Tamar Triple 2008

Officials Comments Day 3
Newnham Park & Smallhanger 26 May 08

Organiser

On the organisation front when it comes to the day or days it is mainly about getting people into the car park field and to the start, then back from the finish and away.  What happens on the courses generally does not concern the organising team except for meeting water deficiency (competitor) in the forest (day 2) or a rope to hold onto when negotiating excess water in the Tory Brook (day 3).    The sunshine on Day 2 was much appreciated by all, and in the words of our club met office advisor, 'We were very lucky'.  You did not have to go east very far to find the rain.  Day 3 the rain and wind found us and was challenging both on the courses and in the field for not so happy campers and those wishing to provide dry tents for computers that did not buckle in the wind.

 Thankfully, as far as I am aware, all seemed to go well and we were not faced by challenges that we could not meet on the days.  The car park held up well and all other than Wilfs, I think, made it out unaided by human hand.   The success of the organisation was made possible by many willing volunteers from Devon OC, Kerno and even visiting friends from MDOC. Thank you all and special thanks to the planners Alan Simpson and Nigel Bateman, and controllers David Holmes and Roger Hargreaves for adding a bit of interest between the starts and the finishes. Also,  Lew Bean (Coordinator) for his support and involvement in the organisation on both days and to the computer team led by Barry Olds and Graham Dugdale for the smooth flow of entries and results.

Others to thank are;

• Ultrasport for coming and providing the kit to get on the course

• Wilfs for making the long journey South and providing the reward at the end of the course

• Richard Russell for providing the Chimney field and laying on a water supply

• The land providers without whom none of this would have been possible including;

• David Cobbold of Newnham Park Estates

• Forest Enterprise and volunteer ranger Chris Walker

• Maristow Estate and John Pascoe ( shooting rights)

• WBB Devon Clays Ltd - Wayne Russell

• National Trust

 

Lost property

I have a pair of spectacles (left in the loos on day 2) and two compasses.  If you think these may be yours call me on 01752 739040.

Nicholas Maxwell

Planner

I was keen to plan on Newnham/Smallhangar because the map contains such a variety of surroundings, runnable forest, open moorland, intricate mineworkings, and so on.  My enthusiasm was somewhat dampened however as the number of oob areas gradually reduced the opportunity for long legs and increased the number of controls needed to achieve the distance required.
 
Nevertheless, I hope you found your course interesting - my main objective was to try to give everyone variety of the different terrains on the map and, having just been looking at competitor routes on Routegadget and the number of squiggles shown, I'm guessing that many people found the transition from easier control sites to more intricate ones quite challenging.
 
I must thank both Roger Hargreaves and Lew Bean for the huge amount of effort they've put into the event.

Nigel Bateman

Controller

Nigel's courses used many of the same control sequences for some courses which required the start lane combinations we used and even by the time you got to the first river crossing there was a little bunching but I'm sure that dispersed as the courses ran out.  Thanks to Lew and Nigel for putting out the ropes across the river - maybe not essential but a great confidence boost to many.

I was surprised when Nigel used so few controls in the central, "tricky" strip of Smallhanger.  Those of you who didn't cross the public road were probably grateful for that.  I understand that there were enough challenges out there without adding any more.  The weather was truly atrocious but surprise, surprise, when collecting controls the rain stopped although the wind didn't abate.

Some of the times therefore were a little on the long side but visibility, rain on spectacles, bog diving, and even running uphill into the wind accounted for many of those.  And the gentleman who lost his dibber in the bog - sorry, it didn't reappear.

Thanks for coming and for so many positive remarks about the day.  Many thanks to, to your coordinator, Lew Bean, who besides mapping, webmaster, and map print coordinator has been an all round filler-in.  Notwithstanding all that Nicholas Maxwell provided the Organisation for Days 2 and 3, well done to him and the team.

Roger Hargreaves

Page updated 28 May 08