Comments by Huippuliiga Course Setter
Rules provide that certain kinds of orienteering challenges be included all through a middle distance course. These challenges await the competitors also in this opening leg of Huippuliiga 2009. As for the terrain and course, anyone having orienteered before on the near-by regions of Paimio will hardly experience total surprises during the race; typical detailed bare rock hills and tricky slopes are common, likewise some "emptier" and slower areas in places. In the realms of possibility, I have however attempted to include very different challenges in the courses, even some deviating from the normal practice. Televising has not set any major restrictions for course planning either and, for example, needless transitional control legs are practically absent from this race.
I find the competition map fairly readable and accurate. Green areas are often suggestive, whereas some single contour forms can be difficult to detect. On average, preparing oneself to navigate using a wider outlook instead of just one detail at a time may be profitable in places. One's success, or rather "unsuccess", will nonetheless hardly be dependent on the qualities of the map.
The terrain is very continuous and does not contain nearly any forbidden areas or other obstacles for running. A horse pen on the southernmost edge of the terrain is forbidden to cross and is also shown as an out-of-bounds area (IOF symbol 709) on the map. In addition, some minor forbidden areas in the vicinity of the competition centre have been marked off with plastic band. These are not shown as out-of-bounds on the map due to their size, but they are easy to skirt and have no practical influence on running. And even though cultivated land is nearly absent from the proximity of the control legs, I'd like to point out once more that areas shown as cultivated land (IOF symbol 415) on the map are strictly out-of-bounds even without a separate purple overprint (IOF symbol 709).
Both Huippuliiga classes include so-called butterflies along the course, i.e. short control loops, before, after, and between of which the central control is visited and punched at. Numbering of the butterfly controls is somewhat compact and the numbers of the central control are placed vertically one on the other, so I recommend some presence of mind in taking the loops in correct order and direction.
Finally, my approximations of winning time: ladies 31 minutes, gentlemen 33. I shall offer a cup of coffee to anyone faster.
Wishing you good luck and charming experiences,
Antti Veijalainen
Course setter
