55th RODINGS RALLY (2011)  Report & Results

Saturday 19th/Sunday 20th November 2011

Dear Competitors

Thank you for entering the 55th Rodings Rally. By Friday 19^th November registration and payment for 91 teams had been received, with the possibility of a further 8 teams on the night. In all, 89 teams set off on what turned out to be a warm and pleasant evening, in direct contrast to the snow and bitter cold experienced at Rodings Rally 2010!

Teams entering the 10 checkpoint event are required to find nine checkpoints in the forest, and return to the final checkpoint at High Beach Village Hall within 8 hours. Just 14 teams (out of 46) achieved this within the time limit; congratulations to Suffoc who scampered round the course in 4 hours and 36 minutes, only 10 minutes ahead of the second placed Dartford Scouts team.

The 10 checkpoint group trophy (the 3 highest placed teams from the same organisation) was won this year by the Alchemists (aka Cockney Nimrods), snatched back from rivals Rayleigh Rockets. The 3 top placed Alchemists teams discovered a total of 30 checkpoints in 18 hours and 53 minutes.

The YHA trophy has been awarded since 2008 to the highest placed 10 checkpoint team from a YHA group, and yet again South Middlesex Local Group, whose team found all 10 checkpoints in 7 hours 11 minutes, take first place

The 5 checkpoint event, where teams were required to locate checkpoints 2, 4, 5 and 6, as well as the village hall, was won this year by Orion Harriers team “Regis, Dean & Stuart” in 2 hours and 39 minutes. Well done, on your achievement!  

 The 5 checkpoint group trophy (for the 3 highest placed teams from the same organisation competing in the 5 checkpoint event) goes to newcomers 41^st Epping Forest Scouts whose top 3 teams located 15 checkpoints in 17 hours and 5 minutes. Hot on their heels were Orion Harriers, who located 14 checkpoints in 15 hours 6 minutes.

 We have a new trophy this year, suggested and provided by longstanding RR competitors Rayleigh Rockets. They contacted us following last year’s event, and offered to supply a trophy to be awarded to the fastest team in the 5 checkpoint event in which the majority of members are aged under 20. The aim was to encourage a higher number of younger competitors to take part. After much discussion with Rayleigh Rockets, it was agreed that teams qualifying for this trophy could consist 0 or 1 members aged 20 or over; the remaining team members should be under 20 years. We are pleased to announce that the first winner of this trophy is DM Go Faster, a team from Danbury Mission. Well done! It was pleasing to see that 19 of the teams entering the 5CP event qualified as “young” teams, especially as we had no teams from East Barnet School this year. The teacher who had coordinated the entry of this school’s teams for many years has now retired, though still took part in RR with his wife, in the form of the team Huff n Puff – 2^nd in the 5CP event!.

Finally the Suffolk Orienteering Club trophy for “Best Endeavour” is awarded to the Night Squirrels. They were nominated by those manning the start, who on arriving at their allocated time, had to learn very quickly how to use map and compass, and were highly delighted to find checkpoint 1. Following the decision to award the trophy to this team we discovered that the Night Squirrels originate from Spain, Tajikistan & Ukraine. Well done all, and hope to  see you again at Rodings Rally 2012!

Trophy winners will be contacted shortly to confirm delivery arrangements.

 The results and solutions to the clues are enclosed with this report. We understand quite a few teams had difficulty with checkpoints 1 & 2. These were probably more difficult than usual for checkpoints at the beginning of the route. We are also aware that some teams felt there was some ambiguity in the clue for checkpoint 6. Clues are checked for their suitability every year by club members who have not been involved in the checkpoint plotting work, but this is not foolproof.

As stated on the Rodings Rally information sheet sent out with the entry form, 25p out of each competitor’s entry fee received is donated to charity. This year we will be donating at least £73, the specific charity to whom the donation is sent will be agreed at our AGM in January. Those of you who took part in the 2010 Rodings Rally may be interested to learn that a donation of £200 was made to Macmillan Nurses, and £100 to the Youth Scape Project (with some of this money being raised through Rodings Rally 2010).

 Hope you all had a good time and thanks to those of you for your comments after the event. Any feedback – good or bad – is welcome!

In recent years we have asked a competitor to write a piece for this report.  This year Gavin Jessup of Dartford Scouts has done the honours.

Rodings Rally – why Dartford Scouts keep coming back

Dartford Scouts having been participating in Rodings Rally for about the last 20 years with a small team of regulars and a number of members who have come and gone. The regulars are currently Andy, Martin, Robin, Edd and Gavin who have been joined for the last two years by Nick and Mark. I can't remember exactly how we first got involved but it was probably down to Andy who was our Venture Scout Leader at the time and who, over the years, has been responsible for introducing us to a fantastic range of activities – thanks Andy.

