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=Round winners=Congratulations to the winners of [[round 125]]: [[User: Király|Király]] from [[Region: Skåne|Skåne]] secured his umpteenth [[Gold medal|gold]], [[User: féarglas|féarglas]] from [[Region: Scotland|Scotland]] [[Bicycle|biked]] home her first [[Silver medal|silver]] and [[User: M0112|M0112]] from [[Region: Lounais-Suomi|Lounais-Suomi]] turfed home a third [[Bronze medal|bronze]] to the collection. All medal winners turfed home way over 1 million points.<br />Well done, mates!
From the home of Turf Västmanland on Facebook:
"Of course we must keep the tradition alive! But this year, like so much else, it will be a little different. The event is open to everyone and completely free! On Lucia Day itself, 13th 13<sup>th</sup> of December, between 11.00-13.00 this year's event is taking place. The event area this time will be the area between Lugna Gatan on Finnslätten, Österleden and Tillbergaleden.
And we urge you to keep your distance, no assembly will take place either before or after the event. We will just Turf. It also means that there is no toilet or serving. After the event, someone on the board of Turf Västmanland will present a small prize to the winner, and we hope that we can take a photo and post it online so that the competitors can enjoy seeing who won. But this contact will take place a while after the event, not immediately as it usually is.”
Another longer ”event” is the Advent Calendar organized by [[Turf Örebro ]] that begun on the First of Advent. Each day the participants get a task, for example ”Take two 170 tp zones” or ”Take 10 zones”. The daily task is e-mailed to the participants and also posted on the Facebook page of Turf Örebro. If you succeed with the task every day until the 22nd 22<sup>nd</sup> of December, you are part of the raffle of a USB bike light. Although I think most people participating, is not doing it for the prize, but for the fun of getting out and about with a daily mission to complete. =Expansion in the UK=
= Expansion in the UK =I don't think anyone has missed the fact that a Scottish turfer named [[User:féarglas|féarglas]] biked home a [[Silver medal]] this round. The activity in [[Region:Scotland|Scotland]], but also in other regions of [[StorbritannienCountry: United Kingdom|UK]], is really taking off. I asked [[User:ESOCWalter|ESOCWalter]] and two other turfers in Scotland to answer some basic Turf-related questions for [[Turf Insiderinsider]]. I think most of you will smile in recognition to many of the answers and stories by the Scottish turfers :)
==First out is [[User:ESOCWalter|ESOCWalter]] himself:==
'''Your Turf-nick/alias and the story behind it:'''
ESOCWalter is not really very imaginative, but I’ve stuck with it! A lot of the Edinburgh Turfers are members of Edinburgh Southern Orienteering Club and so have ESOC in our names. A lot of our club is mad for it, and we even have a Turf page on our website now! [https://www.esoc.org.uk/category/turf]
'''What made you begin with Turf?'''
[[User:CSL|CSL]] in our club got me involved. I was editing the ESOC newsletter for a few months, and CSL provided an article about Turf one month. I put that in but then forgot about it. Then he gave me a second article for the next edition, two months later, and I thought ok I will try it! And then I was hooked straight away. I love the fact that the concept of Turf is so simple – go to a zone and take it – but there’s so much to think about as well with the medals, the points, etc.
'''Favorite Zone or zone you take most often'''
My favourite zone is a new one very near my house, which I suggested and is called [[zone:DustyZone|DustyZone]], after my dog, Dusty, who is a cavapoo. She is a great dog, and she has visited the zone a number of times already with me.
'''Which medal has so far been the hardest to take? Why?'''
The hardest one I am currently working on is the [[Trainer]]! Especially as I started trying to visit a different train station every day, which took me all over [[Municipality:City of Edinburgh|Edinburgh]]. I have had some good adventures with this medal, taking the train out of Edinburgh and cycling home, doing dog walks, combining with orienteering challenges we have had on in the club at local parks, and most recently taking the [[Zone: IslandIsland |IslandIsland]] medal – see answer 10 below. I am terrified I will miss a day and I’m currently on day 25, so the end is in sight!
'''What is the best thing about Turf?'''
'''A personal Turf goal you've achieved that you're most proud of?'''
