OPINION
Water on Courses some thoughts from John Colls* and Geoff Peck*
[*This article is a result of Geoff and John chewing the fat in Queensland during the recent Australian Championships carnival, reviewing evolution in the O-world since they first got into it in Scotland more than 40 years ago. Geoff was the first Brit to break into the world elite of Scandinavians and central Europeans back in the 1970s: he has been at the pointy end of the sport ever since. John was instrumental in setting up the Scottish 6 Days in 1976 and regularly controls one of its race-days, facing issues of scale and complexity that are unknown here in Australia. For example, coping with 500 competitors sounds easy enough – but that’s just on the String Course!!] We doubt that any experienced orienteer would challenge Andy Hogg’s basic premise (Letters; AO-September ‘08) about the importance of having water available on courses to help heat-stressed competitors.
In conditions which were hotter and more humid than found at most Australian events, organisers of the World Masters in Portugal chose to site water points at convenient, accessible positions. Each was manned by an army cadet with a radio link to base. Medical trucks were similarly positioned.
28 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER DECEMBER 2008
