Copy date for Issue 138 will be  early February 2202. Letters, event reports, articles, cartoons, gossip, scandal, notices, small ads, court circulars, births, deaths and marriages should be posted to Sarah Brown (address above); electronic copies via e-mail are particularly welcome.

New Members: If you are new to SLOW, you might not know about ... Training: Tues. eve. (7.15 pm) training open to all, of all standards: every Tuesday at the clubhouse (Thames Hare and Hounds, Richard Evans Memorial Playing Fields, Kingston Vale); 9 pm at the ‘Robin Hood’ pub, Kingston Hill; and other venues: see the Training Diary for details.

            … and Transport: we can organise lifts to events: ring any of the club’s officers, as listed above, and one of us will sort this out for you.

NOW - that's what I call orienteering!

A lively discussion took place at the SLOW AGM concerning the future of orienteering and what SLOW might do about it.  A few days after penning my Revolution or extinction bit in the last SLOWprint, BOF announced that it would be promoting a National Orienteering Week next year.  NOW! will run from 8-16 June and will be preceded and followed-up by various publicity activities (see BOF website for details).  This is great news and will give a focus to our own publicity efforts next year.  One concrete outcome of our AGM discussion was the establishment of a small strategy sub-group, which is meeting as I write.  The group consists of Andy Morrison, James Robertson and Heather Walton.  Thinking, discussion and planning will continue for some time, so if you have suggestions as to what SLOW can do to make orienteering more attractive, to young people in particular, please contact Andy (email andymorrison@tinyworld.co.uk; tel 01372 470295).

25^th anniversary dinner

What a tremendous occasion!  60 people came from far and wide and enjoyed an excellent meal and the opportunity to renew old friendships.  There were some entertaining and often hilarious speeches from long-term member and World Champs competitor, Mike Murray, and guest Frank Carpenter, President of Thames Hare and Hounds, the oldest cross-country club in the world, with which SLOW has had a close and mutually beneficial relationship since our beginnings.  Our guest of honour, Heather Monro, flew in from her home in Norway especially for the occasion.  Heather was a member of SLOW from the age of eight until going to university.  During that time she dominated the junior domestic scene, winning several British and JK titles and helping SLOW to some memorable relay wins.  Now the UK's top orienteer, she has won World Cup races and placed 8^th in the World Champs in 1999.  Her run in the World Champs Relay that year, when she took GB into the lead in front of an ecstatic home crowd, is one of UK orienteering's greatest moments.  Heather gave us a fascinating and honest insight into her life as a full-time international orienteer.  Her infectious enthusiasm for the sport permeated her speech and it was lovely to hear her recount her memories of her days with SLOW, especially our training ethos, with immense pleasure, affection and gratitude.  For those of you who couldn't make it, sorry, but you missed a great evening.

Picture this

The 300+ photos which you all sent in were sorted and arranged into nine themed displays for the dinner.  The images ranged from the unrecognisable to the nostalgic and from the unbelievable to the (mildly) obscene, chronicling along the way the size and shape of Trevor Jones's hair and David Roach's bottom!  The photos are going to be scanned and archived for posterity.  Thanks to Charlotte Turner for offering to do this.

3^rd time lucky

Yes it really happened.  The OK Nuts trophy event, twice postponed from December 2000 and May 2001, finally took place on 9 December.  And it was well worth waiting for.  The planning and organisation of this event were of the very highest quality which impressed controller, Philip Robinson.  Congratulations to all concerned, especially the person who ordered the weather - a beautiful, crisp winter's day, with early frost and mist giving way to blue skies.  The use of the Cranleigh Scout Hut was crucial to the event's success, giving a focus for looking at results, chatting and looking at SLOW's anniversary photo display, as well as providing a dry, though not particularly warm, venue for enquiries, computers and results.  Once we worked out how to turn on the cooker in the kitchen, without crashing the computers, we were able to produce hot, mulled wine for competitors while they 'downloaded'. 

We are seriously considering that an indoor base will be a must for all events in the future - to facilitate the social side of the sport in addition to a safe haven for the computers.

Chris Robinson

Chair

Welcome to the following new members:

Mark Vyvyan-Robinson (M21; : mvyvyanrobinson@london.edu

Michelle Barrows (W21), : m.g.barrows@amserve.net

James Pennington (M21: 97ms115@sghms.ac.uk

Vicki Saward (W21) and Stephen Robinson (M21),  : vicki.saward@btinternet.com

Erica Blatchford (W21) and Ran Geffen (M21; : ericaandran@hotmail.com

Rick Pearson (M21), : rick@rop.info

The following all have new e-mail addresses:

Chris Fry:

Jackie Chapman (home; work is unchanged):

Don and Pip McKerrow:  

Jackie Steinitz:

David Eglin:

LOST AND FOUND: a large SLOW O-top (new design) found in the May’s car at an Ashridge junior training day. Possibly left by someone who was there or it could have been in the May’s O kit from before then.  .

