Overland 27th Jan 2008
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Overland 27th Jan 2008 |
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To give you a very rough idea of how your teams are performing so far, please see the attached average speed calculations from today's hike. The average speeds are calculated in kilometres per hour (kmh) and are based on the times that I think you returned to the finish (some of which may be a few minutes late). To put these numbers into context, the target speed between individual checkpoints (i.e. the minimum speed needed to gain maximum hike points) is 3 miles per hour (= 4.8 kmh). Those teams which were approaching this speed as an average for the whole day are therefore doing very well indeed! Other teams are also generally doing OK since, in the competition, it is only the speed between checkpoints which needs to be this fast. Allowing for rests at checkpoints (including the time taken to do the incidents in the competition itself), the overall average target speed is 2.4 kmh (i.e. 15 miles in the maximum time of 10 hours on the first day of the hike), which almost all of the teams achieved today. There is no room for complacency however, since all teams need to be walking comfortably inside these limits by the end of the training programme, to provide a margin for errors in navigation: - Walking very fast in the wrong direction is, of course, no good at all and, although it didn't happen today, it frequently does happen to the fastest teams. Where this occurs, it is usually much easier and a lot more effective to improve map reading skills than to go even faster! This was a little challenging, the start was at Eastbourne GR 5907, 0026. The various teams visited the various checkpoints in different orders, the final details were not given out until the teams set off. That way there was no chance of the teams following each other (at least, not if they wanted to avoid going wrong!), and it encouraged a bit more attention being given to map reading than was evident with one or two of the teams the previous week! All of this is especially appropriate in the "Jevington Triangle" area which has always proved something of a navigational challenge in previous years, for reasons that I have never fathomed out. To make this idea work, and to add a bit of fun, you will the checkpoints and via points are not numbered but are named after places in the general area of the 'Bermuda Triangle' (which presumably was named after the original Jevington area); Antigua, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, Texas, Mexico, Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados. When the teams check in next Sunday I will give each of them a specific route through the area, and it will be up to the leaders/ parents who are shadowing each team to make sure they follow the particular route that they have been allocated. Those leaders / parents will each get a laminated printout with their team's route shown on the reverse. For all except the most experienced teams, the route will be more or less 14km in length. Please could you make sure that all of your teams are fully equipped in accordance with the kit list in the training brochure, which means (among other things) that there needs to be one copy of the latest edition of the 1:25,000 OS map (sheet 123) for each pair of Scouts, with additional copies for leaders. Under no circumstances should the teams be allowed to navigate from the attached file instead of the proper OS Map. Please could you also ensure that parent helpers have appropriate clothing and footwear (I noticed at least one pair of jeans and a few pairs of trainers amongst the dads last week ... they should be advised that these are not appropriate). If you have any queries about any of this, please give me a call / email before Tuesday, after which I will be back up in Yorkshire. Otherwise I will see you at the Start at 9:00am next Sunday morning. Cheers Alan  All the Overland photos can be viewed here Please note, this link will take you to the 1st Crowborough Website where you may experience strange audio-visual sensations. ....You have been warned! (:-) | ||||||||
