CrossCountry App

Does your Events list look a bit like this with multiple events with similar names or each event just having one course in it? 

It makes it hard to manage your courses because you are constantly swapping between events and it looks inconsistent when you create print maps or publish in the library. It also makes it hard to share your courses on social media or by email and you end up with multiple entries in the Latest events carousel. 

Think of your events as folders to group your courses in.

Here are some tips to get you organised. First of all when you upload a course from CrossCountry App 1 (wheel app) on your  iPhone or iPad, it uses the event you have named in the course details.  In the example below if the event Sommerville already exists, your course will be added to it with the Level Preliminary. If it doesn’t, a new event will be created. So it is very important to be consistent with your spelling.  CrossCountry 2 suggests existing event names when you first create your course which helps avoid the duplication but it can still happen if you include the level in the event eg. you call the event Sommerville EvA 80. This is not a good idea. 

CrossCountry 2

CrossCountry 1

Should I have just one event or create a new one for each competition?

It is personal preference. Some designers like to have an event for each year e.g. Sommerville 2018 or each competition Sommerville October 2018 

Or you can just have a single event Sommerville with all your courses in it. Courses are always listed in date order so the latest will be at the top. If you regularly duplicate courses from a previous competition it is probably easier to keep them all under a single Event.  If you change title sponsors you will be best to start with a new event for that sponsor including their name. 

And my levels?

Be consistent with your levels too. e.g. EvA 95, Preliminary, BE 100, 2*  Whether you have **,  CIC **, CIC 2* or CIC 2 star, or Two Star is a matter of choice. Just be consistent. A lot of designers like to add Draft or Working to the level so that their status is clear.  You can change the Level any time by editing that field in the Toolkit and Saving. 

Don’t put the level in the event ie. Sommerville 95cm because it will then appear twice on the maps and in the library. 

So how do I fix things up?

You can move courses between events.  Open up the course and click in the Event box, as you start to type you will see a list of potential event names. Select from them. 

To change the level, click in the field and type in the new level.  You can move unlisted or public courses. Once you save, for a published course the change will appear immediately in the course library.

Can I add a new Event and move all my courses into it?

Yes you can. Click the + 

Can I change an Event Name?

Yes you can. Open the event and click the down arrow next to the name. Type in the new name. if there is already an event by that name, the toolkit will tell you so you can move your courses into it.  You can also add your event logo.

Press Save and the Event name will be updated in our library

When I am finished I have these empty events…

You can delete them. Search for the event and click the 3 dots next to the name.

Don’t worry. You can only delete an event if it has no courses in it. 

Is there anything else I need to be aware of?

Yes. When you move courses between events, their internal address changes. So if you have used the Share button to send  the link with colleagues or embedded the map in your website, it will give an error next time they click.  

How do I avoid this problem?

For embedded maps, copy the new Embed code and send it to your webmaster.  

You will need to either share the new link with colleagues or better still use the + button which adds them as a collaborator. 

A collaborator can be anyone who has a Toolkit account (Free or Paid)   Links are automatically be updated for your collaborators so name changes are transparent for them.

The Denman committee led by president Gordon Bishop embraced digital technology and innovative safety protocols for their successful Flight of the Phoenix Event held in July in country New South Wales, Australia.

Gordon said “We were innovating like crazy. Paperless maps were right at the forefront.”

You can use CrossCountry App at home to help you get used to the pace and rhythm.

Anxiety strikes at any level - How do you deal with it?

Anxiety can affect any competitor at any level. You can be winning or otherwise and still have competition anxiety. So how do we deal with it?

In this day and age, everything is on social media. This blog you’re reading has been posted on social media. The old adage of ‘if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?” has been appropriated and adapted to modern times with “If it’s not on social media, did it even happen?”. And that is just as relevant in eventing circles. 

Mike Etherington-Smith answers a question from one of our Toolkit users and aspiring FEI designer Jarryd Stanley…

2018 was a year of change and growth; a new yard, a new team of horses and a network to build.

Mike Etherington-Smith is at the top of his game, having designed cross country courses at two Olympics and numerous top level courses in Europe, the USA and Australia. He is also an early adopter of our CrossCountry Toolkit software that is transforming the way course designers and event organisers work. Here are Mike’s top tips for course designers. 

Here’s 8 tips for wearing a stopwatch cross country from Caroline Mosley of Orange Fox Eventing.

Well what a year it was. I was lucky enough to start the season with a nice team of horses who I was hopeful that they would do well in their respected levels.