Caleb Gould (GBR)
There is a range of different problems which can be set by
Trail-O planners in their selection of control sites and the
placing of flags to give Elite Trail-O competitors the necessary
variety and technical level of challenge.
This paper attempts to identify and categorise the different
types of problem which can be constructed for elite competition.
At elite level, control sites usually present a combination of
types of problem.
All the examples listed here are from the two days of the
World Cup Trail-O held in conjunction with this clinic.
This is the selection of a number of similar features on the
map in a small area. The problem is to identify which feature is
the correct one using a choice of techniques, including the
description.
Example: D1/ET - NE Rock face. All
five flags are at the foot of rock faces but the largest, on the
map and in the terrain, allows the correct feature to be readily
identified.
A common problem is a single large feature, such as a marsh,
and the competitor has to decide which edge is the correct one.
The problem can be solved by careful attention to the circle
position, description, adjacent features, bearings, etc.
Example: D2/ET - Marsh, SW edge.
An adaptation of this is to have no flag on the correct part
which makes the problem a little harder, as the competitor tends
to look for a correctly positioned flag before thinking that none
of them may be right.
Example: D1/E10 - Boulder Field, SW
edge.
Simple terrain recognition, involving the choice of a number
of parts of a feature. Normally may be another feature to key in
the problem. This may involve careful reading of the description,
see under 'Precision of
description'.
Example: D1/E4 Depression, South
edge.
This involves the edges or ends of features which are distinct
on the map but much less so on the ground. Examples include the
edges of marshes and the ends of tapering ditches and
gullies.
Use of such features is possible if there are adjacent
features which allow the position of the flag to be adequately
judged.
Example: D1/E11 - Marsh, West edge.
The correct flag is on an indistinct edge but the other four
flags, three on distinct marsh edges and the fourth on the edge
of the clearing, locate it precisely.
These are sites where the ground shapes are less obvious on
the ground than the contours which portray them on the map.
Recognition of such ground detail may require some attention.
Example: D2/E2 - Spur, SW side. The
spur form line on the map is a weak feature on the ground but the
clump of trees identifies its position.
Terrain recognition to a high level is required, with the
competitor needing to analyse a complex area of ground shapes
without the use of outside fixing features.
Example: D1/E5 - Southern Spur, an
area of many spurs and re-entrants.
In these cases the position of the viewing point cannot be
fixed and, in turn, cannot be used for fixing positions of the
flags. These have to be deduced from inspecting the relationships
between the features in the terrain.
Example: D1/E12 - Hill, East side. The
viewing point is on the track with nothing to fix its position,
other than the flags in the terrain.
This is a situation where there are two parallel similar
features. Flags are placed on the correct feature but not in the
position indicated by the description. On the parallel feature
one flag will agree with the description, but it is the wrong
feature. Therefore the answer will be that none are correct.
Example: D2/E3 - Hill, SE side. The
correct hill has flags on the W and S sides; the second hill to
the East has a flag on the SE side.
The ground height and shape can be deduced from the visible
height of the flags (provided the Planner takes care to ensure
that all flags are installed at a standard height).
Example: D2/E15 - Hill, SE part. The
distinction between hill top and hill part or hill side is
deduced from the apparent height of the flag. In this case the
flag is just visible above the top of the hill and is clearly
positioned beyond and below the top.
This is when the key to the problem is a feature behind the competitor, for example on the other side of the viewing track. This can be used in different ways:
This is the extension of a linear feature, typically from the
far side of the viewing track, to fix the position of the
required flag.
Example: D1/E8 - Spur. The
extrapolation of the vegetation boundary through the centre of
the control circle allows the same to be done on the ground and
thus indicate the correct flag of the five on this featureless
ridge.
A secondary viewing position gives a clear indication of the
correct flag. The competitor then has to move (back) to the
viewing point to select the letter for this flag.
Examples: D1/E3 - Vegetation boundary.
From the viewing point all four flags appear to be on the edge of
the thicket. Viewing from a position level with the flags shows
that two of them are on isolated trees well away from the
vegetation boundary.
D2/E13 - Re-entrant. The correct flag
can be easily identified by viewing down the small re-entrant
south of the viewing point.
Similar features to that indicated by the control circle
appear to be present on the ground but are correctly not shown or
shown differently on the map. These 'ghost' features are flagged
and the competitor's task is to distinguish between them and the
mapped feature.
Examples: D2/E4 - Hill top. The flags
on the ridge and spur appear to mark hill tops, as they appear
from the viewing point.
D2/E6 - Hill, East side. All five
flags appear to be marking the east side of hills, three of which
are small and unmapped. Ignoring these and concentrating on the
larger mapped features yields the correct answer.
All flags are on a nearby similar feature but, if the viewing
point position is reasonably carefully determined, this wrong
feature becomes clear and the zero answer is obtained.
Example: D2/E8 - Spur top. All flags
are on the parallel spur to the north.
This is the case where there are many flags close together and
the key to the problem lies with careful reading of the
description sheet. In such cases it is not possible to directly
determine the answer from the map and bearings alone.
Example: D1/E13 - Middle Spur, West
foot. The description is needed to distinguish between spur
top and foot, as well as which foot.
This is where two or more control sites use one cluster of
flags. It is good practice for not all of the flags to be visible
from each of the viewing points; the disappearance of flags and
fresh ones appearing as the competitor moves from one viewing
point to the next add interest.
Example: D1/E1&E2 Spur, top and Hill,
NE side. Six flags are used, with five flags visible from
each viewing point.
This occurs when the flags change their left-to-right
identifications when viewed from different positions.
Example: D2/E11 - Ditch Junction. From
the viewing point the ditch junction cannot be seen but it is
clearly visible from a position several metres further along the
track. But the letter code for the correct flag is very different
at this secondary viewing point compared with that for the marked
viewing point.
Several flags appear to fit the control description. Use of
the compass eliminates one or more, to leave the required flag by
itself or in a group from which it is identified using other
techniques.
Example: D1/E7 - Western Vegetation
boundary. All four flags appear to be on vegetation
boundaries, one of which is indistinct and unmapped. Use of the
compass narrows the choice to two which are then separated by
reference to nearby features.
More than one flag fitting the control description lies within
the 5 degree arc of bearing accuracy but they are at different
distances. Provided the separation in distance between the
correct flag and the nearest alternative is 25% or more, the
correct answer is achieved.
Example: D2/E5 - N Re-entrant.
Identification of the northern re-entrant reduces the options to
two flags, but that at the head of the re-entrant is too far
away.
For timed controls the problem needs to be clear and not require the competitor to move around to establish the answer. It must be remembered that competitors only have one minute to choose which flag marks the correct position.
