Street Orienteering

For years and years we've been talking about running an event where the map was not entirely accurate - and we wondered how participants would cope with this. Bruce decided to see in his recent activity for our Monday night training events.

The map provided contained only 10 controls sites; but to amuse us as we ran around, we were asked to keep our eyes open for inaccuracies in the map. Most of us headed off expecting there to be 1-2 map corrections at or near each control site. It soon became clear that the number of adjustments to the map was much higher than this. Initially, this didn't seem to make too much of a difference as side-paths such as courts and laneways were not really viable route choices. But then, we couldn't find the light pole on the corner, because the corner just wasn't there. No problem - just record the nearest pole to the control site marked. Realising that we had to collect as many corrections as we could, we navigated through the side-streets - only to discover that some of the required through-streets were not there either....this meant a 200m diversion to go down another street - not really a problem.

Things got steadily worse as we reached the South corner of the map - while there was an extra street there, there was no viable way through to creek, no bridge and an enormous (unmarked) fence between us and it anyway. It was at this point that David B. suggested we just return to the finish and beat the living daylights out of Bruce ;-). The trip back to the finish was more of the same - in my case a dead-end track on my route to the finish required a back-track back up the hill with return the way that I had come in - it was the only way to be sure that there was actually a way through.

It seemed to most present that if we'd thought about it more we might have come up with a better strategy for the event.....but in the heat of the moment most people were too busy running to give strategy a lot of thought. Maybe next time?

Results

There were results, but I didn't get back in time to hear about these - although, I'm not sure that time-synchronisation across parallel universes is all it could be (quietly mumbles something about late penalties and wanders off....).

I think Marta scooped the pool as a result of her early recognition of "the winning strategy" - although a number of the more unkind people present suggested that it was more likely Fitz who realised what was necessary and managed (somehow) to communicate this to Marta. The event format generated a lot of mirth and discussion - although not as much discussion as Greg's Watsonia event and definitely not as much as Jack's event (there's an interesting ARDF-like pattern beginning to form here....).

If anybody wants to publish claimed scores, just send them into me and I'll display them here.


				Joining an orienteering club has many advantages. Consider Nillumbik Emus - winner of the Rockhopper Award for best bush orienteering club in Victoria - for 9 of the last 11 years (not to mention supplier of this website). Membership only $5 per year per family - contact Geoff Hudson on (03) 9888 8121 (or at most events) for information or press here to join now

Where:	Ashwood - although the map was purported to be of a similar suburb in a parallel universe. Long-standing street-O runners were not too fussed - most maps used to be this inaccurate.
When:	7pm, Monday 17th July
Map:	Hashwood (click to see map)

Report

Results