TRAILO.IT - http://portugueseorienteeringblog.blogspot.it: ROBERTO MUNILLA VELASCO
Our invited today is Roberto Munilla Velasco and he's
from Spain. Lives in Pastriz (Zaragoza), is a Militar
and competed in Dundee, after his first experience in
WTOC in France, last year.
I'm sure that you will excuse my curiosity but, being
Trail Orienteering almost unknown in Spain, how did you
start in Trail Orienteering?
Roberto Munilla (R. M. ) - In the year of 2010 I
helped as a volunteer in several associations for
disabled people. Mario Vidal (FEDO's cartographer) knew
it and he asked me to develop TrailO from FEDO, a
modality which was strange to me at that moment. For
various reasons, I thought that I wasn't the right
person for this exciting project, but as Mario continued
insisting, at the end I accepted that responsibility
several months later, thinking of the great opportunity
that could be opened to the Spanish disabled people who
wish to practice this sport their whole life.
This is the second time that you compete in a World
Trail Orienteering Championships. Since the last year in
France until now, in Scotland, what evaluation can you
do?
R. M. - In WTOC 2012, it was much more important
to read the
contours very attentively, with high precision,
so the most important part of the races were played in
very small details. We could also see some similar
controls in France, but not as numerous as we could see
here.
So, technically speaking, these World Championships were
more demanding? Is that what you mean?
R. M. - Not exactly. It was almost the same,
although the controls were different. The difficulty,
the complexity, was maximum, but with different types of
controls. I think that both World Championships were
very demanding, very equal in this chapter.
Personally, were your results what you expected?
R. M. - I expected to do a little bit better than
last year, once we don't have the chance to do trainings
and races in Spain. But, after what I did on the first
day, it was clear to me that it would be very difficult
to do something better. Since last year, my level
remains the same and I must be resigned by the same
position.
After all you could see here and the experiences that
this event provided to you, please tell me two or three
things that would be useful to continue your job in
TrailO in Spain.
R. M. - I could see that the work to organize an
event like that should worry about the smaller details.
They are small, in fact, but sometimes I think they are
more important and they can affect the normal deployment
of a race. If you don't have the chance to get an
alternative way to find the solution for a problem, then
it's a matter of luck. This is not Trail Orienteering.
Trail Orienteering is something more complex and
diversified than this. All the work around the
organization should be carefully managed, so the athlete
can feel safe during the course and, if there is an
error, that is his fault and not because of a problem
like the cartography, map reading, poorer viewing
controls for the disabled competitors or something like
that. I've also learned that if the quarantine is
needed, it is more convenient to place it after the
finish.
Did you feel that for yourself?
R. M. - A couple of times, yes. I cannot say that
it was due to my insufficient knowledge and experience,
or because there was some little errors or changes on
the map. I think that we should have some better maps...
Well, I don't know... I mean the map reading here, for
example, was a little shorter than what would be normal
to expect in a World Championships.
The best and the worst of the Championships?
R. M. - The best is always what you can learn and
improve about Trail Orienteering. But also the
relationship between all the competitors that we can see
in an event like this. The worst part, I think that we
can relate it with the problems that this organization
had since April, with the storm, the felled trees that
affected all the plans and the last minute changes in
the maps and the courses. And, of course, a very small
organizing team and, despite its goodwill, not very
mature, showing some inadequacies in relation to several
aspects.
TrailO or TempO?
R. M. - I think that they are two
complementary disciplines. To get a good score in TrailO
it is essential to answer correctly the timed controls,
and the best training could be practicing TempO.
On the other hand, to be a good competitor of TempO, I
think that you need to have an agile, lucid and very
fast mind, more typical of the younger people.
I
know you are starting now with TrailO in Spain and last
April you held the first edition of the Spanish Trail
Orienteering Championships. Can you tell me about this
experience and what projects are opening to the future?
R. M. - When the realization of a event basically
depends on a little experienced person and the
facilities are few, the course to its end is long and
hard. In spite of this, the 1st Spanish
TrailO Championships were an important way of diffusion,
and I would like it to wake up the interest to organize
other courses in their cities, in each one of the
participants. In fact, we have already started to
organize the 2nd Spanish TrailO
Championships. Afterwards, there have been a couple of
collaborations with Portugal. One in particular is with
Joaquim Margarido, implemented with success in Zaragoza,
which is Adapted Orienteering to people with mental
disability. The second could be the joint organization
between both Federations of a course of TrailO during
the Iberian Championships.
How can we get more people to do Trail Orienteering?
R. M. - With much dedication and patience we can
work in two directions: from the Federation, helping, in
the organization, the clubs interested in TrailO races,
during other events in their calendar. And also
proposing the realization of chats and courses where
disabled people (rehabilitation centres, associations or
hospitals) are assembled.
Portugal will organize the ETOC in 2014. What kind of
opportunity does this represent to Spain? Are we going
to see a strong Spanish team, in both classes, in
Portugal?
R. M. - I hope it could be a turning point for
TrailO in Spain, where we can experience the true
complexity and difficulty of a TrailO course that will
encourage them to continue participating in other
events. I don't know what will be the level of the
Spanish participants. It depends on the possibilities to
train that there is in Spain before the ETOC.
For how much longer do you intend to keep on doing Trail
Orienteering?
R. M. - Inside the FEDO my time is over, because
since the last Spanish Championships and due to personal
reasons, I have been resigned from my position in the
Federation. My collaboration with the Zaragoza
associations, promoting adapted orienteering, I desire
that it could be much longer.
Joaquim Margarido
