Orienteering in Jamaica
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Orienteering in Jamaica |
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ORIENTEERING WORKSHOP - JAMAICA - PAGE 7 |
| INTRODUCTION AND CONTENTS |
| orienteering: the KB-14 lacks meridian lines for aligning the compass on the gridlines of maps and a Quadrat bezel requires the user to always keep track of direction (north, south, east, and west) at 90 deg intervals and keep track of mathematical calculations (e.g., adding 90 + 90 + 40 for a bearing of 220/ southwest) rather than orienteering solely with the complete 360 bearing values. Consequently, we had five working compasses for participants and one for the instructors. While we would have liked all participants to have their own compass with which to practice, this did not appear to hinder them, particularly as all participants were paired in teams. Indeed, only one participant commented in his evaluation that more compasses would have been useful.
The contour training kit, a plastic model box of a hill to which water is added to trace contour lines on a clear lid, was not the best tool for teaching how contour lines are drawn from a 3- dimensional structure. A yam, modeling a cockpit hill, sliced at 2 cm intervals, proved conceptually easier for participants to grasp as they drew the outlines of the yam segments on paper. In a review of their field notebooks, nearly all sketched the "sliced yam hill" and drew an accompanying topographic map. In a stroke of genius, as participants struggled with visualizing how the "V,' of a river drainage on a topographic map related to reality, M. Schwartz carved a gully into the side of the yam model and re-drew the segment outlines. There was a collective "ahhhh" from the group. We were unable to use the CD-Rom of Teaching Topographic Maps on the first afternoon of the course because of technical difficulties with the computer projector. These difficulties were resolved for the second day and M. Schwartz was able to use the CD to lecture on contour lines. The interactive quizzes on the CD provided very useful in evaluating whether participants were understanding the concepts (e.g., determining contour intervals, determining elevations of high and low points on the map). All participants marked heavily the topographic maps — exactly as we wanted them so as to demonstrate that such maps are tools to be used, not posters to be hung on a wall. Having the digitized file of the 1:12 500 topographic sheet 52C of Windsor, Trelawny, enabled us to print the areas of our practical field exercises on 8 x 11.5 sheets of paper and, thus, made it easier for the participants to take their maps into the field on their clipboards. Clearly, the course could not have been conducted without these maps, and the instructors again thank FD-TFT for providing these tools. Aside from the instructors using flagging tape to mark control points where orienteering punches were located, we are pleased to note that none of the participants used flagging because they were getting lost in the field. We have 5.99 rolls of flagging for future use. Field notebooks, pens, rulers, clipboards, and 100 m measuring tapes were all new or used but of good quality. 9. LOGISTICS, ACCOMMODATIONS & MEALS The training workshop was held at Windsor House, a 200-year old Great House undergoing restoration. Participants were slept 2-3 to a room. At present, Windsor House has two flush toilets and one shower for visitors. A second shower stall remains to be finished in the visitors' Koenig - Orienteering Dec 02 7
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