Many thanks to Mike Garvin for setting a very enjoyable score event in Westminster and enabling us to bemuse the patrolling policeman and users of the Queen Mother Sports Centre.  It was good to see some different faces and a good time was had by all.  Well done to Alan, the victor.

Thanks to Andy Robbo for putting on night orienteering on Wimbledon Common; good fun despite the mud…

There is a Christmas Street Event at the Finches on 18^th December – an excellent social occasion and another opportunity to see the SLOW dinner photo display so do come along.  Savoury food provided - bring your own mince pies.  For those of you who haven’t been to one before, street events involve going out running on roads for an hour or less going to as many points marked on the map as you can and solving the clues when you get there.  I hear the course is designed to be run in pairs - if you want to do it all yourself you can have two maps.  Liz would find it helpful if you let her know if you are coming.

More street events to keep those navigational skills primed through the winter will be on 29^th January in Putney (courtesy of Diana Smith), 12^th February in Wimbledon (courtesy of Kate Thomas) and 12^th March (courtesy of Ginny Catmur).

Other Tuesday evenings on the training schedule given below are all from the Thames Hare and Hounds clubhouse 7.15 for 7.30.  Don’t forget we will also be in the Robin Hood pub on Kingston Hill afterwards from about 9pm onwards.  Bring your orienteering maps and relive your orienteering courses, hear other orienteers’ tales of woe and enthusiastically plan to do it all again! 

18 December         Christmas Street event 7.30 onwards. Meet at the Finch’s, 24, Park Farm Road Kingston

Details 020 8549 2144

25 December         No training – overcome by too much Christmas dinner

1   January             No training unless requested

8   January             Steady run  Committee meeting

15 January             Hill intervals (to remind you what a hill is like before the Box Hill Fell Race!)

22 January             Steady run

29 January             Street event in Putney.  Meet at Putney Leisure Centre, Dryburgh Rd/Upper Richmond Road (South Circular), short run to start at Nursery Close 7-7.30 pm  Details Diana Smith 020 8788 1301

5   February           Steady run

12 February           Pancake street event at Kate Thomas’ 2, Avondale Rd, Wimbledon.  Starts 7.30-8pm  Details Kate Thomas 020 8544 0317

19 February           Hill intervals

26 February           Steady run.

5   March               Flat intervals

12 March               Street event at the Catmur’s 73, Claygate Lane, Hinchley Wood, Esher  Time 7.30-8pm  Details Ginny Catmur 020 8398 8190

19 March               Hill intervals

26  March              Run with JK maps

Technique training in the evenings is difficult in the winter but beginners are welcome to ask us to meet up with them at events and explain a few things or shadow them.  There are some technique training days coming up – (described in the junior training section but suitable for beginners.)  Do come to the pub on Tuesdays or ring me on 020 8891 0453 if you are interested in any of these things.                 Heather

I’ve noticed you have all been out enjoying yourselves at events which is great to see.  Some good results at the November Classic:

Charles McMillan 4^th M10A and GOLD

 Robert Jones 1^st M10B

Ralph Street 1^st M12A and GOLD

James McMillan 4^th M12A

Matthew Walter 2^nd M14B

Helen Walter 2^nd W18B

The younger Roaches took to Newborough - Alex 1^st on Yellow and Georgia 1^st on W14B.

It was the Steinitz’ who took to Ranmore Common - Anna 1^st and Jenny 3^rd on White.

Michael May came a very good 5^th against stiff senior competition on his first Light Green course at Putney Heath.

So maybe none of  you need any training!  But there is always the option to strive onwards and upwards to harder courses so we are arranging some training for you:

                            SPECIAL JUNIOR TRAINING DAYS:                                             Sunday 13^th January 2002 and Saturday 23^rd February 2002 (a chance to brush up on skills just  2 weeks before the Compass Sport Cup first round).                                                                                                                                                                                             LOTS OF FUN WITH GAMES AND MINI RELAYS                                                    

Land permission to be sorted out but will probably be on Esher and Oxshott or possibly Pitch Hill.  Since I am away for a week over New Year and you may be away yourselves over Christmas/New Year, please let me know if you are coming on 13^th January by (or at) the Christmas street event on 18^th December.  I’d also like lots of volunteers to help shadow the juniors, particularly if you can run fast – several of the juniors are pretty zippy!

