24th-27th April 2020
The sprint focused weekend was the second competition Lockdown Orienteering has organised, just 2 weeks after the first.
Again 500 participants took part but this time from 30 countries across the globe which aims to provide a bit of orienteering fun in these difficult times. This time there were again 2 categories: a 10 stage and 7 stage competition. Some of the stages were new and others favourites from the Easter Champs.
One of the stages was planned by 2 time Sprint World Champion Emil Wingstedt and another by the World Champs 2022 planner Graeme Ackland which provided some fun but at times very challenging courses.
Malthe Poulsen of Denmark was victorious in both the 10 stage and 7 stage competitions with second place going again to the Frenchman Theo Fleurent in both competitions. In the 10 stage third went to Marian Basset of France and in the 7 stage to Andrew Stemp of Airenteers of the UK. You can check out the results on our new results system.
There was also a knock out sprint competition in Catching Features. Eight started the final and at half way Thierry Gueorgiou had a good lead but a big mistake saw him past by several of the other competitors with Gustav Runefors of Sweden able to take the win. He follows fellow countryman Casper Skeep who won the Easter Champs mass start final race. Unfortunately technical problems made the livestream a less fun watch than previous but you can rewatch the action here.
The competition was donating some of the proceeds to the development of orienteering in South Africa and we were fortunate to use some maps from there during the competition.
So what were the 12 Stages to the competition?
Day 1
Stage 1: Course Choice – simulating one of the new international knock out sprint formats.
Stage 2: Catching Features: Round 1 – sprint around Limpopo University in South Africa.
Day 2
Stage 3: Street View Orienteering – Around the University of Britsol
Stage 4: Rapid Route Game – Using a JWOC 2020 Training Map
Stage 5: Orienteering Maps Memory Game – Using a variety of maps in Israel
Stage 6: Catching Features: Round 2
Day 3
Stage 7: The Maze – Course around Laby
Stage 8: Jigsaw – Of a map in South Africa
Stage 5: RouteChoiceGame – 40 control – left or right shortest?
Stage 10: Catching Features: Round 3 – Forest/Park Sprint in Clyne Gardens in Wales
For further information of the stages please visit the competitor information for each day here. In some of the stages you still have a go yourself to see how you would have got on (or to try again 😉 ).
Want to thank those people who made it happen. James and Simon Errington for creating the results website in a week. Ben Brown for creating Course Choice and Rapid Route Games for this weekend. Anne Edwards for getting the website content into better shape. Color for spending a LOT of time on the Catching Features maps. Graham Gristwood for planning Course Choice stage and Emil Wingstedt for the Rapid Route course. Hector, Katherine, Craig and Brad for their livestream work. Plus the Catching Features Knock Out hosts.
What next? Lockdown continues so we will continue to provide orienteering related competitions you can do from your sofa! See the main page for further info on what’s planned.
Chris
Lockdown Orienteering 