Link to results:
https://www.sportident.co.uk/results/OD/2019/CoventryWeekend/
PDFs of the results:
Link to routegadget for both races:
https://www.od.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#56
https://www.od.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#57
Link to winsplits for both races:
http://obasen.orientering.se/winsplits/online/en/default.asp?page=classes&databaseId=63439
http://obasen.orientering.se/winsplits/online/en/default.asp?page=classes&databaseId=63440
Organiser's comments:
The University of Warwick sprints went very well which was purely down to the tremendous support and flexibility of everyone helping on the day so the first, and most important thing that I want to say in these comments, is thank you to everyone who helped on the day. You had to overcame the many normal challenges faced when putting on a big event and even the new ones that were especially conjured up for us on the day. I have received quite a few compliments on your behalf for putting on a great event and weekend overall.
I would like to add a special thank you to Anne and Bruce for the great courses planned on an excellent map. As you can probably guess, having seen all the construction work underway, Bruce was making lots of last-minute mapping changes, including one just before the maps went to print on Wednesday which also necessitated Anne changing the finish on the Race 2 courses. I am not sure how Anne managed to produce such good courses with all the limitations of the many building sites but, she did. Looking at the results, the courses certainly required the exercise of one of the first skills we all learned – check your control number! Perhaps especially when the demands of a fast and furious sprint race provide a temptation to cut corners.
The event was also a trial of the latest SI air technology which we were all learning on the job. It went like a dream, perhaps helped by having SI support on site. To date, I am not aware of a single kit or dibber failure. Beforehand, I was a little concerned about everything I had heard about the challenges of using the wireless SI controls and the hassle entailed. In the event, from an organisers perspective, they were just put out as normal, dibbed and then not touched again. We did not have to do anything else to them so, for us, it was no more difficult than using EMIT. It is interesting to note that 72% of pre-entrants already had their own SIAC dibber. We also used SI entries and SI results as part of the trial. These both worked perfectly as well, although being a web based service and a software package, it was not something an organiser could really evaluate. However, in particular, SI entries is intuitively easy to understand and use and I found it beneficial, as an organiser, to have an up to the second view of entries, income, and the ability to directly contact people from the system. I have not used Fabian4 as an organiser and so cannot offer a comparison. Our IT team got a closer look at SI results and will have a better qualified opinion on that.
It was also a trial of the club running a two race sprint competition as part of a weekend of orienteering. On reflection, it does not seem to be the most practical combination as it places heavy time demands on helpers, particularly when they have got to do it all again the next day. My conclusion is that a two race sprint event is better done as a stand-alone event or as part of a weekend of orienteering where other clubs are organising different days.
Keith