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veni vidi vici
Well we hardly conquered this time around. Thanks to a disagreement in routing on the second day our gallant team were not in the top ranking this time around. It was the first time that they had competed for the overland trophy and I am proud of their efforts regardless.
Fewer than 200 scouts from East Sussex and surrounding counties competed in this year's overland title challenge. Surprisingly our team travelled the furthest to the start even thought there were teams from south east London. Ashdown district were represented by Crowboough, Uckfield, Mayfield and Ticehurst. The more experienced scout teams from Crowborough and Uckfield pulled off winning times and for that we applaud them. For us it was just another hike on the Downs.
Not disheartened we will be back if the scouts wish to have another go next year and I wonder how they will do with another year's experience under their belts
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Ashdown District has an excellent training scheme for would be over landers that Starts in January and finishes the weekend before the overland itself. To get out there and train for a quarter of a year for just one weekend is just a little too much of our programme to spare.
| 2008 incidents |
| Food Nutrition:Balanced Meal / Price Is Right. With different foods being shown the teams had to list what would be best used for a balanced meal. They were also asked to cost the meal to see if they knew how much each item cost. |
| Flower identification and planting:All teams had to plant some seeds and then identify some common bedding plants. |
| Radioactive Bottles:The teams had to move a number of "radioactive" bottles from within a marked area into a container without entering the marked area. The bottles could only be moved with string and elastic bands. |
| Pulleys:The idea was to rig a pulley system to enable the teams to lift a heavy object. |
| Map copy:Teams were given an A3 map of the area they were walking in and asked to memorise it. They were then given a blank A3 sheet with a small portion of the coast marked on it and asked to reproduce what they had just seen. |
| Bike faults:Cycles with different faults were put in front of the teams for them to identify. They also had to show that they were knowledgeable on cycle safety. |
| Identity kit:The team was split into 2 with half of the team describing four different faces and the other half of the team trying to put together the faces with the features that were available to them. |
| Plan an overland training weekend |
| Reef knot:The teams were tied onto a piece of rope from which they then had to tie a knot. The knot was different for the Scouts and Explorers. |
| Bearings:The teams were placed in the middle of field and given a list of bearings. Each bearing led to a different letter from which they had to make a word associated with scouting |
| Hypothermia:One of the team members was to have the symptoms of hypothermia and the remaining team members had to deal with the situation, which involved providing a hot drink and shelter for the hypothermic team member. |
| Help person crossing road |
| Pop quiz:The teams had to identify different songs from an introduction and the first few lines of the lyrics. They also had to write down the second line of sets of lyrics, with the first line being given to them. |
| Matching paris of words:Teams were given a list of Sussex towns and a list of features that each town is famous for. They then had to match the town with the features |
| Tasting cheese and crisps:A variety of different crisps and cheese's where offered to the teams to taste and smell and then to identify. |
| Finish courtesy |
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1st Ticehurst condensed training!
We build skills into every week of scouting so we should have a great chance in the 2009 event. We are offering our overland team members boot camp in South Wales. For details click the can! The final part of our training involves the incident day at Uckfield HQ on 22nd March and a visit to the start of the event to at least look over the beginning of the route on 28th March
So what are the tips for winning the Overland?
| Complete the first day in 10 hours to qualify for the second day |
| Travel at 3 mph average speed between checkpoints |
| Turn up with all the required equipment and show organisation with your kit |
| Smile at the judges but don't make fun of them. Be happy but not rude |
| Make sure you have the menu and costs for judging your catering. Presentation is not important but it is always good to be presentable |
| Don't be late - we need to be at the start by 9:00am |
| Show teamwork at every challenge and be seen to be communicating with each other |
| Stay warm - show that you know your kit and when to use it |
| Make sure that your camping standards are high and don't leave litter or have an untidy campsite |
| Sing along as you go but don't shout and keep to the country code |
| Make sure that two people are checking the navigation it saves losing time and arguments. The spinny thing is very useful! |
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