Meet Results

  Hail to the Chief

Reedy Creek Nature Preserve | 8-Mar-2008 | Sandy Kohn, meet director.

Yes, we got some hail during the meet, which caused a number of folks to decide they had had enough, or their map decided that for them as the ink from their control marks started to run.  We also had sunshine, wind and changing temperatures.

And our Chief, COK President David Alexander, was out there for the entire meet – arriving around 8:45, teaching a lesson to beginners, capturing the winning time on the Green course  (by 1 minute and 4 seconds), picking up the White Course controls, and talking with the competitors and the ROTC organizers.  He stayed around till almost everyone was in.   He also arranged for me to get the maps I needed prior to the event.  David, thanks for all you do!

This meet happened to be the Junior ROTC Championship.  They used the Orange course I set, but managed their own registrations, starts and stops, which took a huge load off of my volunteers from UNC Charlotte’s Venture program.  Thanks to the Wilderness Trip Leading Class who put out the White course controls on Saturday morning and helped with starts.  The Junior ROTC Championship had 30 teams competing.  Unfortunately most teams (over 20) did not finish – not being able to find all the controls.  Based on input in an email from one of the organizers, I set a challenging course both in length (5K) and in difficulty.  I think it was still an Orange level course, but a demanding one. Clearly it was too demanding, as so many teams did not complete it.  A few did, and the winning time for the Junior ROTC Championship was a respectable 88 minutes, with the three next best being 122, 137 and 157 minutes.  To be successful, a person needed to really pay attention to land features.  Many Junior ROTC units don’t get a chance to work with maps often. Their ability to follow a bearing and pace count may be well honed, but for USOF style orienteering, the orienteer also needs to be able to follow the subtleties on a map.

The Green course had a great turnout with 15 starts.  All but 2 finished, despite the fact that one control was misplaced (or miss marked on the map). Control # 6 was marked at the western end of an earthen bank.  However, the control was placed on a different earthen bank that was not on the map about 30 M south and a bit west of the one marked.  A number of folks said they had some trouble finding it but no one suggested to me that it had been misplaced.  I only discovered it was in the wrong place when I went to pick it up on Sunday afternoon.  I came at it from a different direction from when I set it and it was very clear when I found the right earth bank, but no control flag.  I had to wander around a while till I located the flag.  Sorry about that.  That is one of the keys of being a good course setter, making sure a control is in the right place.  For most controls, if it isn’t obvious, I check the site from two different attack points.  This was one of the last ones I placed and I was tired so I didn’t check myself.  I am relieved that almost everyone found it anyway.

Total turnout for the COK meet was 49 starts with 106 participating.  The Junior ROTC Championship had 30 starts, with (I believe) 119 participants. This brings the total to 79 starts and 225 people out in the woods.  I hope everyone had a hail* of a good time.

–Sandy

Webmaster's Note:  *Arrrgh! You're as bad as I am, Sandy.

 

In the tables below, the number in ( ) is the number of people on the team.

White Course — Length in kilometers:  2.4

Rank	Competitor	Finish time
1	Michele Warren (1)	60:45
2	Team Titans (including a 3 yr old) (5)	68:20
3	Sydney & dad (2)	116:20
	Don Freeland	DNF

Yellow Course — Length in kilometers:  3.8

Rank	Competitor	Finish time
1	John H (2)	54:05
2	Sabo (2)	85:00
3	Kunkle & Winland (2)	93:11
4	Stephanie Briggs & brother and mom (3)	97:00
5	Sunvalley 1 (2)	97:25
6	Dishman & Horne & Combs (3)	110:50
7	Josh & Marc (2)	115:40
8	South Meck 3 (3)	129:00
9	Dison & Sherrils (2)	137:15
10	Johnson & Howard & Helms (3)	153:45
11	Don C	158:45
12	FHSS 1 (4)	159:10
13	Hunter (4)	159:50
14	Williamson (4)	161:08
15	Bosworth & Shearin, & Helms (3)	162:10
16	Lowry (4)	167:48
17	John & Patty & Christopher (3)	190:30
	Waters (2)	DNF
	Dave & Melanie Walsh (2)	DNF
	Toliver & Mayberry & Sipes (3)	DNF
	Capriglione (3)	DNF

Orange Course — Length in kilometers:  5.0

Rank	Competitor	Finish time
1	Jim & Leslie Taft (2)	138:10
2	Marshall Feis (3)	157:08
	Sunvalley 3 (2)	DNF
	Sunvalley 4 (2)	DNF
	Sunvalley 2 (2)	DNF
	Troop 222 Wolfpack (4)	DNF
	Troop 222 Mountaineer Patrol (5)	DNF
	Phyllis Tarrant	DNF
	John Fairly	DNF

Green Course — Length in kilometers:  5.8

Rank	Competitor	Finish time
1	David Alexander	74:18
2	Walter Siegenthaler	75:22
3	Trzicks	85:00
4	Matt Kocher & pup	91:05
5	Gorde Hunter (from Canada)	94:00
6	Rich Hastings	110:15
7	Richard Stuart	128:08
8	Kevin Queen	138:40
9	Bill Ketring	147:10
10	Team Van Gilder (2)	186:50
11	Jim Murray	191:10
12	Al Roger	192:23
13	John Barnes	207:40
	Emily & Mark (2)	DNF
	Barry & Bodkin (2)	DNF

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