O'ers, Although the weather turned markedly cooler by Saturday, the little bit of rain that sputtered during the course setup had cleared nicely by 11 to provide ideal conditions for orienteering. The sun basked in the open areas of Veteran's Park and Willow Lane amidst the crisp early fall temperatures, with some modest breezes to keep the perspiration working. There was no deterring eager newcomers or experienced members on the club's National Orienteering Day courses! The beginner course greeted those brand new to the sport, as well as an experienced member recovering from a surgery. The Woods father and son team learned how to use their compass and read the detailed maps, returning with newfound experience and even going out a second time to practice. I expect we'll see more of them at our future meets getting better every time. Jonathan Sater was a returning guest after coming the Saturday before (the Idaho Statesman date mixup), and he grasped the map quickly and even came sprinting in off the go control a short distance away from the finish area. As he looked plenty fresh yet, I sent him off again on intermediate and he found those technical controls (as much as can be on this map) without a hitch. We're looking forward to seeing him tackle future meets in the foothills! In the meantime, Dan Herring gave the beginner course a turn and wrapped up first place - perhaps his dog gave him a good pull along the way. The intermediate course led the participants around the entire lake of Veteran's Park, tossing in a few more technical controls to keep everyone on their toes. The local scouts and leaders - the Mason and Jordan Bullock, Cody Harris, Al Robinson, and Brian Snap - started off separately but soon regrouped like magnets around a pole. They did well, despite mistaking one advanced control for an intermediate in their group inertia - more careful map reading (and code checking!) will surely put them on the big leagues next time. This did not hinder their enthuasiam in the least, especially when one walked away with the drawing on the men's super goody bag from Athlete's Foot! The others got new Brunton compasses to practice with in the future. As noted above, Jonathan Sater turned in a very respectable time with no difficulties despite being his first time orienteering. He too got a new compass from Brunton, so he can practice with a baseplate over the mirror compass next time. Dondi Black, with Sage the sighthound, made good time around the lake but noted control 7 on the "knoll" wasn't necessarily higher than the trail it was next to. She is getting better at this! Karin Didesse, meet codirector, headed out after the masses and picked up controls along the way, so her second place finish gets bonus points. Masha Velichko, however, who is starting to get pretty darn good at these intermediate courses, more than edged out the competition with a stellar first place time of 25:23. I will be watching my back on the advanced courses in the near future... The advanced course was designed to make the park map as technically challenging as it could be, with some strategically placed thicket controls, route options that might require a second thought, and of course extra distance by incoporating the vast reaches of the Willow Lane athletic fields. This intimidating map did not even phase the Lokanathan family, who arrived straight from Boise Run/Walk, renewed their club membership, asked what the time limit was, and then trekked out into the wilds with Apoorva as code checker. (Ok, I did give them a translation of those international clue symbols.) It sounded like they were having plenty of fun out there, as reported by other speedier advanced O'ers, especially finding control 10 on its own knoll in the NW corner. They returned victorious and undaunted well under the 3 hour time limit. Kalyani won the drawing for the women's goody bag, much to the delight of Apoorva. Dave and Ole Bergset each took the course on their own, with Dave edging out his father but getting the MBO award (most bloody orienteer) as his legs were colorfully decorated by the "short cut" brambles near control 13. He won the Brunton hat for his visceral display. Ole admitted he too had fun with control 10 out there, as an unmapped path led him astray to explore the map edge. He is learning much, tho, from his recent experiences at Whistler and other northwest meets, and I expect to see him snapping up a control ahead of me in the near future. Lee Scott served as the ideal candidate for the Statesman photographer who arrived to see him nab the first control, and finished his course in a close third place. We're looking forward to the interview he gave in the next exciting issue of the paper! Bill Leahy had a strong day, neatly hitting every control perfectly but in thinking "two" far ahead he blitzed by control 5 accidentally and had to run back. He reports his quarter mile interval training paid off over the length of the course, as his endurance is up notably. He may yet make the fast O'ers at the metrogain next month a little nervous. Finally, our world class orienteer Sergey Velichko set the standard for the map with a 33:22. That guy is not getting any slower. Results: Beginner: 7 controls, 1.18km, 3m climb ------------ --------- --------- --------- -- Dan Herring 14:15 Jonathan Sater 16:08 Davin and Pat Woods 1:01:23 Intermediate: 11 controls, 2.32km, 9m climb ------------ --------- --------- --------- ------ Masha Velichko 25:23 Karin Didesse 33:45 (while picking up controls) Dondi Black (with Sage) 35:30 Jonathan Sater 44:16 Mason Bullock 49:30 (incorrect #3) Jordan Bullock, Al Robinson 50:39 (incorrect #3) Cody Harris, Brian Snap 50:39 (incorrect #3) Advanced: 16 controls, 4.86km, 9m climb ------------ --------- --------- --------- ---- Sergey Velichko 33:22 Bill Leahy 47:21 Lee Scott 50:26 David Bergset 56:36 Ole Bergset 58:13 The Lokanathan family 2:41:39 Thanks to everyone for making all the preparation worthwhile. Thank you especially to Karin my codirector, who was there plenty early and late to handle starts, control pickup, and brought the refreshments enjoyed by all from her store. David Bergset has my grateful appreciation for helping with control pickup and meet disassembly, even with antiseptic on his legs. It was good to know the club first aid kit is still functional. Andy Hill made a few map updates and supplied the preprinted maps with help from HP. (Remember when we used to copy maps by hand?!) And much kudos and appreciation goes to our local sponsor, Athlete's Foot, for providing the goody bags received by everyone, as well as the top drawing bags. Mike Shuman's press contacts will increase our visibility even more in the future. Our national sponsor Brunton, as always, is a steadfast supplier of many National Orienteering Day items - our banner, compasses, and countless other elements we probably take for granted by now but would be hard pressed to do without. Next meet is the Metrogain, directed by Sergey Velichko, on October 14th. This is still traditional course orienteering, but with a mass start and extra distance for those who crave yet more controls and want to learn how to handle four maps at once. Tentative starts are in Julia Davis Park this year, concluding in Willow Lane for the main course, but there will be shorter options for those with less time or energy. Please note that November's meet was moved to the 18th, still at Simplot park and directed by Kristin and Dave Ritzenthaler. Look forward to seeing you next time, Your meet directors, Jeff Black and Karin Didesse