The Greater London Orienteering Summer Series (‘GLOSS’) is an annual Summer inter-club competition between orienteering clubs in and around London, with the prize being the prestigious London Bus trophy shown.
There are two courses: the GLOSS course which is about 3½ to 4½ km (with optional extension to around 6 km) and is of moderate navigational difficulty, and a ‘Yellow’ course which is about 2km with easier navigation. Navigate between control points – you decide the best route to complete the course in the quickest time. Beginners welcome!
The best six handicapped times for each club at each event score points, which are totalled at the end of the season. GLOSS uses a handicap system in determining individual performance , based on how well you perform against the average of your British Orienteering Ranking Scheme scores.
The events in the 2024 GLOSS series are:
MV 23rd June Reigate Priory Park
LOK 30th June Cranford Country Park Results and Routegadget.
HAVOC 14th July Bedfords Park
Click HERE for the GLOSS Flyer and HERE for the Ranking List extract taken on 17th June 2024.
Contact for GLOSS series: catherine.galvin@pergament.co.uk
For Organisers: The GLOSS Guidelines for event organisers are here. Plus GLOSS Purple Pen Guidelines.
2024 Event 3 – Bedfords Park
Ideal weather today (22c) for an orienteering venture around Bedfords Park, an historic 215-acre green landscape situated between Collier Row and Harold Hill. The Park is also a designated Local Nature Reserve and home to a herd of captive red deer.
With its gently rolling landscape, the area offered a variety of different environments, from small blocks of scrub to large areas of woodland, which the planner, Janet Biggs (HAVOC) made the most of. Thanks also to Colin Jackson for organising.
Fastest on the 3.8km 95m GLOSS course was Anthony Flick (M45) of LOK in 37:26 minutes, rather higher than the target winning time of 20-22 minutes. Fastest among the ladies was Lyudmila Stoilova (W50) of SLOW in 47:50 minutes. Chris Shaw (M75) of HAVOC was the highest scorer based on handicap with the highest ratio of actual event points to expected points based on current ranking with a ratio of 1.193.
For handicapping purposes competitors are awarded points based on how well on the day they
outdo their average ranking scores across all British Orienteering (BO) ranking events over the past year instead of their best six. Full details of the handicapping approach is here and the list of average scores for all BO members as at 17 June 2024 is given in the penultimate column here. Unranked competitors are each assumed to perform at 0.95 against expectations.
Unhandicapped course results and Routegadget are available on HAVOC’s website. You can use Routegadget to show the planner where you went and review others’ routes.
Five clubs fielded a full team of at least six successful competitors for the handicap competition HAVOC, current holders of the London Bus GLOSS trophy prevailed against SLOW, with DFOK in third place.
Full handicapped results are GLOSS scoring. Any scoring queries to Paul Todd at
fixtures@londonorienteering.co.uk.
Going into the final round HAVOC had won the first two events in the series and as hosts it is hardly a surprise that they won this event too. So well done to HAVOC for retaining the London Bus Trophy.
That is it for this year’s GLOSS series. Plans are already being made for the 2025 series. SLOW intend to use Northla Fields and LOK is eyeing up Harmondsworth Moor, a new area close to Heathrow.
As ever, we welcome any comments and feedback on GLOSS and the GLOSS 2024 series.
Catherine Galvin
2024 GLOSS series coordinator (LOK)
2024 Event 2 – Cranford Country Park
Cooler weather today (16c) but ideal running conditions for a canter around Cranford Country Park, a venue that has only once previous used for orienteering – the final FROLICS event in 2012.
The GLOSS course was on the shorter side – with Richard Lloyd (M55) of LOK being fastest in 17:11 minutes, well within the target winning time of 20-22 minutes. The planner, Julie Cleary, prioritised maintaining orienteering interest over slavish adherence to the GLOSS Guidelines. The ongoing building work – not least to create a new National Lottery funded café – restricted the usable area of the map.
In fact, LOK provided the 3 fastest runners on the 3.0k 10m climb and 17 control GLOSS course. Fastest among the ladies was Chloe Fowler (W21) of HAVOC in 24:08 minutes. Chloe was also quickest on handicap with the highest ratio of actual event points to expected points based on current ranking with a ratio of 1.128. Juniors were thin on the ground but Krum Yanev (M12) of SLOW completed the course in 35:08 minutes.
