Saturday musings at the Team Trials from a Start Official Perspective
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Topic created by BRycharski on Sun May 27, 2018 at 11:07 amPay it forward . report on musings from a meet volunteer saturday 26 May 2018I was glad to volunteer ever since Greg Balter proposed this A event (In January) with DVOA member support This is the behind the scenes report for DVOA NEWCOMERS to understand all the volunteer effort that goes on to create an A meet (+ hence they might want to attend the next ones in the months to come). Ref In IMO a normal local O meet 6 to ten individuals with a minimum of 4 persons can run an O meet. In this O meet I hazard a guess that 35 to 40 volunteers stepped forward (Saturday) to man registration, start and results/other taskers (like Control Flag set out and recall in).Thank you to all the meet volunteers, this is a incomplete DVOA list but these managers/vols are real good at producing a fine Orienteering meetEvent Directors (DVOA): Ann Paul, Gregory Balter
Registrar: Wyatt Riley
Westmoreland Sanctuary Middle course setter: Andis Vitolins
Mountain Lakes Relays course setter: Greg Balter
Mountain Lakes Long course setter: Niels Lyng Olsen
Results: Valerie Meyer
Starts: Ron Wood (there are more but thats for later post)Observations: I arrive at Westmoreland Parksaturday morning early, only the Franks and Tom Overbaugh and a few others (Valerrie? were there seting up tables and starting set up of a few finish line tarps. I eventually meet up with Ron Wood's start crew and we grab a wheel barrow and I take the empty plastic map boxes down from the meet HQ to a particular rock wall where the alledged start triangle is. There Ron W sets up the 4 ribboned start call up lines:dot point Obs : 1) we start by organizing all start supplies (Clocks, map box, cards, water/cups at start, team trial maps, A meet maps, chairs for workers, I and Mary Frank take charge of Start List for paper trail of who is assigne what start times (check list format). All other workers seem to know what they want to do, Ed sets up the clocks and a radio control start relay box, another person orgs the water supply, other DVOA members (and Rick from ROC) pick there station and jobs and start manning there Start Lines. May Frank checks status ( team vs pre-starters) someone meets Greg B and fetches his A meet course maps from his car. then we wait. Some one ribbons the trail route up to the start triangle2) FIrst Ed briefs us on special Team trial procedures.3) Linda and Rob pre start. then the very first US team members show up (you can in general tell by the various US team logos/shirts)4) we make sure we professionally start the team trial members in silence (like no questions except to verify they are trial participants (vs pre starters), and they skip (do not punch) the last start line e punch box)5) I note all US team members are in general very intense, ready to go, and about 30% wanted to know where the start triangle 'is' or do they need to write there names on the back of the map (no answer, sorry). 10 % of the team tries to pick up there map out of the wrong map boxes, but Rick personally hands there correct Blue or Red map in silence to them at the last start clock BEEP. (20 minutes after the team members left start, the O big clock malfuncitions (poor or low charge batteries (not sure)), good this Ed brought a 2nd back up clock]6) then we repeat calll up for the various starters - after 45 minutes of this (trialers starts), the regular A meet starters, absent til then, start showing up. I start about 30 minutes of A meet workers, then at some point two other volunteers offer to replace and release me from further duty (and others I note were swiching with other start vols). Well organized DVOA system, it works... I stay On duty after the first request, then 10 minutes later I accept the 2nd persons relief offer at start line offer and hand over the clipboard.Congrats to the Event director, Gregory... of this Westchester A - O meet - Congrats to my fellow meet workers.7) I leave and get ready for my start, I have lunch first at my car.Bee, Beep, Beep, beep .... BEEP!! turn over your map, the Start - triangle control is up the trail a bit. get started, hope this helps. -
Reply by Guy-O on Sun May 27, 2018 at 11:36 pmWhy the silent treatment for Team Trial-ers?
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Reply by BRycharski on Mon May 28, 2018 at 6:06 pmGuy, It was relayed to me by Mr R Woods thats how they do it, minimal speaking, and also answer no questions. For example, Rick was asked what scale was the map, and also where is the start Triangle, his pat and always same answer, " I can not answer that." for the record, small slips by me occured (please clear and check again sir... ), I was reminded a couple of times by the more seasoned start crew members to not talk to the team trialers. they are supposed to know the procedures and small talk might distract them or even worse, might cause a wrong map (rare) to be given or create course issue later by accident. Leave it as they are O "professionals", they should know this trial is serious and the meet workers will not answer event questions at the start lines, much too late for chit chat. IMO
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Reply by Guy-O on Tue May 29, 2018 at 6:34 pmSeems strange, since I never heard of the practice before -- and there was nothing in the event bulletins about it. The only restriction mentioned was that start times could not be changed.When HVO hosted Team Trials in 2011 -- and I was ED -- I do not recall any mention of minimal interaction at the start. Perhaps it's just a DVOA thing...
