Kames SoSOL Organiser's and Controller's report
Organiser's Report
A good day seemed to be had by all, helped by the weather. An attempt to change the date of the event was made at the beginning of the year because of an unexpected clash with the Coasts and Islands on Coll and the VHI however this proved harder than expected with other Orienteering clashes but also in terms of the availability of the car park. Terry's offer to help to put out controls allowed this to go ahead and Phil had to pray to the Calmac gods to ensure he was back on the mainland for Sunday, which he was.
The area required more visits than expected by the Planner, Controller, Mapper and Organiser because of the terrain but also because the map was originally created in 2015 from photogrammetric data. There is still no LiDAR data available.
The entries were slow and by Sunday evening, the closing date, Ayroc decided to extend this by a day to allow more people to enter. Thanks to all who did so possibly chivied on by Irina or Terry. We had 68 entries for the event.
Despite the many holes and tussocks there were no First Aid Incidents so the Cherrys had a quiet day.
A few people were held up on the A70 because of an accident so the starts closed a bit later than planned, this did not hold up the control collection and all was completed by not long after the courses were due to close. Thanks to those who collected controls.
Thanks to all AYROC Members who helped on the day and on the lead up, especially Phil for Planning, David for Mapping and setting the maps. Thanks to Terry for being Controller but also taking on some planning duties and to Gerry and Blair for helping to put out controls.
Controller's Report
It was a pleasure to be able to assist AYROC deliver this event at Kames which had to overcome a few hurdles as I hope will be explained. My thanks go to Blair and Gerry who assisted the setting up on the Saturday pm.
Kames is a challenging area both demanding technically and physically for our sport and the open nature of the terrain could have been an issue but we were blessed with a decent day. The dry summer period also helped improve runnability. Phil's decision to shorten the Brown and Blue by removing dead running legs was the correct approach as the results support.
Since being used as part of the SoSOL 2015 Series, the water features have expanded in places. We managed in identify some but not all of the changes and David updated these areas.
In reshaping the courses to avoid the worst 'bog', Control 69 was added after my final visit and it wasn't until placing controls on the Saturday pm that I discovered that the uncrossable marsh should have been extended further north adjacent and beyond the site mentioned above.
To assist I did insert a short taped channel on the ground which was at a less wet crossing zone. Apologies to anyone who sank when crossing.
The smallish entry was frustrating but this is the reality our sport faces in 2026. The Orienteering Community is numerically small and shrinking even more.
Sheelagh as a relatively inexperienced Organiser covered all the bases regarding permissions for access,obtained a great parking area and managed her fellow AYROC members with confidence and efficiency. Your thanks should go to Phil, Sheelagh and David for their industry and commitment for delivering a successful event.