Rosie wins EAOA Championship 2010
15th March 2010
Congratulations to Rosie Shaw for winning her class at the East Anglian Championships at Donylands, Colchester on Sunday.
Grade 3 Planners Course
17th February 2010
EAOA are holding a course for people new to planning orienteering courses. It is aimed at people with limited experience who have not attended a formal course. The two-day course will cover the BOF grade-3 planner's syllabus and is aimed at anyone who wishes to plan local orienteering events like Keyne-O.
The committee is always pleased to have more members who can plan, so will pay towards course fees on the understanding that at least a Keyne-O is planned.
You don't need any formal training or qualification to plan a course, but many planners got started after a course like this one. This will give any orienteer with experience of Light Green or above, the confidence to plan an event, and is aimed at those new to planning. Some knowledge of orienteering and an understanding of the colour coded system used for courses would be useful. Experience of competing at events on courses at Light Green standard or above is sufficient for acquiring this knowledge.
Interested? More details available here.
Roger Williams gets his one hour of fame
20th August 2009
You may not be aware of the One and Other Art Project which involves standing on the vacant 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square for one hour. Roger entered the draw to stand on the plinth and his number has come up Roger will be standing on The Plinth from 02:00 to 03:00 on Saturday 29th August 2009
You can see what is up there and saying about Roger by looking at – Roger’s Plinth Profile. If you are going to pledge to watch then consider having an “Icon” in jpeg form to add at the right point as it will add some variety from the Standard “Thumbs Up” icon.
Please support Roger. Good luck!
Keith Downing awarded the Bill Stevens Trophy
19th July 2009
When we formed SMOC in 1987 most of us had only competed in one or two events and therefore the experience of Roger Cole, Stan Holroyd and Keith Downing was essential. Keith became our first secretary, edited the newsletter (and wrote most of it).
We learned that Keith had orienteered since 1967 as a school boy using photocopied ordnance survey maps on which he failed to copy his course, but still managed to come third by following. Most of us don't follow that well! Keith obviously had a spirit of adventure as he went on to orienteer across England, and by the time SMOC had formed, across Europe. I can remember being very impressed that somebody should travel all the way to Estonia to get lost in a forest.
From memory and a skim through old SMOC Signals, as well as being secretary and newsletter editor, Keith has been our club chairman as well as organising and planning more club O events than I could account for, most noticeably planning the 2006 British Sprint Orienteering Championship. He was on the earliest mapping groups, helped organise and participated in the first Greensand team for the Club. He has encouraged lesser orienteers to spread their wings and go to the Scottish 6 day, Keith has always been willing to step into the breach and has the honour of being the only person to have been SMOC's chair more than once.
Keith has just been awarded the Bill Stevens Trophy. This is given each year to somebody deemed to have made a significant contribution to the East Anglian Orienteering Association. Keith's contribution goes back 21 years to when he became SMOC's first representative on the EAOA committee. With just a short break he has continued to do this task and contribute to EAOA ever since, in particular as Secretary for 6 years until he stood down at the AGM this year. However, his contribution has gone far beyond this. As well as organising and planning SMOC events, Keith has been a very reliable and prolific controller in the region.
Congratulations, Keith, on being awarded the trophy. SMOC can't think of a more deserving orienteer!
Written by Rachel Thomas and Colin NicholsonSMOC success at Springtime in Shropshire
28th May 2009
SMOC members had some excellent performances at SINS this year. Of the six SMOCies who competed on all three days, three were second overall in their classes: Rosie Shaw (W55S), Karen Vines (W40S) and Steve Hardy (M55S). The final day was particularly strong with Rosie coming second and Karen and Steve winning their classes, Karen by a substantial margin.
Also worth a mention is Richard Pownall's excellent run on Sunday (he only did the one day) where he came 4th on M50L on the tricky terrain of Brown Clee.
Congratulations to all!
Springtime in Shropshire is three days of orienteering set in the countryside of Shropshire on the last May bank holiday. See the full results and more details about SinS here.
EAOA Championship Winners 2009
28th February 2009
Congratulations to James Nisbet and Mike Jones for winning their classes at the East Anglian Championships at Silverstone in February.
Robert Dove wins the Chichester Trophy
April 2007
The British Orienteering AGM was this year held at the JK. A few SMOC people attended (well John, Rosie, Karen and Steve, let's not overdo it) and the undoubted highlight was Robert Dove receiving the Chichester Trophy.
The Trophy is awarded annually for the best amateur cartography. Robert received the award for the map of Campbell Park which we used when SMOC hosted the 2006 British Sprint Championships. The map itself is a model of clarity but it was also the first time that the new international Sprint symbols were used in Great Britain and Robert put a lot of work into their implementation.
Unfortunately there is no award for legwork but we shouldn't overlook the work also put into revising the map by John Lewis.
The trophy itself is both interesting and appropriate. It is the compass from Gipsy Moth, the yacht in which Sir Francis Chichester made the first single handed circumference of the globe.