The SE Junior Squad is organising a Future Champions Cup race (a national competition for older juniors) in Watford on 9^th February.  If any SLOW juniors want to help and get inspiration from watching the junior stars please let Chris Fry know.

That’s it.  I look forward to seeing you all full of new resolutions in the New Year.

Heather.

---------------------------
The list of team events below may look familar to you, since it is basically the list from a year ago. Let's hope we have more luck this time. In addition to these events, there will be the North Downs Way Relay in June (16 per team) and various smaller events. Please let me know if you have ideas for any other team events. Remember that the team events are free for
juniors and full-time students.

First up in March is the Compass Sport Cup Regional Round. In this team event you run individually on a colour-coded course appropriate to your age group. The best two or three runners from each club on each course all get points which are added together to find the winner. In the Regional Round, We are up against all the other teams in the South-East. This is a very competitive round where we should be able to do well if we have a good
turnout & we run to our potential. One of the strengths in the club is that there is good backup so please come along if you can - all standards are welcome for this club day out! *** For this event you will need to pre-enter directly to the organising club (Southdowns) - look out for the event flyer; the closing date is 17th February. *** Also, please let me know that you have entered so that I can keep track of the team. If we win the Regional Round, then we will be through to the National Final in May - this will be in the South Central region & so a good venue for the southern clubs - make a note in your diary in case we get through!

The other events are the usual relays. These are really great fun, and we will have teams for all levels of competitiveness. So if you are not sure about taking part, then please do! The days are a very sociable way of meeting up with other club members. The two spring events are also in very beautiful places to take a holiday and appreciate the surroundings.

Finally, how about a couple of new year's orienteering resolutions? The club is taking part in National Orienteering Week in June - you will hear more about this elsewhere - please think how you may contribute to the future well being of the sport (helping at events, introducing newcomers). Also, you may like to set some goals for yourself. Examples include: getting a new colour/badge/championship standard, getting a relay medal, doing well at the Compass Sport Cup, running a mountain marathon. There will be club members willing to help you achieve these aims through training And coaching - let us know if you want some help.

Above all, have lots of fun.
Pete

10 March CompassSport Cup Round 1, Worth Forest, Crawley (SO area)

30 March JK Easter Event, Forest of Dean (to 1 April)

5/6 May British Champs weekend, Londonderry/Omagh (Northern Ireland)

12 May CompassSport Cup Final, South Central Region [maybe!]

31 August Harvester Trophy, Dipton, Northumberland

8 Sept. Peter Palmer Junior Team Relays, East Midlands

It's been an entertaining first year in the job. As if getting going with SportIdent wasn't enough, foot and mouth then came along. Actually those two major issues complemented each other in that the quiet period resulting from one gave us space to address the other. On top of that there was an OK Nuts event cancelled due to a wet car park,  and this time last year we were pressing on producing the new map of Wimbledon Common.

After about six months I managed to develop a fixtures policy in terms of the general level of events in the year. This was accepted by the rest of the committee and it covered:

-a large (i.e. attended by most regional orienteers) event in December

-one of similar size in the spring

-a contribution to each of the regional series every year, Southern Express, Senile and Frolics.

-The Box Hill Fell Race

-The Surrey Hills Races and associated Nower event, coordinating both and doing one or the other alternating with the Moles.

That should leave us open to take on the odd other thing that crops each year; these range from the JK to the Panathlon, and next year include the UK Cup and NOW week. Like all general plans they are flexible and subject to change e.g. the 'spring' event next year is on August Bank Holiday.

The job is rather more than pencilling in plans - it's about finding officials that means:

-planning the planners (quite simple and fun)

-organising the organisers (much the most arduous part)

-controlling the controllers (just don't ask!)

The objective therefore is to build up and maintain the club's pool of capable, willing and available expertise, with the ideal being the entire club's membership taking it in turns to be officials. Those who have taken on these jobs should be applauded and the mechanism for that is this annual report. Hence they are all included in the lists below. There are rather too many instances of names appearing more than once and I would like to reduce that.

