
Stockholm 2012
Report by Nick Barrable
As last year, we took a late August date, although the tour was 2 days longer for most, starting on a Tuesday 14th August - Sunday 26th August. Despite this, 4 came a day early and hung out in Sodertalje, and more than half booked flights back on the Monday 27th, which was a bank holiday in the UK.
Generic information about Stockholm
Location
The Stockholm training camp is based the club ‘hut’ of OK Ravinen (one of the orienteering clubs based around Stockholm www4.idrottonline.se/OKRavinen-Orientering). The club hut is in Hellasgården in the Nacka district to the south east and in the suburbs of Stockholm.
It is in the middle of Stockholm’s nearest ‘real forest’ and is easily accessible by public transport.
Accommodation
Accommodation is in the OK Ravinen club hut. The participants will sleep on the floor in one of two rooms in the building.
The hut is equipped with toilets and showers.
The tour chef prepares all the meals on site and specific dietary needs are catered for. Athletes will be expected to assist with chores during the camp.
There is plenty of space around the hut for outdoor games.
Background
Since the late 1990’s a number of training tours have taken place in Scandinavia with popular venues such as Halden and Uppsalla. These catered for the older age groups and were aimed at providing experience of training and competing in Scandinavian terrain.
With the loss of all junior overseas training tours organised by British Orienteering it was decided in 2011 to organise a camp for M/W17’s based on the OK Ravinen club, thanks to the assistance of Nick Barrable who is a member of that club.
All attendees join OK Ravinen which brings a number of benefits both short and long term. In the short term there is a reduction in the cost of staying in the hut, entry to local races and a free ‘O’ top. In the longer term, many past attendees have used their membership of OK Ravinen to compete in top class Scandinavian competition.
Terrain
As you would expect there is an abundance of top class orienteering terrain within easy access of the hut. The tour makes use of the extensive Stockholm public transport system to get to training areas and competitions in the Stockholm area.
Attendees
The camp is aimed at M/W17’s who have achieved the required standard in the nominated selection races (See Stockholm Selection criteria). It is expected that up to 20 M/W17’s will attend. If insufficient M/W17’s qualify the selectors may add suitable M/W16’s.
In support of the camp there is a Tour Manager (TM) who has responsibility for such things as travel, accommodation, food etc.
The TM is supported by a chef and a Lead Coach. The Lead Coach has a team of up to 6 coaches.
This year we had a selection policy/process which, in the end worked, after several complaints and oversights. We had a few 'no's and spaces so were able to take everyone we wanted and keep everyone happy. (7 girls and 13 boys). The club hut was pretty full with these numbers which was 1 athlete and 1 coach less than last year. We didn't really suffer from having 4 coaches plus me plus Louise the chef, and it is cheaper of course. This was an issue this year as we were able to do the Swedish Sprint and Night champs. This meant extra expense in entry fees (£101 alone plus a £28.85 ranking fee), car hire, accommodation. OK Ravinen subsidised the club to a large extent, depending on how you want to work it out, to the tune of several £100 pounds per person, as they paid all the entry fees, including the other 5 races we did as well as SM, 'free' (to us) accommodation, including the YH at SM, free £35 Kalas O top for everyone, some free map permissions. We paid the ranking fee and a £120 fee to Ravinen in return. (General summary below of finances.)
As in 2011, we used the washing machines at my flat (3km towards town from the club hut). Paid for most things on my SEK payment cards and used the spot rate for SEK - GBP conversions so overall the tour could save 5 - 10% in costs.
It was certainly its weight in Gold doing SM but it is expensive. Ravinen were noted as the only club to get A finalists in all 6 categories and 13th for Olly Williams in H18 was very good and best Brit on tour.
