Deer Lakes  Park
Comprehensive Orienteering Training
22 April 2018


It was an excellent day for orienteering, sunny with a temperature about 60.  We  were almost overwhelmed with participants (141).  Surprisingly, no one reported any ticks in the forest, although  many had  been seen during course setting and vetting.

Joe Logan  designed all of the courses except the intermediate one and taught both of the beginner sessions.  Jim Wolfe also taught one beginner session, splitting the participants with Joe.  These sessions began at 11 am and 1 pm with 37 participants and 36 participants, respectively.  Everyone on those courses seemed to have a good time, with a number of parents saying that their children especially enjoyed it.  Jim Wolfe designed the intermediate course and taught the intermediate session which began at noon and had 15 participants. Many of those in the intermediate session expressed appreciation and felt they learned something useful for future orienteering.

The three advanced exercises consisted of a trailless course, a donut-o course and a line-o course.  The trailless one was the most popular with at least 27 people going out on it.  This was designed just like a normal short course; however, all trails had been removed from the map; finishing times generally ranged from about 40 minutes to as much as 2 hours.   The donut-o course was also designed like a normal course; however, everything within 60 meters of the control feature was erased.  24 people tried this course; finishing times ranged from about 25 minutes to more than 2 hours.  For the line-o course, the map showed only a line to follow and a  list of the control numbers that would be on the line.  Line-O is usually one of the more difficult exercises; 13 people went out on this course; finishing times ranged from about 40 minutes to almost 2 hours, although a fair number of participants came back having missed one or more of the controls. 

The only incident of note occurred during control pickup when some of the disc golfers or other non-orienteers seemed to be offended by having orange and white markers near their course.  One control flag was thrown in a stream and another was carried off.  Fortunately, both were retrieved due to the persistent efforts of Edna Spang.

Thanks to Sherry Shank, James Fenn, Barbara Johnstone, Mary and Paul Sleppy  for handling registration.  Thanks to Mark Puda, Naomi Jarvis, Laurie Opila and Ryan Knecht for doing start/finish.  Thanks to Andy Karnavas, Tim & Edna Spang  and Joe Logan for doing control pickup.

This was a training event; there are no formal results.

To see the photos that Alexis took at the event, go here

Our next event will be on April 29 at Northmoreland Park.  This will be our first event at that park.  The courses will be sprints.