survey with the permission of the Controller of HMSO Crown Copyright All rights reserved. Licence Number

11 Chris Branford: "Well over 30 club members travelled to Wales for Croeso 2012 and 6 days of Orienteering. Unbelievably we had a week of brilliant sunshine (rather unusual for Wales when it is a multi day event). Congratulations to the following who had a particularly good week and ended up with top ten places: M35L Andy McNally 10th, M70L Keith Henderson 1st, M70L Richard Brightman 9th, W40L Mel Rayner 6th, W60S Lynn Branford 10th, W65S Gillian Cross 4th, W70L Nikki Crawford 1st, W75L Barbara Warren 10th."

12 A Welsh Adventure - Croeso 2012 Holidays are about having a change. A change of scene, a change of weather, a change of activity and even a good rest. Croeso 2012 taking place in mid Wales centred on Aberystwyth certainly ticked many of these boxes. The scenery was spectacular, the weather was amazing with a whole week of sun. 6 days of Orienteering could hardly be described as a rest, but it's safe to say that everyone who took part had a great week both in terms of personal achievement and social atmosphere. Aberystwyth is surrounded by green, quite steep rolling farmland and a patchwork of farms and villages with the ground rising inland to the ridges of the Cambrian mountains. North Wales has serious peaks and crags, whilst mid Wales is a magical area of high rolling grassy uplands,where in good weather the dapple light of clouds and sun flit across the mountains. From the summits views to the north and west seem to go on forever out across the blue Irish sea and to the major peaks of Snowdonia. We both love the high hills and so for us the days in the mountains were the highlights of the week. Day 1 had an impressive open assembly area in the shadow of Cader Idris. Cader Idris

13 Days 4/5 Teifi assembly On days 4 and 5 even the track to the car park was steep enough to test driving skills. Three of the mountain days included some fairly hefty climbs to the starts, then it was mountain 'O' at its best The terrain contained few if any paths,almost no trees, being an undulating mountain area with lines of crags,scattered boulders and a good number of marshes. Once started you were on your own! The compass had to be used almost continuously and you needed to be able to rapidly interpret the superbly detailed maps. If you could do this then there was plenty of information to help you get between control sites, but if you 'lost it' then fury and frustration accompanied attempts to re-locate in a very unforgiving area. Following could lead to disaster because most other people aren't on your course, but be aware of them because they might just be of help!. Very technical terrain suits us because it slows down the fast runners and we enjoy the challenge to be accurate. A tortoise and hare approach! Parts of the areas were pretty physical with climbs of up to 400m on the longest courses and it was not unknown to see an orienteer crawling on hands and knees up a precipitous slope to a reach a control. The climb to the Start on Day 5 Teifi If you can 'crack' the navigation the feeling of elation as you run down the finish lane, cheered by other WIMs is a great experience.

14 Sitting in the sun on a mountain top at the day 4 'Red' start with group of fellow WIMs admiring a 30mile view spread out below was a memorable time at a memorable event. Day 3 was a 'Middle Distance' day in tough, steep coniferous forest at Hafod near Devils Bridge. It was a severe challenge in terms of the rough steep terrain. The Ystwyth at picturesque Hafod Day 6 was a complete contrast, being a largely urban race within the hilly campus of Aberystwyth University. The runners had a field day whilst we enjoyed some relatively rapid sight seeing on courses that climbed round the complex campus layout. Croeso 2012 broke all records for a Welsh multi day event. There were 2055 competitors, almost 800 foreign entries from 24 different countries including 113 from Switzerland. There were some outstanding WIM performances with both Nikki and Keith winning their overall classes, but the abiding memory is of a holiday full of glorious scenery, wonderful weather and good company. The WIM group formed a great team with the banner always being the focus for a lively camp full of young and old club members swapping experiences as they recovered from their runs. A social highlight of the week was a meal organised by Kirsty in a hotel looking out over the sea on a gloriously sunny evening in Aberystwyth. A multi-day event is a really great experience and if you go you are likely to come home tired but elated and looking forward to the next one. See you at Moray 2013!! John and Barbara Warren

15 Imagine this you have struggled up hills, down dales, through streams and bogs, fought with brambles, bracken,fallen trees etc. etc. And you see just 100 or so metres to go all taped for you, from the final control to the finish this must be the easy bit! At this point you are in full view of all assembled home and away supporters and this bit and only this bit of the course is the same for all 2,000+ competitors. (When the results are published you can compare with every other competitor on the day) Some clubs have a run in competition and I have seen competitors lurking near the final control before launching themselves into the final straight towards the finish. It is at this point when your fellow club members, who have been scanning the approaches, suddenly spot you and all manner of hysteria breaks out. All sports coaches exhort you to run through the line all well and good if you can still even muster a jog at this stage. To hear the cheers of one s fellow club members as you stagger to the best of your ability along the run in is one of encouragement and appreciation of one s efforts. Croeso 2012 was no exception. Each club member was duly cheered in most acknowledged the cheers with a grin and a wave (??) An orienteer from another club sated you are only a small club but you sure make a lot of noise It was partly this encouragement that spurred Grace into having a go herself and the smile on her face as she was noisily received on the final metres of her white course said it all. If this is all too much there is a way to avoid it make sure you are the first club member to finish your course on the day now there s a challenge! Lynn Branford

