Some seventy-plus souls sauntered sequentially through a sun-drenched series of selectively placed controls on a delightful day in the lovely Halls Valley section of Joseph D. Grant County Park. The meet was a barebones event, featuring just two courses, meant to give the advanced orienteers in the Club a little more opportunity to participate in traditional orienteering.
The fastest time on the Brown/Green course was recorded by Russell Porter, an M21 who just moved to SF from the Vancouver area. Dan Greene had the fastest time among legitimate Green runners, while Steve Haas was the fastest among the Brown-eligible. Stephanie Maclean was the first woman, sixth overall. Joseph Doetsch recorded a splendid 38:07 on the 5.2 km Red/Blue course, with teenager Matej Sebo in second. The inimitable Penny DeMoss was the fastest woman on the longer course.
The courses were designed to be as technical as possible. There were many short legs and changes of direction; vegetation was extensively remapped to increase accuracy; control markers were carefully placed so as not to be excessively visible (while not at all being hidden); and a number of "phantom" controls were used so that competitors would not be able to just see a bag and assume it was the one they were looking for. Judging by people's reactions, the challenges presented by the courses were quite appreciated and it was a fine day of orienteering for most everyone.
Part of the idea of this barebones event was to avoid needing an army of volunteers. Nevertheless, a regiment still helped out. Rosemary Johnson pre-ran the course two weeks early so that she could staff the epunch table full-time at the event. Her 3.5 hour stint was most appreciated! Steve Haas took care of everything related to self-registration. Tony Pinkham helped with equipment. Penny and Harold DeMoss headed up control pickup, with a crew that included Vicki Woolworth, Gary Carpenter, Chuck Spalding, and Steve Haas. Bob Cooley did his usual terrific job printing maps and clue sheets, and also made a number of map corrections I requested. Chuck Spalding was extremely helpful getting the many revisions of the Course Setter's Notes up on the Club's website promptly. Several pre-runners provided feedback that helped me improve the courses considerably. They included Evan Custer, Peter Graube, Alan Glendinning, Mikkel Conradi, and Chris and Graham Brew. Rex Winterbottom helped with getting the permit, and Marina Keating obtained the insurance waiver we needed on very short notice. Many thanks to all the aforementioned as well as to all those who pitched in for a moment whenever something was needed at the event. Finally, a special thanks to head ranger Jeff Cossins and Santa Clara County Parks' Beeny Sander for expediting the permit process. Nice to hear that they're happy to accommodate us because we "have such a light footprint"!
Lost and Found
The following items were left at the Joe Grant event:
- Purple fleece Northface zipper-down top
- AquaMarkLX water bottle
Contact Dennis Wildfogel to claim your item.
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