Next year 2013 the hut is booked for Tues 13th Aug - Monday 26th. Again I am away at WMOC till Mon 14th and ideally, they all go on Sun 25th after the local Long distance race we will do. Next year there are no big races so it will be a much cheaper tour and we can maybe consider another coach. No SM, so no need for hire cars, stay away, eat out, etc. Cheap local races and staying in the club hut all the time. The £2000 grant we get, for which we are very grateful for, which essentially pays for the coaches, will go much further.
I should get a tour report in the DEC issue of CompassSport magazine.
For this years tour I vowed to not train on any area we trained on in 2011. (We had 3 who were here last year) and that worked although a race turned up on a Sprint area we trained on before, which we did, so that one overlap! I plan not to use any areas this year, next year too. There are silly amounts of maps within close useable distance. Using public transport worked well although 2 people lost their cards by the end of the fortnight.
I borrowed my schools SI and reused a lot of maps/exercises from Farsta OLGY and Ravinen technical training so saved a huge amount there. We had some permissions to pay for. I was especially pleased that we could do a proper TrailO course which we had for the OLGY kids earlier in the year, and prepared by one of the Swedish World Champions Martin Fredholm.
Louise managed very well in the kitchen and the coaches in the forests. The athletes were a delight as usual, there was just one issue really of an athlete being 'unwell' and some feeling her approach was spreading negative vibes. It didn't help that she seemed unwilling to help muck in with the communal jobs too.
Ravinen Fees - 24 people - £120 each |
£2,880 |
Includes Accom@Hellasgarden, club membership, Entries to Melkes Minne, Jarfalla Middle, SM Night&Sprint including accom, Tullinge Sprint |
Food - £5.28 per person per day |
£1,261 |
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Hire Cars and Fuel to SM |
£769.19 |
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Map permissions, TrailO Control card, SI printer paper |
£133.68 |
No SI hire fee. No Printing costs. |
Athletes paid their own Flights/assembly costs and travel cards. |
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Ranking Fee in order to run SM. |
£28.85 each |
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Grona Lund Tickets - theme park - includes a meal |
£35.87 each |
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Tour Hoody |
£11.20 each |
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Tour Technical T |
£10.00 each |
Programme
Tues 14th |
Arrival Day |
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Shopping - preparing the Club Hut |
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Dark |
Reflexbana terrain run for those here. Bring Headlamps. |
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Wed 15th |
Hellasgarden - map work - Saltsjo-Duvnas |
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Big Lunch - packed tea. |
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Melke's Minne Relay - Sodertalje |
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Thurs 16th |
Langvik - Ingaro |
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1800 |
Ravinen Club Training |
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Fri 17th |
Technique Training at Rudan - various loops |
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Fox Hunt. 40 minutes - two laps of Elljusspar - Rudan. |
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Sat 18th |
Rissne Sprint Loops. |
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Strength - Hellasgarden |
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Watched Middnattsloppet |
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Sun 19th |
Jarfalla OK Middle Distance - Northern Stockholm |
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Rest - Grona Lund |
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Mon 20th |
Agesta |
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Night O. Flaten |
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Tues 21st |
Flaten - Hare and Hounds. |
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1800 |
Ravinen Middle Club Champs |
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Wed 22nd |
Hogdalen Middle |
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Clock Relay & Trail-O |
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1830 |
Tullinge Sprint - Langholmen |
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Starts 1815 - 1930: Fristart |
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Thurs 23rd |
Svartviksskogen - Small groups - control racing/relocation |
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1800 |
Ravinen club Training - Fartlek |
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Fri 24th |
Easy training!? … & clear up club hut. |
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1330 |
Depart for Night SM - SL to Arlanda for collection in hire cars. |
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5 cars plus 2 in Swedish Ravinens cars |
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Natt-SM |
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Sat 25th |
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pm |
Sprint SM - Qualifications - central Gavle |
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Sun 26th |
Sprint SM - Finals - Start with B - D finals |
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Some fly Home |
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Mon 27th |
Erstaviksbadet - Martin Lindskogs 3 year old training |
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Rest fly home |