The following fixtures were held in the last year:

20 January Box Hill Fell Race. Organiser: Andy Robinson

3 February. Pitch Hill Senile: Organiser: Gavin Andrews Planner: Paul Szarvas Controller Simon Turton (CROC)

11 March. Wimbledon Common colour-coded:

Organiser: Nigel Saker  Planner:Mike Garvin  Controller Simon Ling (MV)

        3 June. Surrey Hills Races Organiser: Jeremy Denny. For the associated colour-coded: Planner Mike Murray,                  Assistant Organiser: Don McKerrow,  SportIdent: Gordon Parker and  I filled in the gaps

15 July Reigate Priory. Frolics (limited colour-coded)

 Organiser:  Teresa Turner   Planner: Richard Catmur. SportIdent: Gavin Andrews   Controller Jon Coles (MV)

14 October  Putney Heath. Novices Event (limited colour-coded)

 Organiser: Heather Walton   Planner: Chris Owen SportIdent: Gavin Andrews. Controller: David May

16 October. Battersea Park. Panathlon. Organised and planned by Ginny Catmur.

9 December. Winterfold. OK Nuts Badge Event Organiser: Nigel Saker Planner: Paul Canham. SportIdent: Gavin Andrews. Controller: Philip Robinson. Entries: Andrew Trimble

In addition there were two score events for local groups staged on Wimbledon Common and Ginny has done at least one other Panathlon. All the above named have earned our thanks and a few individuals more than once.

Events that didn't take place (not just for F&M reasons) were the OK Nuts Trophy on Winterfold, despite tying up those involved for more time than the events that did happen and the Southern Express on The Nower.

12 January 2002. Esher Common. Senile

Organiser: Andy Robinson.  Planner: Alan Leakey SportIdent: Gavin Andrews. Controller: Mike Elliot (MV)

19 January  Box Hill Fell Race. Organiser: Andy Robinson

2 March. Battersea Park. UK Cup and Southern Express Park Race.

Organiser: Ginny Catmur.  Planner: Alan Leakey  Controller: Simon Errington (LOK)

***25 May Pitch Hill Southern Express

26 May Surrey Hills Races Organiser: Jeremy Denny

8-16 June NOW week. 2 (approx.- to be discussed) items on Wimbledon Common

***14 July. Frolic. Putney Heath. Planner: Kate Thomas

***26 August. Score Event Wimbledon Common

***9 December. Hankley Common. OK Nuts Badge Event.

MAPPING REPORT

Map production: We finally produced the two maps that I've talked about at least the last two years:

-Wimbledon Common. 3000 printed by Hassall & Lucking.

-The Nower. Laser-printed by Tim Carder of Southdowns. This latter method may well become the norm for producing maps. However probably not suitable for Wimbledon Common because of its such frequent use.

We (or at least Ed Catmur) revised his map of Telegraph Hill but that is yet to hit general release.

Map stocks

Wimbledon Common - boy, do we have map stocks!! Just ask Chris. Our bread-and-butter area. To be used as often as we can manage.

Esher. Still several hundred left. Must think about closing the area for the CompassSport Cup match in 2004.

and plenty of Richmond Park

SEOA REP REPORT

I'm about to miss 2 meetings in a row!! Anyone else want to do the job. Actually I quite enjoy the chinwag with old f***s - sometimes - and this year we actually did something useful in getting Sportident going.

OFFICIALS NEEDED   OFFICIALS NEEDED   OFFICIALS NEEDED   OFFICIALS NEEDED

Southern Express organiser and planner (25 May)................................................................

Frolics organiser (14 July)................................................................

Score event organiser  and planner (26 August)................................................................

OK Nuts Trophy organiser  and planner (8 December)................................................................

So please put your name down for something and contact me (020-8255-7176 or AndyLoofa@aol.com), because from January I'll come looking for you.                 Andy Robinson

Here is a review of the team performances of the year, and some of the notable individual performances.  Unfortunately due to Foot & Mouth, the major team relays (JK, British, Harvester) & CompassSport Cup were postponed this year.

British Champs (Newborough Warren, Wales)

Charles Bromley-Gardner (M40 - 1^st), Mike Murray (M55 - 1^st)

Ed Catmur (M20 - 5^th), John Dowty (M40 - 10^th), Andy Robinson (M45 - 10^th), David May (M55 - 6^th), Georgia Roach (W14B - 1^st), Stina Andreasson (W18 - 10^th), Heather Walton (W35S - 3^rd), Chris Robinson (W45 - 6^th), Tim Rogers (M21E - 29^th), Caroline Catmur (W21E - 22^nd)

Southern Champions (BOKTrot)

Charlotte Turner (W16), Ralph Street (M12), Ed Catmur (M20), Charles Bromley-Gardner (M40), Mike Murray (M55), Karen Jones (W40), Sarah Brown (W45 - 3^rd), Michael May (M12 - 2^nd)

Night Championships

Ed Catmur (British - 1^st M20), Chris Robinson (Southern - 1^st W21), Andy Robinson (Southern - 2^nd M45)

Other Team Competitions

North Downs Way (1^st) - Andy Robinson, Chris Owen, Peter Carlill, Phil Moore, Charles Bromley-Gardner, Ed Catmur, Andy Jones, Paul Canham (beat GO by 1 min).

