Let me count the ways..

Until this weekend there were two other terminal technical errors I thankfully hadn't committed  - but at the end of my otherwise hot, long and rather unpleasant course on Saturday, I discovered I had finally executed the 'forget-to-punch-at-the-drinks-control' error, so I'll have to cross that one off my at-least-I-haven't-done-THAT  list.   Dang and Bugger.  I don't specifically remember not punching, but I do remember that I was very thirsty by the time I arrived at that control (it was number 10) - so unless we can go back to a video replay, I 'll have to accept that now I've joined the Found-the-control-but-forgot-to-punch-how-dumb-are-you club. 

This only leaves me with one other stupid mistake that I haven't actually made yet - this is the Taking the Wrong Map at the start of the race error  - for example if you are supposed to be running course 3, and instead of standing behind the box of course 3 maps when you are called up to the start a minute before you are set to go,  you go and stand at the box of maps for say course 5. So when the start beeps go off, you pick up that incorrect map and head off into the forest - thus  guaranteeing yourself a large number of mispunches and a fair bit of chastising from your buddies at the end of the race.  

I haven't committed this error but I know a lot of people who have, and one of the best (worst) stories is from a friend who I know would prefer to rename nameless, so we'll call her Flare Fawlawne    This friend is really quite smart, and an excellent orienteer.    She's represented Australia in her time and on tis particular day she was representing Victoria  in the Australian Relay Championships..  Having had a really strong run the individual championship the previous day, she was selected to run the demanding third leg in the relay..  Everything had fallen into place so far, and the 2nd leg runner was heading to the changeover with the team currently in 3rd place, so still in the hunt for a win.  After tagging,   Flare was off and running and the team was presumably in the safe hands of their strongest runner .  The first task of a relay runner is to run to what is known as the 'graveyard' (due to all the maps on posts)  and take the correct map from the post that bears  your team number. Somehow Flare's significant numeracy skills failed her and she  mis-read the numbers and grabbed the wrong map.    Unfortunately the one she took belonged to a team running the longest course - the open men, meaning that  Flare would be running a very long and fruitless race which would ultimately end in disqualification for the entire team.  Ouch. 

What was worse though, was that on this particular occasion, Flare picked up the map belonging to the Victorian Men's team. The team that up until that point was looking like they were going to win for the first time in many years. The team whose third leg runner was about to discover that his own map was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. (The complexity of ensuring all relay teams run the exact same legs means there are no spare maps)   - the race was over for him and his team. Double Ouch!

This mistake was  over 10 years ago now, and Flare still doesn't like to talk about it.  You can see why,

So my little mis-punching mis demeanour on the first day of the Easter 3-day is really not so bad. Sure it took me out of the competition, but as it happened I was well off the pace anyway, and it also freed me up to run a more pleasant shorter course on day 3 (since I'd been knocked out of the real competition anyway). 

But I wonder how long it will  be before I can tick off the last of those really stupid mistakes I haven't made from my dwindling list.