Results for Harvester Trophy 2005, Pillar Wood, 05/06/2005

Organiser

Thanks to all who helped to stage this event, which enabled us to show you all what a superb area we are fortunate to have access to in Pillar Woods. Major thanks go to The Brocklesby Estate and the Earl of Yarborough for permission to use the area and for preparatory work on access. Specific mention to Estate manager Henry Rayment and Head Keeper Perry Brumby.

Thank you to Mole Valley OC who as last year's Organisers helped us considerably in planning logistics and budgeting.

Thank you to the HALO and EBOR volunteers and Chris Burden, our Controller.

Thanks to the providers of the services you used and to the care taken by the suppliers of the Lincolnshire mementoes.

Thanks to Tesco for providing the map collection bags.

Thanks to Michael Napier and his team for their professionalism with the 'electronic wizardry', which enabled you to follow the event progress with such interest and to bring us into the 21st century in terms of audience participation.

As to the nettles, one of our members recently coined a phrase worthy of the New Oxford English Dictionary - a two trouser wood - which needs no definition to summer orienteers.

We are appreciative of the various comments received via E-mail and Nopesport and although our website apparently falls short of some 'youngsters' expectations, it did have everything necessary for information and entry well in advance. One small grumble, the heartache of not knowing if the event could go ahead with ten days to go and only 8 entries could have been avoided. We as a small club, faced a shortfall of £1000, but perhaps we should have known the true 'Harvesters' would all turn up. Next year the event is in Scotland and one assumes the Organisers there may have concerns that the travel implications could affect entries - make sure your entries are in early and that the event will take place.

Thank you for coming, we enjoyed the challenge of staging the event and hope that you liked your visit to Lincolnshire.

Mike & Dorothy Smith

Planner

I always thought that we should be putting on a "big" event on what I think is our ( HALO's ) prime area - well last year we did the CompassSport Cup Final, and for one reason or another I wasn't able to be part of the proceedings. My next train of though, based on several comments from people who had previously run on the area, was towards a major relay - "The J.K.? The British? - how about the Harvester?", I thought to myself - so when we were asked to consider it by the controller, Chris Burden, one snowy day in February, I couldn't believe our ( my ) luck!

The first site visit was one gloriously warm and sunny afternoon in March, Assembly almost picked itself and with a few helpful hints from Chris ( Burden ) I set my stall out and got planning.

The use of radio and spectator controls didn't really restrict what I wanted to do, it just made things a little more interesting! I quickly came to the conclusion that the best use of the area was by having the courses pass through the spectator controls with common loops before, suffix A and B, and common loops after, suffix X and Y. The courses were planned with this in mind and altered only slightly after the first tagging session, mainly on recommendations from Chris.

It was decided early that course 4 ( the shortest course ) would be common for all runners - i.e. no gaffling, and at the initial arm-chair planning stage I decided this was probably a good way to go for the longest course ( course 15 ) too. I initially put in what would become the drinks point on course 15 as a second master-map, but I think Chris was right to request back-to-back maps.

The longest leg is suppose to mirror M21long at a Regional event - so a winning time of 68 minutes was aimed for, then all other courses were scaled accordingly as per BOF guidelines. Hope I got it about right! What I hadn't bargained for was the terrific growth spurt of those darn nettles, two weeks earlier and you would have had almost 100% runnability - but the date was fixed for that particular weekend, so we had to run with that.

On a personal note I can't thank enough the work "behind the scenes" that was put in on my behalf by Brian Slater and Mike Cope as I was actually away on holiday in the week leading up to the event. Also the exceptional organisation from Mike and Dorothy Smith, the computer experts Michael Napier (NOC), helped by Dave Binks (EBOR) and the Marsden's (HH) for what I thought was the highlight of the event - interactive radio links - I was so nervous waiting for the first one's through the first radio control after the midnight mass-start, and so relieved when names started appearing at regular intervals!

Thanks to all other helper's - HALO and non-HALO, I hope you all enjoyed Pillar Woods despite those nettles - so why not come back when we have a Regional Event, earlier in the Spring - and see how runnable an area it REALLY is!

Brian Ward

Controller

This was the event that so nearly wasn't.

EBOR had originally planned to hold the event on Strensall Common, which would have been an excellent area for the event, providing very different challenges from those you encountered at Pillar Woods. Sadly the Army withdrew permission to use that area, and a long search for an alternative EBOR area, both available and suitable, proved fruitless. Come the end of February it looked like the event would have to be cancelled.

On a snowy day at their Broughton Woods Event, HALO came to the rescue. Within two weeks of a tentative proposal being put to them about the possibility of using Pillar Woods, we were on site with the extraordinarily obliging landowner, establishing the layout for the assembly that I hope you enjoyed today. Within another week I received the first copies of Brian's courses, which became, with only very slight subsequent tweaking, those you ran at the event..

I cannot speak highly enough of the skill and energy that a few key members of HALO have put into making this Harvester the successful event it was. It would have been a remarkable achievement for any club to put on an event on of this nature within such narrow timescales. For a relatively small club the achievement was all the greater.

Finally, this was the first occasion that I have encountered Michael Napier's display from the radio controls. I was very impressed. It added a real buzz to the event.

Chris Burden (AIRE)