South-East Relays (5 teams) - Intermediate (2^nd) - Pete Huzan, Sarah Brown, Timo Teinila

Yvette Baker Trophy (2^nd) - close behind SO [who came second in the national final]

South-East Score Champs (Waggoners Wells, October) - 5^th.  Best Paul Nixon.

Representative Honours

Ed Catmur British Squad (Junior Section) - JWOC reserve

Charlotte Turner, Charles Bromley-Gardner (2^nd) , Sarah Brown (3^rd) , Mike Murray (2^nd), David May (Home Internationals)

Charlotte Turner (Scotland Tour)

Stina Andreasson, Charlotte Turner, Ralph Street, Michael May (SE Junior Squad)

At the SLOW AGM, it was agreed that a Strategy sub-group should be formed to address the issues raised by members during the debate on diminishing membership and to report back to the Committee in January 2002. Volunteers for the sub-group were sought and found. They are Heather Walton, James Robertson and myself.

The planned output in January is an articulation of the principal types of issues facing SLOW and the sport in general, and a description of the alternative paths (strategies) that could be followed.

Any further work, including possible linkage to the National Orienteering Week, 8-16th June 2002, will be subject to the outcome of the January Committee meeting.

Individual members who wish to record additional issues and inputs are invited to communicate with me (andymorrison@tinyworld.co.uk), or with Heather or James. The sub-group will meet for the first time on Monday 10th December 2001.

We would particularly like to hear from anyone who has witnessed similar thought processes in 'competing' outdoor pursuits, or anyone who has access to professional market research into outdoor pursuits.

As the work of the sub-group proceeds, it may be that we wish to ask some more structured questions of you. If that happens, I hope we can count on your help.

Thanks

Andy Morrison

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Editor’s comments: I had a shock looking at the Winterfold results when I saw that there was only one competitor on M14 and the same for W14. The W21 was won by a W40 and many of the top finishing runners were W40 or W35. The same was true of the M21 class. We do need to address this issue of the falling numbers at Orienteering events.

I found it fascinating to discover at the birthday dinner that  Slow was founded as not just an orienteering group but as a training group as well. I think this links into the current debate about diminishing participation in orienteering. Several people at the AGM voiced concern about building a more social side to orienteering (after all it is a very single minded sport). This may help encourage and keep members. So see........

WHERE WILL THE BANNER BE?    page  19   

British Champs 2001, Newborough: reports by two of the winners.

Charles Bromley Gardner: Winner M40:

"Newborough was a super technical area, albeit broken up by frequent tracks - very large mistakes should not have been incurred if competitors had exercised a bit of caution, disciplined themselves to choose appropriate attack points and to recover o an alternative if the control was not found promptly. having said that, intense concentration was required and I certainly felt my brain hurting halfway round; it was not an area to let your mind wander.

Two big 40+ second mistakes and 4 other 20+ second errors left me in front by 3 seconds - a damn close run thing (in spite of losing another 2 seconds on the run-in, when I was not dawdling). I invariably get into the map and course quicker than most and I posted the quickest times on Legs 1, 3, 4 and 7, but then not again until 17 and that was it. However that good start meant that I led the race for all but 5 controls in the 3rd quarter - my lead never being more than 53 seconds and not being more than 11 seconds behind. Consistency was the bedrock of success - only 60% of the fastest legs were shared between the first 3 finishers (John Tullie (RR) and Justin May (LOK)); 6 other competitors also got on that particular scoreboard. All that's a bit spotter-ish, but demonstartes the fine line between success and despondency.

I took great care to note features that led to the control. As the contour interval was only 2.5m, I had taken time before the start to walk the route through the wood to the finish with an old map, in order to gain a clear picture in my mind of that scale. My lost time tended to be due to not taking enough care on leaving the control. This is probably my worst habit, which catches me out particularly on short legs: I like to re-locate when I am int the leg and they don't give me much opportunity to do so. Needless to say, one of my big errors was on the shortest leg, although I did get beside the feature first time (one of a group of 1.5m knolls) but could not identify that I was the wrong side of it to see the flag. Thankfully it did not lose me the race!

It was one of my happier journeys home, one that I may be pushed to repeat, although I should not be too far off the pace on the the Magilligan sand-dunes in Northern Ireland. I would certainly have kicked myself had John Tullie made 4 seconds less mistakes and am the first to acknowledge that neither Bilbo Bagness nor Tim Tett were competing - I would have been pushed to beat them, but neither finished M21E, which they had chosen to enter."

Charles

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