We've been working on filling in the summer BAOC schedule, and we're happy to announce that we are going to have a series of five events, all in San Francisco or near the Bay. As you know, many of our venues are too hot in the summer or have too much vegetation, so we focused on the five below because they are great places for summer events.

The Schedule ↑

1. July 8: Presidio of San Francisco, Main Post, San Francisco
2. July 16: Bedwell Bayfront Park, Menlo Park
3. July 30: McLaren Park, San Francisco (CANCELED)
4. August 13: Presidio of San Francisco, Ft. Scott, San Francisco
5. August 27: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Note: The dates of the last two events were swapped on June 14th.

Beginners ↑

BAOC normally welcomes beginners with clinics that introduce orienteering, and with "beginner" courses. However, due to the "simplified" format of these events, those features might not be available at some of the events. Look at the event webpages for details.

We apologize if those omissions occur, and hope beginners will come to our "regular" events at Big Basin State Park (Sept. 17), Calero County Park (Sept. 24), and/or Sunol Regional Wilderness (Oct. 24).

Important Note ↑

Everyone must observe out-of-bounds areas indicated on the maps. Please note, in particular, that olive-green areas are out of bounds.

Failure to stay out of out-of-bounds areas could jeopardize our ability to get permission to hold events at the venue (as well as being unfair to those participants who go around the areas).

The Format ↑

To keep things simple (and to get a course of good length in these small parks), each event will have one advanced course, likely with one or two map exchanges, with a total distance of 5–7 km. That is, everyone will run the course on the first map. Then, those who want to continue will drop their map in a box, pick up the next map, and continue. Those who wish to run less can proceed to the Finish after completing the first (or second) map; they will be listed separately in the results.

Some of the events might have some additional opportunities, like perhaps a Cell-Phone-O.

Scoring and Awards ↑

To make things a little more interesting, participants can accumulate points throughout the series based on their results. Some of the best minds in the world's greatest database companies, and in the nation's finest research labs have deliberated carefully, and arrived at a scoring system for the Summer Series. (Well, okay, actually, François and Dennis had a brief discussion a couple of weekends ago in Idaho. It's François' idea, really, and Dennis said, "Hey, if you're willing to do the work, I'm all for it.")

The scoring system for the Summer Series will combine all participants into one category by making adjustments based on age and gender to each person's performance. The person with the best adjusted performance in a given race will be awarded 1000 points. Everyone else will be awarded points in proportion to how their own adjusted performance compares to that of the person given 1000 points.

Here are the details.

• We will use tables developed by USA Track and Field that make adjustments to 10 km road-race times based on age and gender.
• Each participant in the Summer Series has a fixed reference time based on those tables.
• For a given race, each person's adjusted performance ratio is calculated as their time for that race divided by their reference time.
• The person with the best adjusted performance ratio for the day is the leader and is awarded 1000 points.
• For anyone else, their point total is the leader's adjusted performance ratio divided by their own performance ratio, then multiplied by 1000, and rounded off to the nearest whole number.

This means it is possible for someone who finishes with the slowest legal time in a race to still have the highest point total for the day. So, don't give up!

Now that you've studied the methodology for scoring in minute detail, perhaps an example is in order.

Suppose there is an event with just three people: a 45-year-old male who we'll call, I dunno, "F"; a 70-year-old male called "D", and a 25-year-old female called "T". Suppose their times on the course are as follows:

F 45:51
T 49:30
D   57:20

Given their ages and genders, their reference times are as follows.

F 28:50
T 30:20
D   36:09

Dividing course time by reference time gives the adjusted performance ratios for the course:

F 1.59017
T 1.63187
D   1.58598

So, D is the leader (despite having the slowest time) and gets 1000 points. To get the points for the others, divide their ratios into D's, multiply by 1000, and you get F with 997 points and T with 972.

Conclusion: If you want to win in the Summer Series, either (a) get fast, or (b) get old fast.

By popular demand, final standings will be based on each person's four three best scores in the five-event four-event Series.

For the record, note that Francois Leonard is the Official Scorer, so all queries and compliments should go to him. Complaints should be sent to DeptOfComplaints@whitehouse.gov.

We need to know everyone's age in order to make these calculations. As usual, your orienteering age is your age at the end of the calendar year. So what we really want is your year of birth. There will be sign-up sheets at either registration or at the E-punch download at each meet. Please put down your name and year of birth. Or you can send Dennis email.

Some "fine print":

1. Everyone who has a valid finish for that day's full course will be awarded points (except group entries will not earn points). However, to be eligible for the cumulative awards, you must be a BAOC member in good standing as of the date of the final event of the series.
2. If you don't tell us your year of birth, we will assume you are a 21-year-old male. If you like that idea better than you like getting more points, well, that's up to you.
3. If we find out your age after some of the point calculations have been made, we will try to go back and recalculate your point totals for the earlier events. In no case, though, will such retroactive point adjustments exceed 1000 points for a given race. (In other words, if you don't tell us your year of birth in time, and you should have been the leader that day, you won't quite get all the credit you might have gotten.)
4. Course Setters for events in the Series will be given points for their own event equal to their best other point total in the series. Event Directors (some of whom may be able to run in their own event) will be given the higher of (a) their actual score in the event or (b) their best other point total in the series.

Dennis Wildfogel
(May 24, 2017)