(This event was used as a practice run for the emit/SI combined software used for the results at the British Champs the following week; with it being a bit experimental there may be an omission or two and we do not have split times.)
Organiser's Comments:
I hope you enjoyed the Dick Amour memorial event at Drumashie. Despite a gloomy weather forecast we had a great turnout with 139 entries. We raised £472 in entry fees and a further £188 in donations which will be donated to Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland and Search and Rescue Dog Association. Thank you Mike Walker, INVOC (SARDA) and Mike Rodgers, MOR (RAF Kinloss rescue co-ordination centre) for arranging for representatives of both organisations to attend today's event, and for the helicopter fly past.
Many thanks to Ray Walder and Ken Naismith, planner and controller respectively, for arranging today's courses and for assisting on the day and thanks to Keith Slater for the EMIT computing (using SI software as a trial run for next week's British Champs!).
I was in the fortunate (and unusual) position of having more offers of help than I required! This is very encouraging especially as some of today's helpers are relatively new members of INVOC and they said they found the experience enjoyable and a great way to get to know other members.
Thanks to the Start team of John Colls, Amanda Smith and Tim and Adrienne Sowood and to the car parking/tent erecting team of David Summers, Val Springett, Jonathan Warde and Meryl Marshall.
Registration was very ably manned by Ake and Pauline Inghammar and Marsela and Allan McLeod.
Many thanks to the control collecting team of Dave Cummins (who came to Drumashie just to collect controls!), Bob Daly and Robert Hickling of GRAMP, June and Laura Teesdale, John Colls and Mike Atherton. Apologies to those who offered to collect controls that I had to turn away - there will be plenty of opportunity for other Organisers to avail themselves of your services at future events.
Thanks to Sue Nicolson for providing assistance to the juniors and newcomers and to Elaine Jones and others for helping dissemble registration etc.
It makes a huge difference to an Organiser to have so many willing helpers so again thanks to you all.
Iain Shepherd
Planner's Comments:
It was a privilege to be asked to plan Dick's memorial event and it was great that so many of you turned out to support it. With sunshine, hail, lightning and thunder plus a Search and Rescue helicopter flypast, I think there was something for everyone!
Drumashie has a fine variety of terrain for the longer courses and provides superb views when you have the time to enjoy them. Regeneration of the gorse necessitated a long taped route on brown and blue but I think it was worth it to give runners a chance to experience the area north of the wee road that bisects Drumashie. There were few DNFs and most people seemed to enjoy themselves which is what makes a planner happy.
I am indebted to Patrick for test running the brown and putting the courses onto OCAD; to Ken for his advice as controller and to Iain and Joanna Shepherd who helped to put out controls. Iain, in particular, deserves your appreciation for his thorough organisation and his hard work in creating parkable areas beside the track where few, if any, existed a week before.
Ray Walder