A Day in SA

As you can see on our amazing calendar, for last Wednesday was scheduled a special sprint training with a qualification and a final. This because in a few weeks we'll compete in Canberra in a National League sprint event with Q&F.
The days before I've been very busy so I started planning the training on the same day, basically around 0.20 in the morning. Mainly because then I had to send the maps to Sn@p for printing before 9-10am to be sure to have them printed on the day. And before I had to draw in Ocad the first survey of Park 21...

 
So my other plan for Wednesday was to finish surveying Park 21 and 21 West for a Night-O event on Friday and then of course for the last Sturt Street School activity of next week (that is actually the main reason, but the Night-O was pure fun). So then I had to complete drawing that map on Ocad (not even that small) and set courses before 10am on Friday, considering that on Thursday I am at Sturt Street School from 8am to 3pm, but this is another story... :)

7 days ago at 0.20am I started preparing the background map, dividing the Flinders Uni south campus map in 2 parts: 1 for the qualification and 1 for the final. They also have to be on the same piece of paper -> cheaper; and there should be enough space for the control description and title + logos.

0.40am - course planning (I will use SPORTident but I have only 15 units and I need to set Qualification A and B + Final A and B... challenge accepted!)
0.41am - I need music to set great courses and Youtube brings me an Epic Rap Battles of History compilation, allright let's start.

1.30am - courses completed and Stefano satisfied with the result.
1.35am - PDFs and courses in txt exported (yes, I've also planned to bring my pc to the training to download our SIcards)
1.40am - small chat with Marty who's leaving for a week in Portugal (trainings and ABOM 2017 col Matteo, Aaron e Grontait)

2.10am - let's prepare the bib numbers for the A Final
2.30am - bedtime, after a bit of Facebook surfing
8.00am - the cat and the alarm wake me up; I decide that I want to change a bit the courses to make them more interesting.
9.00am - maps sent to Sn@p and immediately Natasha replies with her 'No worries!'
9.50am - race bulletin completed and published on Facebook
(this is an 'extra' maybe useless but I was able to convince John for example and he turned up after reading that a great training was coming!)

(also, the bulletin makes the training look more professional and I don't have to tell everybody the same thing maybe twice or more, I just tell em "READ HERE" or if they ask me something that is written I just stare at them with an angry face)

10.00am - I have to complete the courses for a race in Italy on Saturday, last stage of Oricup in Pergine (TN). Everything looks allright so I've sent ocad files, pdfs and instruction to Andrea :)
11.00am - time to prepare and print the base map for Park 21 survey.
11.30am - I drive to Park 21, luckily just 5 mins from Ben&Lan's house, but hey IT'S 40°C TODAY!!! :O

1.00pm - time for Macca's and a frozen Mt Dew
1.30pm - start surveying again: #extrememapping
3.00pm - I'm done and nearly melting, I go back to the car and turn the aircon ON at MAX POWER and I drive to the closest KFC for another frozen drink
15.10pm - I remember I have to go to Sn@p and take the maps because Natasha wrote me they are ready to collect
3.45pm - at home now, Toby is back and talking about earbuds
3.47pm - I refuge in my room and I print the 2 pages with the bib numbers and a copy of the bulletin. Now everything is ready, I can have a nap for 30 mins
4.17pm - allright I have a bit of time to prepare tomorrow's lesson at Sturt Street School, I just have to prepare a few ocad files for an orienteering colours and legend game.
4.40pm - maybe I should print the control descriptions! They'll be happy to have one... Print, cut, niiice gaaryyyy!
4.45pm - time to pack everything: I don't have to forget my running clothes, gps watch, camera with SD card for Kate, tablet, all the maps and bibs and bulletin, SI kit, orienteering stands and small flags, shoes, car keys, etc...
4.58pm - on facebook I post some photos
5.00pm - little talk with Toby about philosophy... nope I'm joking he's again talking about earbuds.
5.10pm - in the car, let's drive to Flinders Uni
5.30pm - wow it took just 20 mins, South Road wasn't that bad today!
6.00pm - I'm back at the car park after placing the qualification controls, and I'm out again with the final controls
6.30pm - everybody is here on time, I just have to change my clothes, get everything and move to the start

  
6.40pm - I give everybody the control description of their Heat (A or B) trying to generate 2 fair groups. I put the maps at the start and
6.45pm - as scheduled we start the qualification on time, it's very short but really fast! I start just before Simon and then we wait for everybody to be down at the finish

7.10pm - we walk up again to the starting area, I turn my pc on and we start downloading our qualification results
7.20pm - thanks to SIME demo version I have to wait 15 seconds between every download but soon I have the results so I can call the best 5 runners from every Heat for the A Final startlist and give them their bib numbers! The B Final is without a startlist so they can already bring a map and run...

7.28pm - Jack, the A Final first starter can start and then we follow
7.45pm - we download our SIcards, I generate the final results and I have a quick race analyze with the juniors. I notice I'm 3rd for just 5 seconds so John, we'll see on Sunday at the State Champs ;)
7.50pm - Jenny, Joanna, Abigail, John&Ben help me to collect the controls and everything is back in just 10 minutes. Everybody is happy and
8.30pm - after the last frozen Mt Dew of the day I'm home; I have dinner with Ben and Toby (of course a wonderful delice prepared by Lan)
9.00pm - I publish the results and maps on the facebook Junior Arrows page
 <RESULTS LINK> <SPLITTIMES LINK>
9.20pm - I download my gps watch and I publish my courses on the digital map archive

(the B Final course was the same as the A Final, without controls 9 and 10)

For the next 2-3 hours I'll work on Park 21 map and prepare the last few things for Sturt Street School lesson. Maybe I've missed to write something, but you have a general view about that amazing day.
You can have a look at the complete gallery on Facebook HERE
(again many thanks to Kate for the photos) 

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