16 With thanks to Hilary Pickering for the photographs From M60 on age class numbers gradually decrease, so when I became M65 I looked forward to better performances. Logic should have told me it s about the survival of the fittest, but no. At 95kg I did what overweight navigators generally do and gravitated towards the end of the results list. Gosh I wonder why Day 1 at Gwanas starkly demonstrated my limitations in lumpy terrain. I thus felt intimidated before I began the 2.5km, 220m climb to the Start on Day 4. Fortunately there were 10 minutes to recover before call-up. But I was very nervous... This time I made damn sure of keeping map-to-ground contact, and pace-counting & compass bearings were rigorous. I wavered once after the tricky descent and huge climb from 4 to 5 when, near to expiring, I briefly reverted to It must be somewhere over there mode. Otherwise good slow but AOK. I took 90 minutes finishing (predictably) near the bottom, but it wasn t a mess like Day 1. Orienteering or Olympics, sport is about doing your best and the sense of achievement it brings. Only one person really knows how well you did. So I ll be back. Mike Kite

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18 Well I had a go! I DID it! When I saw the area on Thursday and watched Mike s trek up to the start, my reaction was mixed. It did look like a lovely area maybe for planning a walk with lovely views. Then watching the long line of orienteers snaking uphill to the start I wondered if I had the energy to take part on Friday as planned. We were staying in a very peaceful cottage not far from Aberaeron and were all enjoying the holiday (Maisie our collie was with us too.) Friday s event was to be the only one I took part in. We had had a few good walks during the week so I wasn t feeling totally unfit; however I had a go was definitely my planned title as I too joined the long uphill climb to the start. I had seen Thursday s map and was a bit concerned about the lack of familiar features, just crags, marsh and contours! I am always reassured when I find the first control. I had wandered a little too far north to the wrong crag cluster. However after that I didn t lose map contact. I was getting tired by the time I got to control 8 and made the mistake of following someone else and ended up going over a hill I should have skirted around. Number 9 was eventually easily found by following someone who was making for the same control and both got there by sitting down and sliding down the steep grassy slope! It was amazing to discover I had finished (and wasn t last!) and great to be encouraged on the run in by the Wimborne team at the tent. So, not only did I manage the course but I thoroughly enjoyed it too! Mary Kite

19 See the full set of photographs by Chris Branford on Flickr

20 Looking for a local club? Orienteering in DORSET September/October/November 2012 Wimborne Orienteers covers most of the Dorset area outside Poole & Bournemouth. Wessex Orienteering Club covers the Poole, Bournemouth & Christchurch area Sarum Orienteering Club covers the South Wiltshire (Salisbury) area and North West Hampshire (Fordingbridge/Romsey) area. LOCAL ORIENTEERING EVENTS OPEN TO ALL- Sept/Oct/Nov 2012 WSX organise a weekly training session at Bournemouth University on Tuesdays meet at the University Sports Centre at 5.45pm ready to run at 6pm. Changing rooms and showers available. (This restarts on Tuesday 18 th September following the summer holidays) Forthcoming events Monday 3 rd September: Wimborne and Wessex Monthly Club Evening at Hyde Common near Fordingbridge, New Forest. All welcome. See for details. Friday 14 th September: Wessex Orienteering Club AGM and Quiz Night at Poole Yacht Club. See for details. All welcome to Quiz Night at conclusion of AGM. Saturday15th/Sunday 16 th : Sarum Orienteering Club Regional Event at Longleat Estate, Wiltshire. Pre-entry for most courses some limited entry on day. See for details. Sunday 30 th September: Wimborne Orienteers Informal and Dorset Schools event at Avon Heath, St Ives. All are welcome and ideal for beginners. See for details. Monday 1 st October: Wimborne and Wessex Monthly Club Evening at Wareham All are welcome. See for details. Friday 12 th October: Wimborne Orienteers AGM at Canford School, Wimborne. See for details. Sunday 14 th October: Wessex Orienteering Club Regional event at Shillingston Forest near Blandford Forum. All welcome. Pre-entry for most courses some limited entry on the day. See for details. Wednesday 24 th October: Wimborne Orienteers EGM at Canford School, Wimborne. See for details. Saturday 27 th October: Wimborne Orienteers Informal and Dorset Schools event at Wootton Hill north of Wootton Fitzpaine near Charmouth, Dorset. All are welcome and ideal for beginners. See for details. Also Wessex Night League event Monday 5 th November: Wimborne and Wessex Monthly Club Evening at Gillingham School, Gillingham. All welcome. See for details. AlsoWessex Night League event. Saturday 10 th November: Sarum Orienteering Club Informal and Dorset Schools event at Cannimore, Longleat. All are welcome and ideal for beginners. See for details. Also Wessex Night League event Sunday 11 th November: Wimborne Orienteers Gallopen event at Ringwood North near Verwood. All are welcome and ideal for beginners. Pre-entry available but also entry on day. See for details. Also Wessex Night League event Saturday 17 th November: Wessex Orienteering Club Informal at Kings Park and Littledown. All are welcome. See for details. Also Wessex Night League event.