SOC are really pleased to announce that we will be organising a MapRun League in April and May. Government restrictions are lessening gradually with the 'stay at home' rule ending on the 29th March. We are organising the League around a number of local areas so that we can all get out orienteering regularly again. You will appreciate that permission for normal events is harder to gain at the moment and we are unable to have events in the New Forest in the spring and summer. 

The League will run for eight weeks with your best five results counting towards the League. A new event will be added each Saturday and you have until the end of the following weekend to compete. Events will stay open beyond that date but will not count towards the league. The League is free to take part and is open to club members and anyone local. There will be 50 points for the winner each week, 49 for second-placed, etc. with everyone who participates getting at least one point.

As long as you observe any restrictions, feel free to organise to take part at the same time as your club mates or friends. We would like to organise some socials to do them together when restrictions ease.

MapRun is a form of orienteering where you use an app to record whether you have successfully navigated your way round a course and your times. There won't be any flags or physical controls out (unless the course utilises one of our Permanent Orienteering Courses) but you will receive positive confirmation from the app that you are in the right place.

More info is on the League page (with additional info and results being added in due course) here: https://socweb.org/maprun/league

Info on the first MapRun event in the League around Abbottswood in Romsey is here: https://socweb.org/maprun/maprun-league-1-romsey

The League is being coordinated by Dave Currie and Robert Finch. Any queries, let us know. We still require volunteer planners for some of the later events, so please do volunteer! 

Start your Easter weekend with the SOC social where Mark Light will be talking all about mapping. Mark will share with us his experience of coordinating the surveying and mapping of Farley Mount and what he got out of it. 

We all love maps and maps are fundamentally required for our sport of orienteering! A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to produce and update the maps for our events so it will be great to learn more about it.  

Thursday 1st April 20:00

Usual Zoom details and password available in the Members area here:

https://socweb.org/zoom

Just a reminder that if you have completed any orienteering qualifications or courses (including online) recently please send details including copies of certificates to info [at] britishorienteering.org.uk (info[at]britishorienteering[dot]org[dot]uk) (for attention of Liz Goodwin.

Liz will arrange for your British Orienteering record to be updated accordingly.

Julia Loring