Source: Bristol Orienteering Klub - first published on the British Orienteering website on 7 March 2019.
British Orienteering is supporting International Women's Day (Sunday 8 March 2019).
International Women’s Day is a worldwide event that celebrates women’s achievements.
We three ladies “would encourage even more women to take on the roles of race officials.”
Check out this report by Carol Iddles, Katy Dyer and Diana Nicholl (Bristol Orienteering Klub).
The all-female team of Organiser, Planner and Controller from Bristol Orienteering Klub officiated a Level C race at Black Down, Mendip Hills. This was a first?!
Planner’s view – Carol Iddles (Bristol Orienteering Klub), said:
The sticking point came in finding an Organiser. Fortunately for Bristol Orienteering Klub, Diana Nicoll, a relatively new member then, came forward. She lacked experience but was well-organised and her career used the skills needed. She quickly did the Organisers’ course and the Event Safety workshop. With Katy’s immense organising skills I knew she would keep Diana up to speed.
We met three times as a team during the lead-up period and worked extremely well together. Supporting, helping and reminding each other. Diana’s organisation was superb, before and on the day.
The day itself was wall-to-wall sunshine. The ground at the top of the hill dried up, and the courses were extremely runnable. The views were amazing! Black Down was at its best.
The longer courses could have been longer in hindsight, but I avoided the areas of bramble and gorse as much as possible. All the comments I heard that day were positive, people appreciated how much work goes into a race, I believe. Thank you to all the many helpers from Bristol Orienteering Klub who made this possible. Thank you to Trevor Crowe for the many updates to the map he made on his own initiative as Katy and I discovered new pits and paths. Thank you especially to Katy for her support and advice.”
Controller’s view – Katy Dyer (Bristol Orienteering Klub), said:
Carol had already considered a possible Start and Finish and in the absence of an Organiser we met up to sort out the car parking and Assembly area. Our best choice was to use the elevated land south of Black Down and we found a long cul-de-sac lane for car parking and the potential of a barn at the nearby farm for Assembly. Black Down is very exposed to the winds and rain of the Bristol Channel and any shelter for everyone is welcome.
Carol had now persuaded Diana Nicholl (Bristol Orienteering Klub) to join us as the Event Organiser. Both Carol and I have a considerable amount of experience as orienteers and officials, both here and abroad and we offered Diana the mentoring and support she would need for this event. Carol began planning her courses: White, Yellow, Orange, Light Green, Short Green, Green and Blue. Carol’s courses started to begin to take good shape and we were within the agreed timetable. Over the next few weeks, Carol tweaked the courses, retagged and together we revisited disputed sites. The Orange and Light Green courses proved to be a problem and they were the subject of much discussion.
The actual race day was a controller’s dream; all went very well with really good weather and over 270 runners participated. I was pleased with the results and the good comments we received. There were some short times but in bad weather, especially fog, some of those speedy times could well have been longer. The foraging animals left the overnight controls alone except for one which I had to replant early in the morning! I am pleased we had so many young runners and also a good number of older orienteers who are returning to the sport. Standing at the Finish was an excellent opportunity for me to talk with runners and spectators, who were almost all pleased with their courses."
Organiser’s view – Diana Nicoll (Bristol Orienteering Klub), said:
I found the thought of being the Organiser more daunting than actually doing it. I think it is key is to have good support from your Planner and Controller and to start organising well before the event. Bristol Orienteering Klub’s Organiser Manual was very helpful for getting my head around all the different things that need to be thought about. It felt like getting a lot of plates spinning and then keeping them up there! I made a plan of what needed to be done and then chipped away at the tasks. The input of the Planner and Controller is critical to keeping you on track.
The day itself was long and tiring but I really enjoyed it. It went really smoothly and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. I think we made a really good team!”
We three ladies “would encourage even more women to take on the roles of race officials.”
Are you interested in orienteering, but don’t know enough about the sport?
This set of Frequently Asked Questions will help you find out more.
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International Women's Day (IWD) provides an important moment to showcase commitment to women's equality, launch new initiatives and action, celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness, highlight gender parity gains and more.
The day is celebrated and supported globally by industry, governments, educational institutions, community groups, professional associations, women's networks, charities and non-profit bodies, the media and more.
Collectively every person and all groups can make a difference within their sphere of influence by taking concrete action to help build a more gender-equal world. From small powerful grassroots gatherings to large-scale conference and events - International Women's Day is celebrated everywhere. It's a big day for inspiration and change.
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#IWD2020 #EachforEqual
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