[[Eager Ferret|Eager ferret medal]]! I tried it three nights in a row, getting faster each time, by getting better at where to take the zones. [[User: QuirkESOC|QuirkESOCs ]] in our club managed to get this medal on foot in central Edinburgh, going in the opposite direction, and on a bike it’s better in the other direction. There are some tricky ones on the route, including [[zoneZone:HARRYPOTTERHarryPotter|HARRYPOTTERHarryPotter]], and on the final attempt I had the ESOC Turfers watching me on [[Turf -TV]], so I felt the pressure. It was so cool to see the medal appear at the end, as I didn’t know how I was doing along the way.
'''Something, besides a bike, you've used to take a zone (which zone?)'''
'''Most memorable zone you've taken. Why?'''
[[zoneZone:IslandIsland|IslandIsland]] is a new zone which (as the name suggests) is on an island, and it is in a loch at one of the local universities. This is a new zone that our zone-setter [[User:Kingslayer|Kingslayer]] created recently, and it had not been visited before. I went out on a freezing day at the start of December, and wore my wetsuit and goggles. I had no idea how deep it would be, but it wasn’t too bad – only up to my chest, but very muddy and sludgy under the brown water, and very cold. But despite all of this it was good fun![[File:ESOCWalter IslandIsland.jpg|none|500px|thumb|ESOCWalter after taking IslandIsland]]
[[File: ESOCWalter IslandIsland.jpg|none|500px|thumb|[[User: ESOCWalter|ESOCWalter]] after taking [[Zone: IslandIsland|IslandIsland]]]] ==Secondly we get to hear from [[User:MarkuuEsoc|MarkuuEsoc]]:==
'''Your Turf-nick/alias and the story behind it:'''
'''Favorite Zone or zone you take most often'''
[[zoneZone:ArthursSeat|ArthursSeat]], a key [[Municipality:City of Edinburgh|Edinburgh]] landmark is an amazing zone to take because from there you can plan and see all the Edinburgh zones you’d like to take if only you had unlimited time! I take [[Zone:AdamCathzone|AdamCathzone]] most frequently as it is close by to home, named after my 2 children. It changes hands on average about 4 times a day so is probably the most frequently taken zone in Scotland at present.
'''Which medal has so far been the hardest to take? Why?'''
'''What is the most frustrating thing about Turf?'''
Getting to a zone and then not being able to take it due to GPS. We have [[Zone:RiskyTurfing|RiskyTurfing]] at the National Library of Scotland, but as I tend to Turf later on at night when the gates are locked and it is 50/50 if my GPS will allow me inside the zone border.
'''A personal Turf goal you've achieved that you're most proud of?'''
'''Something, besides a bike, you've used to take a zone (which zone?)'''
Nothing out of the ordinary, maybe I should start carrying a selfie stick to help take the [[Zone:RiskyTurfing|RiskyTurfing]] zone mentioned above.
'''A medal you would like to see in the future?'''
'''Most memorable zone you've taken. Why?'''
[[Zone:BerwickLaw|BerwickLaw]] in North Berwick, for the fabulous view of the Bass Rock and out to sea.[[File:MarkuuEsoc.jpg|none|500px|thumb|MarkuuEsoc with his very helpful kids]]
[[File: MarkuuEsoc.jpg|none|500px|thumb|[[User: MarkuuEsoc|MarkuuEsoc]] with his very helpful kids]] ==Third one out [[User:féarglas|féarglas]]==And finally, after winning her [[silver medal]], [[AnvändareUser:féarglas|féarglas]] took the time to answer the same questions :)
'''Your Turf-nick/alias and the story behind it:'''
People often think I’m Scottish and I have lived here for 20+ years now, but I am [[LandCountry:IrlandIreland|Irish]]. My Turf-nick is féarglas, (pronounced fair-gloss) which is Gaeilge, the Irish language, and translates to ‘green grass/turf’ in English. And isn’t that what we are after in Turf? Change all those red zones green.
PS: Often people leave out the fada (ie. the line) over the e, which makes the word ‘fearglas' (pronounced far-gloss) meaning ‘green man’. Which of course I am not.
'''What made you begin with Turf?'''
