BASOC eNews December 2021
Credit: World of O
Wishing all BASOC a healthy and enjoyable festive season.
Once again, there are a lot of varied things to share with you.
Maybe see you at Tuesday=DayO on 28th December and 4th January? Details below.
1. AGM news and SCIO update
The AGM minutes are on the website.
At the Committee meeting on 6th December 2021, it was agreed to progress further the application for charitable status.
2. Tuesday=O December 2021 – January 2022
Over the winter we try to keep suitable orienteering options going for all our members, knowing that some of you want to compete at Northern Night Cup (NNC) events and others just want to continue with low-key Tuesday practice and play. Of course we also have to work round the weather and its effects, and we have the opportunity for some daylight orienteering over the festive period. So our programme for December and January takes a slightly different shape, though mostly based in Uath Lochans:
14th & 21st December: usual 18:30 start
28th December & 4th January: daylight! 11:00 start
11th January: our second Northern Night Cup (NNC) event, this one at Tolquhonie, near Carrbridge. Enter before 5th January. More detail will be added soon to the website page.
18th January: back at Uath Lochans with something technical and less strenuous, plus something quite physical!
25th January: SI workshop for anyone who wants to learn how to help at Download, AND a run round some controls for those who want that. Do either or both! Details to follow.
Contact Hilary Q to pre-register for any of the Tuesday=O training.
There is more about Tuesdays on the BASOC website.
3. NNC events
NNC4 – this event is at Tolquhonie, Carrbridge on Tuesday 11th
January 2022. Look out for entry details on the website (see above)
At the time of writing, there has only been NNC1 at Spey Valley Golf Course. Over 50 people tested their navigational skills on a calm and reasonably mild evening; there were some ‘interesting’ routes, it is worthwhile having a look at the event report and RouteGadget! Score course competitors got much more value for money than those on the Long course – the Score was 45 minutes and all on the Long course were out for less than 40 minutes!
NNC2 had to be postponed, a new date is being sought by MOR once Forestry & Land Scotland have inspected the area for damage done by Storm Arwen.
NNC3 is on Wednesday 15th December at Nairn East Beach. This is an area of low height sand dunes, some with open ground and some with the dreaded gorse bushes! The Long course also visits some coniferous plantation. Entries close on Sunday 12th December, at the moment there are 7 BASOC entered.
4. VHI team selections
Congrats to Janette for her selection for the VHI team this past weekend. Rob Hickling was also selected but was unable to be there. England won the overall trophy.
5. CompassSport Cup & Trophy round on 12th March at Callander Crags
Have you responded to the email from Ann yet? This came out on Tuesday 7th December. Ann needs to know provisional numbers by Sunday 12th December.
There is a Middle distance race at Falkirk Wheel (TBC) the next day so it is possible to make a weekend of it.
6. Volunteer Coordinator, a message from Suzanne Anderson
First of all, let me introduce myself as the Club’s new Volunteer Coordinator. I’ll be emailing you all early next year with more details about how I will need volunteers for various events and activities, but in the meantime here is my first shout out to you all to see if anyone would like to step forward.
We need a Planner for the SOL/JHI (Scottish Orienteering League event, which will incorporate the Junior Home Internationals) on Sunday 9 October 2022. This will need to be an experienced planner with the confidence to take on a major event, but I’m also looking for volunteers who might wish to support, help, understudy and learn what is required to be an event planner. The reason I’m putting this out early is so that we have time to arrange any necessary training in the lead up to next October.
We will also need an Organiser for this event, this needs to be someone other than the Planner; the Organiser will need experience of organising other events but I’d also like to find volunteer(s) to support and gain experience.
So, if you would be willing to step forward as either lead Planner or Organiser, or would like to volunteer as one of the assistants, please contact me via the Contacts Page on the BASOC website.
7. The return of the BASOC night-O tubes after their 20 month holiday!!
After the appeal for the missing Night-O tubes in the last eNews, they have turned up and yes they were hiding in a garage since March 2020. I reckon they probably had a good party and were happy not to be back hanging out in the bleak mid-winter weather in a forest! After all the searching for them, there must be many tidy garages in BASOC-land?
8. British Orienteering Development Conference.
This online event is being held during January 2022. The programme is now available and you can register for sessions.
9. Route to Christmas
This is a bit like an advent calendar for orienteers! Every day from 1st December to 24th December World of O publish an O map with a leg from a course. All you have to do is decide on the route you would take for the leg. You can then compare with others and also with those who actually ran the leg in competition. So far this year there have been some really really long legs – how about 5+km for a night O leg (Day 5)?