OSL: Rained out at Summit College

Every Monday during Schools League rain has threatened but we’ve been very lucky – until yesterday. At the Zoo Lake event the rain hit once all the runners were in; at Heronbridge the storm was to the South and only hit later and at Delta Park it was pouring just to the East of us. Yesterday at Summit College, high up on the hill and looking South towards the northern suburbs we watched the storms rolling over the city – and then over us!

The first big storm swung East and North towards Midrand. We saw another come rolling in from the West – it stayed way South. And then there were the clouds above us that opened up. The first bunch of runners were out and they came back to wait out the storm. Then the sun came out and we thought we were going to be good. And then a big one hit with a torrential downpour. Bye-bye gazebo – these things are not made for hilltop storms, driving rain and strong winds.

Following the lightning incidents last week in Soweto and at KES we’re obviously very cautious and more safety aware. Being on top of a hill and out in the open we encouraged runners to head for the buildings and shelter even if they had not completed their runs. We’ve scrapped all the results from yesterday because so few (if any?) runners actually got to complete a whole course. As a result, we’ll take the best two times from the three events for each runner to work out the log scores.

Here are some lightning safety tips to keep in mind when you’re out in the open during a storm: (Download this PDF on Lightning safety – I heard about this on 702 last week)

• To estimate your distance from a thunderstorm, count the number of seconds between a flash of lightning and the next clap of thunder. Divide this number by 3 to get the number of kilometres.
• With this in mind… thunder more than 30 seconds after a lightning flash means the storm is far enough away for your to be safe. Thunder 15 seconds after a lightning flash means it is only about 5km away. You are at high risk if you hear thunder less than 5 seconds after a lightning flash.
• If caught outdoors, avoid being the highest point around and protect yourself (see below) should lightning strike nearby.
• When lightning strikes nearby the current is conducted to the ground and quickly spreads out in all directions, forming a dangerous potential gradient. For this reason, never lie flat on the ground. Crouch down immediately, put your feet as close together as possible and wrap your arms around your legs. Put down bicycles, golf bags or golf clubs and keep a distance of three metres (3m) from these objects. Hollows, beds of stone pits or protruding rocks may provide shelter. If you are in a group of people, spread out. It is vital to keep a distance of three metres (3m) away from walls, metal fences, etc. Avoid trees, edges of the forest and the wooden poles of overhead lines since they are particularly vulnerable to lightning. The risk of being hit by a lightning strike inside a forest with trees of uniform height is considerably lower, however, keep a 10m distance from tall, significant trees.

• On school fields, move away from stands, flagpoles and goal posts during a storm and head for the nearest building.

Looking at the log results, which are compiled from the best two times out of three events (many thanks to Karen for compiling these)…

Christie Courtnage (Trinity) came back after a second place at the first event to win the next two. She’s top of the standings in the Senior Girls category. Cian Oldknow wrapped the League up close on Christie’s heels. Kelly Hutcheson’s (Fourways) improvement from one event to the next was clear from her point scores – she completes the log podium.

In the Senior Boys, Timothy Chambers (Fourways) had a clean sweep winning all three events. Both Peter Carides (St Davids) and Dylan Eksteen (Fourways) ran well throughout the League, improving on their times with each event to close the time between the winning time and their finishing time to score higher points.

Like Henlo, Kirsten Chambers (Bryandale) ran two excellent runs and had one dud. But, where two events count, she’s clear at the top of the log for the Junior Girls. Jureya Dildar (Fourways) ran three pretty consistent races (with a win at Delta) to place second in the log. Kirstyn Hutcheson (Fourways) wrapped up only just behind – also will solid, consistent results throughout the League.

Henlo v/d Westhuizen (Helpmekaar) won two of the three events in the Junior Boys category and this places him at the top of the log despite being disqualified for a mis-punched control at Zoo Lake. Jaya Curtis’ (St Davids) results show that consistency is good for point scoring. Jaya won one of the three events but his gap to the winner was small in the other two events his points remained high and he’s placed just behind Henlo. Luke Coventry (Randpark) places third.

Log Results

Junior boys (67 runners)

1. Henlo v/d Westhuizen, Helpmekaar, 2000pts
2. Jaya Curtis, St Davids, 1998pts
3. Luke Coventry, Randpark, 1822pts

Junior girls (74 runners)

1. Kirsten Chambers, Bryandale, 2000pts
2. Jureya Dildar, Fourways, 1905pts
3. Kirstyn Hutcheson, Fourways, 1823pts

Remember to check our Facebook page (/OSchoolsLeague) for photographs from the event.

Next Monday is the FINAL of the League. Top scorers in each age group as well as other top runners from each school have been invited. It should be quite a show-down at Kloofendal on Monday.

In addition, this weekend is the annual Orienteering School Camp. Our numbers here are limited to 30 and so only those children with top scores and/or have shown a keen interest in orienteering have been invited to attend. This year we’ve focused on Junior participants as we hope to have them with us, in orienteering, for a good few years more. We most definitely encourage both Juniors and Seniors to come to the Sunday morning club orienteering events. EVERYONE is welcome (parents and grandparents too!).