I started Turf in [[Round 122|round 122]], August [[2020]], after reading an article written by [[User: CSL|CSL ]] in my orienteering club (ESOC) newsletter. CSL has been turfing for many years, our turf guru. The club president, [[User: ESOCWalter|ESOCWalter]], who has a reputation for banging on about things, went on and on and on and on until we started using Turf!! I couldn’t find the app at first, but once I worked out the different country apple-ids, I was hooked.
We had a club competition on the first day of round 122 in August, which I won with 17,567 points. I smile now at how I bumbled around zones for the first time in areas I didn’t know, on a borrowed bike with no lights (after 17+ years of not cycling), getting lost frequently and down to 1% battery. A junior in the club, aged 10 years old was neck and neck with me until 10.30 pm when luckily, it was too late for them and they had to go home before the midnight finish. We’ve come a long way since August, with many great Turfers in the club and winning points totals for the subsequent first day of the round competition of 32,353 / 43,392 /37,825 and now [[User: ESOCWoody |ESOCWoody]] - 46,152.
'''Favorite Zone or zone you take most often?'''
A favorite zone is always a tough question, as everyone has a few. I like [[Zone:KIRKGATEKirkgate|KIRKGATEKirkgate]], as it is a pretty setting with a view of Currie Kirk, and the ride to it along the Water of Leith, a pathway which runs along the river through forest, is always a pleasant nature experience and very restorative after hours of city & concrete.
'''Which medal has so far been the hardest to take? Why?'''
'''A personal Turf goal you have achieved that you’re most proud of?'''
Winning the [[Silver medal|silver medal]] in [[Round 122|round 125]] with 1.4 million points, both achievements I thought that were beyond me. And to be the first person outside of the Nordic Countries to win a medal, or exceed 1 million points, is further reward. We have a great community of Turfers here in Scotland and the UK, and I think I have done us all proud, putting us on the World Turf map. I was bowled over and warmed by the both the messages of encouragement and congratulations from home and abroad. (To [[User:Oberoff|Oberoff]] - a special thank you)
It was certainly a challenging 35 days, trying to fit Turf in around other commitments (which is why I often turf evenings/nights), playing the head game, battling the demons and to just keep going day after day with the motto of ’no days or nights off’. I did miss one night when I had bailed out of a day ride (after 70 km though) when I got very cold in poor weather, and intended going out later but I was ordered to sleep instead by my family. I met CSL the next day who said he was very surprised to wake and find he still owned his zones! There was also one overnight turf session which took longer than expected and being late home, everyone was late for school & work, but delighted children getting a lie-in.
'''Something, besides a bike, you've used to take a zone (which zone?)'''
I once used a stunt scooter to take zones, starting with [[Zone:SAUGHTONROSESSaughtonRoses|SAUGHTONROSESSaughtonRoses]], which is next to the skate park. Oh boy, never again. The little wheels are not well suited to uneven pavements/kerbs, and pushing with one leg while trying to remain balanced was very hard work. At least it wasn’t on the skateboard, or the final zone would definitely have been ACHEINMYTUMMY[[Zone: AcheInMyTummy|AcheInMyTummy]], the local A&E.
'''A medal you would like to see in the future?'''
'''Most memorable zone you've taken. Why?'''
My most memorable zone is nowhere special, but it has a special memory taking it. In [[round 123]], my target was a top 5 finishing position. On the last day, I was in 5th, but went for a ride to ensure I didn’t lose it. It was a dreadful day here, a storm with wind, heavy rain and very cold - even the ducks weren’t out. It is up there with the most miserable rides ever! As I came close to home, I met my 8-year son, out in the storm. He had gone out to re-take the two ‘home’ zones so I could take them again. I was very moved by this, and we walked together to take the last zone. [[File:Féarglas.jpg|none|500px|thumb|Photo of [[User: ESOCWalter|ESOCWalter ]] and [[User: féarglas|féarglas]]]]
Thank you ESOCWalter, MarkkuEsoc and féarglas for answering my questions with interesting information and stories! I sure enjoyed reading their answers, I hope you did too :)
'''Turfa lugntslugnt/Safe turfing!'''
[[Category:Turf insider 2020]][[Category:2020]]
[[sv: Turf insider December 2020]]
