News

GPS Orienteering

As of today (May 13th) we are allowed to travel further afield to participate in solo outdoor exercise. Although it will be some time before organised events as we know them will take place again the club has, and will continue to, set up some alternatives. A number of MapRun courses have already been devised - these are designed to be used with a GPS-enabled smartphone App and tell you when you have reached the control point. Some early participants have found that phone GPS reception can be problematic and significantly worse than the watches that many of us use. As an alternative to using a phone you can just record your route with a watch and then email the club captain who can manually upload a .gpx file.

Solo events with MapRunF

While individuals are still encouraged to go out and exercise alone (or with close family members) I am setting up some events that can be done solo using a smartphone's GPS capability. If you want to participate in this you will need to download the MapRunF App from the usual places. See instructions below on how to use the App. Please also read the following advice on behaving responsibly when participating in these activities. Two hints: 1) Best to download the event at home or where there is a good phone signal 2) Sometime you need to loiter at a control site for some seconds for the GPS to pick up the fact that you are there.

Lockdown Orienteering 24th-26th AprilFantastic weekend of Sprint Orineteering and other online entertainment from the comfort of your sofa.....

After the great success of Lockdown Orienteering this Easter the Lockdown team are putting together another event for us to enjoy. All sorts of challenges featured in the first event- catching features, route choice games, running wild, Photo O, streetview orienteering, trail O, Quiz O etc. 500 competitors took part including several from SO and also some world champions.

Register your interest here.

Any questions then ask Will Heap and I'll do my best to help.

Karen's Photo Challenge

Karen Ashworth has set us all a problem to tackle. Here are nine photographs taken from somewhere on Devil's Dyke, all you have to do is identify from where the photos were taken. Mark down the your locations on a blank map and send to Karen (safety@southdowns-orienteers.org.uk). Answers to follow in due course. Note that rumours that she took the photos whilst completing the solo MapRun course are unfounded.

CANCELLATION OF EVENTS

Since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak we have been closely monitoring the situation and trying to understand its impacts. A club quorum of committee members held an email conference and in conjunction with Government direction and British Orienteering we have now decided that events should not take place over the next 12 weeks. I can assure you that this decision was made very thoughtfully and with consultation and understanding at all levels.

Therefore all events provided by Southdowns Orienteers have been cancelled until 30 May 2020. This action will be reviewed during the first week in May to decide if it’s safe to commence the summer events on the 06 June 2020.

Keep safe and healthy.

Ralph Phillips

Chairman

SO juniors win the YBT SE Heat

14 SO juniors headed to Warlies Park early this morning to take part in the 2020 YBT SE heat. Outstanding performances by every runner meant that we scored highly whilst at the same time pushing our competitors scores down. Our main competition, Southern Navigators had over 30 runners. Every run counted towards this victory and the team should be very proud of themselves.

Results

Now we need to look ahead to the YBT Final - Westonbirt Arboretum - Sunday 5th July 2020

We want to encourage every SO junior to enter into this event. The larger the team the more chance we will have so please put this date in your diaries. We normally take a couple of minibuses and the juniors have a great day out.

SO Success at British Nights

SO came away with 8 medals from the Night Champs held at Hambledon on Feb 22nd. Congratulations to champions Scarlet, Stan and Roger and to medalists Chris/Tommy (Silver) and James/Will/Ruth (Bronze). Results at https://tvoc.org.uk/results/british-night-championships/

The Big Poll

With a number of events coming up in the next couple of months where we would like to see you participate, either as competitors or as helpers, we have set up a poll for you to indicate your availability for these. It would be helpful if all club members could complete the poll - even if you are unavailable for all.

Event Organisers and an Urban Planner still needed for Sunny Sussex

We need some help to run the Sunny Sussex weekend this year. Each event needs an organiser who mainly takes care of setting up tents and signs, arranging the assembly area and distributing volunteers. The event is coordinated by Anna Chapman, so comprehensive assistance is provided and experience is not necessary - we just need to share the load. We also need a planner for the exciting urban event we plan to put on at Sovereign Harbour. The events are Sat 16th May Regional at Abbots Wood (Hailsham), Urban Regional at Sovereign Harbour (Eastbourne) and Sun 17th May National at Friston Forest (Eastbourne). Please contact Anna.

Sunday 23rd February next entry deadline for key events

Don't forget to enter for British Orienteering Champs and JK2020 for cheaper entry prices. The British Champs is in our region this year and is open to all members of British Orienteering (every SO member is a member of British Orienteering). You'll find the same kind of courses, just with the addition of commentary, elite classes and a more exciting event arena. Well worth a go. JK2020 is an annual international event and is attended by lots of SO members - this year it is in the North-East.

Defibrillator Now Available at SO Events

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is now available at SO events in the download tent.

It is very simple to use, you don’t need to be trained to use it. Just open the cover and it will give you clear instructions on how to attach the pads. It will then assess the heart rhythm and will only instruct you to deliver a shock if it’s needed. You cannot deliver a shock accidentally.

To find out more: view a short promotional/training video here or speak to Steve Blount the next time you're at a SO event.

Unclaimed Summer Sprint League Medals

The following Summer Sprint League 2019 medals are still held by the chairman and will be available at the following events at the SI tent.

SO Successes at Southern Championships

A number of club members travelled down to the Forest of Dean at the end of November for the Southern Day and Night Championships. We came away with seven trophies with particular congratulations to Roger Maher (M80) and Ruth Rhodes (W75) who did the double. Also winning were Mike Gammon (M85 Day), Neil Crickmore (M55 Night) and Jonny Crickmore (M21 Night).

SO Success at SE Night and Long Champs 2019

Southdowners were busy competing in the South East Night and Long Championships over the weekend of 23/24 November 2019. 18 medals were won by SO members!

SO third in CompassSport Cup Final

Due to the large turnout of club members we managed to come an excellent third in the national inter-club competition. Despite only having two members in the top three of any course (congratulations Roger and Tommy) we remained competitive against Bristol (4th), South Yorkshire (2nd) and Forth Valley (1st). The tub of chocolates prize was quickly shared around those members that stayed for the prize-giving. The team results are now published on the MV website http://www.mvoc.org/Events/20191020CompassSport/results/index.html scroll down to the bottom for team scores.