| During a event, opportunities
arise that may enable your team to travel faster or gain a
competitive advantage by taking an alternative route. While
hindsight will prove to be 20-20, consider the AR-Risk/Reward
Ratio before making your decision.
Analysis: Sure the bushwhack may be a tempting
potential time saver as it often provides a linear path to
your next CP. But, will it really save you time? Looking at
the topo map while planning your route before the event, it’s
easy to speculate the potential time savings. However, you
need to ask yourself a few important questions:
-- #1 Most Important: Realistically how much time
could be saved? How much could be "lost"
if the decision turns out to be bad.
-- What is the terrain really like? Severely
overgrown? Wide open space?
-- Are all team members nimble and fast
bushwhackers? Estimate your "on trail pace" vs "bushwhack
pace" and recalculate the potential time savings.
Summary: Don't be afraid to take calculated
risks. However, don't rush to judgement without asking and
answering a few basic questions. Many adventure racing tales
of disaster begin with "We were doing great and then
decided to take a short-cut....".
Quick Tip: Mark your
map with a different colored highlighter for the "alternative"
route junction. You may need to make the decision on the course
during the event (after seeing the terrain) when you get to
the actual junction/decision point.
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