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OUT OF BOUNDS
– What do these words mean?
A tirade from a cranky Controller! - Kathy Liley, Yarra Valley OC
We’ve just had the Melbourne Sprint Weekend. 6 Sprint events on great areas – most of them on private property. And now we’re planning Sprints for the AUS Championships Carnival. What assurances can we give to land managers that their gardens won’t be trashed? What assurances can we give to your fellow competitors that walls/fences that are marked as ‘uncrossable’ will remain barriers to all to ensure a fair competition? We have mapping conventions. All those who enter these events should be familiar with the common symbols: olive green (Mapping symbol 520) defined as “An area that shall not be entered”; very dark green (symbol 411) defined as “Uncrossable vegetation”; Solid thick line (symbols 515 and 518) – the fence might not have tags - defined as “Uncrossable wall”, or “Uncrossable fence or railing”. Now you might be very tall or agile and can easily jump the feature; Or small and hardy and can easily force your way through that hedge; Or sight-disabled and not easily seeing the prominent olive green on the map. We know that sometimes gardens are not very wide, and the mapping conventions and paper size don’t allow for a very wide stripe of olive green on the map. We know that the thickness of planting might offer some very tempting gaps through which the control can be seen. But you managed to navigate your way this far – before you plough through that garden, just check the map …… Some instances from MSW: • A solid black-line fence on the map. Everyone else is running around to get to the control behind it. But one orienteer sees that there is a closed gate: it’s only secured by a movable pull-up ground latch. Hey! That’s not
‘uncrossable’ !!! • An olive green colour on the map covers the hedge-like vegetation which is wide enough for an internal pathway and additional width. The control is on that internal pathway. But rather than run an extra 10m or so, one orienteer shoulders forcefully through the hedge. • We realise that a slightly-sparse garden should have been marked with out-of-bounds tape. By this time we only had enough tape to extend halfway along – but the map clearly shows olive green the full length. Does our reminder-tape deter those determined to ignore the rules? Oh no - some were even seen to lift the tape to run through. If it doesn’t go the full length of the garden, the organisers can’t have been too worried about this bit! Do you really expect the organisers to put out-of-bounds tape around every olive green feature? And along every wall/fence marked as ‘uncrossable’? (If you do, I hope you will forego your run and volunteer to spend hours assisting with this next time your club is organising a similar event). Sometimes ‘uncrossable’ features are manufactured to enhance the route choice options. Why are you here if not to accept the navigational challenge presented by the map and course setter and to perform at your best against your peers in the given circumstances? We can’t guard every garden and every closed gate in the fence that is mapped as uncrossable. We rely on competitors’ integrity and good will. What will you do in your next Sprint event?
