Chris Wright

At the AGM of our Orienteering club last week (as part of the follow up to a motion last year on increasing membership and participation) we had a 'brainstorming' session. And there was one comment made which struck a cord with me - Orienteering should be enjoyable!! (picture of the author in a fell race with a big silly grin on his face!) Now what one person calls 'enjoyable' is not necessarily exactly what another would list, and it very much depends one each persons' perspective. For instance, a long way to the start for one person is ideal for a thorough warm up. For the younger and older participants, it might be as long as their course, so might seriously increase the physical challenge to their limits. And for parents with split start times, it can be very difficult. From my own family experience, a long walk to the start can sometimes mean we just don't go to the event. Some people like a good physical challenge - lots of climb or rough underfoot - the e

Back in the Spring, I planned the courses for our club's annual Regional (Badge) event. The venue was Coate Moor, one of the Cleveland Hills which rise sharply up from the Tees Valley plain to over 1000ft. As the area includes grouse shooting moors, and lots of bracken, it is only available in February and March. I had done some scouting around the area whilst planning a sprint race, so had some basic ideas about the courses. The mapper was plugging away. Time constraints meant that my main planning visits were set for the Xmas/New Year period. But at the beginning of December, it snowed. And it continued to snow. And the snow stayed. Right through to the end of February - 3 weeks before the event! So the controller and I did all of our work in the last few weeks before the event - no time to test run courses, just get the sites tagged and agreed. Tagging was done with 6 inches of snow on much of the area, and two weeks before the event we had to hurriedly leave the area in a hails

Whilst doing some sorting out at home, I came across some of my old training diaries. The spring of 1983 appears to have been the time for some serious mileage, with 3 weeks at 70 miles +. One week I appear to have been determined to break the 80 mile barrier. I was staying in Newcastle on study leave from work, so was able to get out twice a day (just to clear the mind, of course! ). This is how the week 21 to 27 March 1983 went: Monday - pm Jesmond, Heaton, Town Moor 6.75 miles Tuesday - am Town Moor, Jesmond Dene 6.5 miles - pm as above 6.75 miles - total for day 13.5 miles Wednesday - as Tuesday - total for day 13.5 miles Thursday - as Tuesday - total for day 13.5 miles Friday - am Town Moor, Jesmond Dene - 6.5 miles Saturday - Guisborough Woods, Codhill to Belmangate - 6.75 miles Sunday - am Orienteering race at Hovingham - 5 miles + warm up and down - 7 miles THEN Sunday pm - York Run (Half Marathon - 74.30!) - 13.1 miles + warm up - 14 miles - total for day - 21 m

One thing I'll remember 2009 for were the lights. The years' highlight outdoor concert was Jools Holland at Ripley Castle near Harrogate - which ended with a great firework display over the lake. And then there was 'Odin's Glow' - an incredibly ambitious project based around Roseberry Topping and the village of Newton-under-Roseberry. But perhaps best of all was 'Lumiere' in Durham - a great evening out and about the old part of the city - including a very crowded Palace Green to watch a 'son et lumiere' production projected onto the face of the cathedral - amazing!