In the early years we struggled with both the clues and finding the checkpoints and whilst the latter is still a bit hit or miss we have certainly got a bit better at the event as the years have gone by, although the legs seem to ache more and more each year. Over the years the weather has been quite varied but one year sticks out with sheet ice all over the course – but don't ask me which year that was! I'm probably tempting fate here but I don't really remember that much rain! One thing that has been noticeable over the years is the improvement in torch technology. You can be faced with some incredibly bright lights running towards you and amazing sights of hillsides lit up with searchlights searching in all directions. 

This year saw our teams, the hares (Edd, Nick, Mark and Gavin) and the tortoises (Andy, Martin and Robin), complete the 10CP course which is always satisfying (and unusual for us!).  It was a fantastic night for the rally with firm conditions under foot, a pleasant temperature for mid November (much warmer than last year!) and, at times, a fantastic star lit sky, although the fog was getting denser as we finished - I hope it didn't affect the later teams too much. It was fantastic to see so many young people out on the course this year. I think Rodings Rally is a really good way to improve navigation skills and compete in a challenging event.

So why do we keep coming back? I guess it must be the challenge. It can be the most frustrating of events as you think you are going well and then you get stuck at a checkpoint and can suddenly find you have been there for two hours, searching an ever increasing patch of ground with your eyes trying to convince yourself that the nearby uprooted tree looks like a tent. This becomes more and more frustrating as teams come and go leaving you to continue to search knowing you can't be that far away. I've spent 4 hours of my life searching a particular area without finding that illusive two man tent (we only later found out that on one of the two occasions the checkpoint wasn't actually there although we were in good company in the HUGE SHOE!). Every year we struggle with one or more of the clues and this year’s was CP2 - raptor’s lair. When we arrived in the area of the CP we thought we had got the clue wrong as there wasn’t another soul in sight – fortunately it was there!

If you have just finished your first rally and wondering whether you will be back – go on you know you can do even better next year. It really does become quite addictive – even if the frustration of those illusive checkpoints drives you potty. Something you will realise is you need a phrase to alert the rest of the team you have found the checkpoint. If you hear an unexpected phrase in future events you’re probably not too far away from the checkpoint!      

On behalf of all the competitors we would like to say a massive thank you to everyone at Epping Forest Outdoor Group who, year after year, produce a brilliantly organised event. It clearly takes a lot of organisation from a dedicated team before, during and after the event. I particularly take my hat off to the mad bunch of individuals who are happy to sit in a tent all night listening to frustrated competitors trying to find them but never giving away their location (I've tried to get a response on many occasions). So to everyone involved – thank you so much for giving up your time to put on this quite unique event - Gavin Jessup – Dartford Scouts 

For more feedback from competitors, click here

Rodings Rally 2012 will take place on the weekend of Saturday 17th / Sunday 18th November, pending permission from the Conservators of Epping Forest.

Ann Lowther & Sue Stirling,

on behalf of Epping Forest Outdoor Group

LOST PROPERTY

Please take a few minutes to read the lost property list below. If any of these items belongs to you or one of your team mates please email Ann & Duncan Lowther: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with a brief description, or ring 020 8508 0874. Any property unclaimed after 3 months will be donated to a local charity shop

Various odd gloves and mittens

1 fleece waistcoat/gilet,

1 Scarf

1 waistcoat, number 23^rd inked on back

1 Map case + contents

1 pr size 8 Berghaus boots (a competitor has lost a similar pair of size 10/11 boots, and we think that these were taken, and the size 8s were left behind in error)

55th RODINGS RALLY - Saturday 19^th / Sunday 20^th November 2011

CLUE SOLUTIONS - 10 checkpoint event

(correct grid references are in bold)

Checkpoints, normally small tents, must be found in the order given. Of the three grid references given for any clue, only one is correct; the answer is deduced by referring to clue, map and general knowledge.

GOOD LUCK!

TEA POINT 7780 1895 (closes 5am)

Free tea/coffee/cold drinks available; hot dogs, chocolate bars for sale

FINAL CHECKPOINT AT HIGH BEACH VILLAGE HALL  - 7685 2035

Ten Checkpoint Event 

                                             Five Checkpoint Event 

 Best Groups (Ten Checkpoint Event)

 Best Groups (Five Checkpoint Event)

Best YHA Groups

Best Endeavour (Suffoc Trophy)

The Rockets Challenge