We have a number of ideas to keep you all fit and interested in orienteering during the current lack of competitive events.
Turfing challenge match against PFO! We have been challenged to a competition using the gps game app called Turf by our neighbouring club PFO. Just in case you haven’t yet heard of or tried Turf here is a brief description.
Turf requires a smart phone so you can download the app on either an Android or iOS device. Once you have opened the app you will see many “zones”. These are scattered all over the country and indeed the world, concentrated in areas where there are many people playing the game. You visit zones (on foot or by bike) and “take” them, thereby scoring points. Any other turfer can take your zones, or you can take theirs. Holding onto zones means earning a small number of points per hour, but the biggest totals are achieved by taking zones.
Playing the game is a lot like running a score orienteering
event. You navigate using the Google satellite view that the zones are plotted
on, or you can use any other map of your choice once you know where the zones
are. There are various incentives or “badges” to be earned, but the most
obvious metric is the number of points scored. See turfgame.com for all you
need to know. If you subscribe to CompassSport there was an article in there a
few months ago, and Turf has been featured on BBC TV recently.
Anyway back to the challenge. Turf has a new “round” that starts the first Sunday of each month. Scores are reset and all zones are returned to neutral status. At the end of the round there are world, country and regional winners, worked out purely on total points scored. The challenge is to score the most points as a team, over the next round, which starts on 7th February at 11 am and ends on 7th March at the same time. The team for each club will simply be the 8 highest scorers from that club at round end.
If you would like to take part (it’s free!) all you have to do is download the app and start turfing! Do it now so you get in practice before the challenge proper. If you are already a turfer please do join in. So we can see who is competing please make sure your turf name includes the letters “SROC”. e.g. ChrisSROC, not just Chris. Don’t worry if you already have a turf name becaue it can easily be changed and changed back later if you want. Team membership is open to current SROC and PFIO members only. Please follow the current Covid guidelines when deciding where to go turfing.
Any queries
about turfing in general or the PFO challenge in particular either go to the
SROC Facebook group or mail me: chrisxroberts@talktalk.net
Frustrated
Street Leaguers
Chris and I
thought there might be Street Leaguers out there who are frustrated that we can
no longer offer the rest of the current series and might be looking to add
variety to what is available for training in their area.
Well maybe
all is not lost or need not be. We are suggesting that we can offer Street
League events from past series for you to have a go at. You may have a map you
would like to run on again but don't have the answer sheet to check that have
accurately navigated to a control. We are suggesting that we could provide you
with a MapRunF event for that map so you can run your course and know you have
navigated correctly.
Initially we
are offering to do this for 2 areas, Lancaster with nearby sites such as Hest
Bank and Morecambe and Preston plus nearby sites such as Penwortham and Bamber
Bridge.
If you are
interested in taking up this offer then contact Chris (chrisxroberts@talktalk.net)
for the Lancaster area and Bob (nash.family@talktalk.net) for the Preston
area.
Please
remember if you wish to do this that you comply fully with the current Covid
restrictions.
Bob &
Chris
And finally
Esther, if you are stuck at home self-isolating or just keeping out of the
winter weather, here is a virtual O event that you can do on your pc,
tablet or phone.
Download the
map and clues files from the links below. Full instructions are included on the
clues sheet, but any queries once again to me: chrisxroberts@talktalk.net
https://www.sroc.org/menu2/2021/Jan/Virtual%20street%20O%20map.pdf
https://www.sroc.org/menu2/2021/Jan/Virtual%20street%20O%20clues.pdf