For handicapping purposes competitors are awarded points based on how well on the day they outdo their average ranking scores across all British Orienteering (BO) ranking events over the past year instead of their best six. Full details of the handicapping approach is here and the list of average scores for all BO members as at 17 June 2024 is given in the penultimate column here. Unranked competitors are each assumed to perform at 0.95 against expectations.
Thanks to Julie for planning, Ronan Cleary for controlling and Charles Spence for organising.
Unhandicapped course results (thanks to Paul Todd and Neil Brooks) and Routegadget are already available on LOK’s website. You can use Routegadget to show the planner where you went and review others’ routes.
Three clubs fielded a full team of at least six successful competitors for the handicap competition with a further three clubs (HH, MV and TVOC) all just one competitor short of a full team. HAVOC, current holders of the London Bus GLOSS trophy prevailed against hosts LOK, with SLOW in third place.
Full handicapped results are here. Any scoring queries to Paul Todd at fixtures@londonorienteering.co.uk.
For Après O the 12-minute virtual heritage site tour of Cranford Park is recommended – scroll down here. See if you can tally areas filmed to the correct location on your map.
We now take a pause – many of us are helping at next Sunday’s Yvette Baker Trophy competition, the premier Junior Inter-Club competition for English and Welsh orienteering clubs, being held at Northaw Great Wood in Hertfordshire – before resuming for the finale of the 2024 GLOSS series at Bedfords Park on Sunday, 14 July 2024. HAVOC are hosting, using an area not previously used for GLOSS. The event will provide a rare opportunity to see the famous London Bus Trophy in real life.
See you there!
Catherine Galvin – 2024 GLOSS series coordinator (LOK)
2024 Event 1 – MV Reigate Priory Park
The sunshine and summer weather (well north of 20c) appeared bang on schedule for the inaugural event of the GLOSS 2024 series at Reigate Priory Park. Competitors faced a proper orienteering challenge in the spur and gulley and high ridge woodland to the south of the site of former Priory. Thanks to John Pickup for planning the courses, Jennifer Sibley and Dawn Clifford for organising and Mike Elliot (all MV) for controlling as well as handling the IT/download on the day.
Controls were challenging from the off with the need to burst through thick foliage to reach the first control. Unhandicapped course results are now available on MV’s website as is a link to RouteGadget. You can use RouteGadget to show the planner where you went and review others’routes.
Quickest on the 3.1km (as the crow flies!), 140m climb, 17 control course were Tim Scarborough(M40) of MV and Carol Lovegrove (W50) of SN, in 27:45 and 34:30 minutes respectively. Tim’s timewas nearly 6 minutes over the GLOSS expected winning time of 20-22 minutes, emphasising the orienteering challenge of the well contoured area and in places verdant undergrowth. Ralph Scarborough (M14) of MV and Charlotte Lovegrove (W16) of SN were fastest male and female juniors in 39:59 and 42:07 minutes respectively, imitating the prowess of father and mother respectively.
For handicapping purposes competitors are awarded points based on how well on the day they outdo their average ranking scores across all British Orienteering (BO) ranking events over the past year instead of their best six. Full details of the handicapping approach is here and the list of average scores for all BO members as at 17 June 2024 is given in the penultimate column here. Unranked competitors are each assumed to perform at 0.95 against expectations.
Quickest on handicap ie the individual whose ratio of actual event points to expected points basedon their current ranking was Clive Hillier (M60) of LOK with a time of 50:20 minutes and a ratio of 1.162. Six clubs fielded a full team of at least six successful competitors for the handicap competition. HAVOC, current holders of the London Bus GLOSS trophy, prevailed over MV, with SLOW in third place. Club turnout proved decisive!
Full handicapped results are here. Any scoring queries to Paul Todd at fixtures@londonorienteering.co.uk.
Entries are open for next Sunday’s event, hosted by LOK at Cranford Country Park. An uncrossable ha-ha as well as the ghost of the former lady of the manor rumoured to haunt the area await competitors. This area hasn’t been used since the very last FROLICS event was held there in 2012, so treat yourself to this orienteering experience.
Catherine Galvin – 2024 GLOSS series coordinator (LOK)
