With a few minor changes from the email I sent out on the yahoo group--
A few meet notes for this Saturday.
The registration and starts are at the shelter just outside the entrance to Burr Oak Woods. There is parking north of the shelter in Pink Hill Park.
The course lengths are as follows:
White--1.6 km
Yellow--2.7 km
Orange--4.5 km
Green--5.9 km
Red--7.2 km (a good practice for the Short Possum in 2 weeks!!)
There are 1 or 2 water stops on each of the orange, green, and red courses (none on white or yellow).
White course is in an open park (Pink Hill Park), like the summer sprints. Yellow on up will be in the woods of Burr Oak Woods. Rough open is ROUGH in most, if not all, cases. Wear pants and/or leg protection--it is very thorny in places.
The weather is supposed to be perfect for orienteering (partly cloudy and 60 degrees). Hope to see you there!! :)
Angie Barrett
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Training at Landahl
We did a short training session at Landahl after the event. We focused on contours. The exercise tested the effect of contours (up and down) on how well we moved through the forest. We tested up and down in the woods; flat in the woods; and flat on a trail. The test was simple - move at a consistent effort (running or walking) for 20 seconds, then count your paces back to the start point. With a set of paces in each condition, you can get a good sense of what slows you down.
Everyone went furthest on the trail. That's to be expected. Everyone was slowed by the hills and the forest. Again, that's to be expected. By doing tests like this, you can get a good idea of how much the forest and the hills slow you down.
If you do this sort of test with several other orienteers, then you get a sense of each orienteers strengths. Nancy moved well through the forest. Matt was especially strong going up hill. Joe blazed the downhills.
Submitted by Michael Eglinski
Everyone went furthest on the trail. That's to be expected. Everyone was slowed by the hills and the forest. Again, that's to be expected. By doing tests like this, you can get a good idea of how much the forest and the hills slow you down.
If you do this sort of test with several other orienteers, then you get a sense of each orienteers strengths. Nancy moved well through the forest. Matt was especially strong going up hill. Joe blazed the downhills.
Submitted by Michael Eglinski
Friday, October 29, 2010
Orienteering Training at Landahl Park
There will be a free orienteering training session at Landahl Park tomorrow (Oct 30). It will begin at 12:30 p.m. and last about 30 minutes. It will be led by Michael Eglinski and tomorrow's subject is contours. Sign up at registration. Be sure to come early enough to finish your course before 12:30.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Possums in Colorado
Possums in Colorado
July 17 - 21
11 members of Possum Trot Orienteering Club went to Colorado to participate in the Rocky Mountain O-Fest this past weekend. Much fun was had by all and we enjoyed the weekend very much. The Barretts extended the weekend to Tuesday to run in the US Champ Relays where they took 2nd place in the 12 Point category. Congratulations!!
Mike Shifman also stayed to Wednesday to compete in the US Champ Night-O and Ultra Long events.
Those placing in other events:
Cate Barrett 2nd in F-14 for 2 day Classic Courses
Joe Barrett 2nd in M-18 for 2 day Classic Courses
Angie Barrett 2nd in F-40 for the 2 day Classic Courses
Nancy Neuburger 1st in F-65 for the 2 day Classic Courses
Mike Shifman 2nd in M-70 for US Champ Night O
Mike Shifman 2nd in M-70 in US Champ Ultra-Long
Posted by Paul Clatterbuck
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Jesse James Park Sprint
Just wanted to give you some updates.
Saturday, July 10, start times 8am to 10am (this is not a shady park, so it starts to get really hot shortly after 8am--unless we get some beautiful weather like the past few days!)
ONLY ONE COURSE--I tried to come up with 2 original, interesting courses but couldn't, so the only course will be approximately 2.8 km (we still need to run the course to make sure everything works as planned), there should be no poison ivy and very little tall grass so wearing shorts is an option, also we have only seen 2 ticks in all of our mornings there.
Parking--either in the first parking lot on the left (portapotty is there; about 150 m walk across the street to the shelter by the pond), or you can go past the white fence on the right and turn right into the grassy area next to the pond (about 15 m from the shelter).
If I think of anything else, I will let you know. Looking forward to seeing some of you next Saturday!
Angie and Joe B.
Saturday, July 10, start times 8am to 10am (this is not a shady park, so it starts to get really hot shortly after 8am--unless we get some beautiful weather like the past few days!)
ONLY ONE COURSE--I tried to come up with 2 original, interesting courses but couldn't, so the only course will be approximately 2.8 km (we still need to run the course to make sure everything works as planned), there should be no poison ivy and very little tall grass so wearing shorts is an option, also we have only seen 2 ticks in all of our mornings there.
Parking--either in the first parking lot on the left (portapotty is there; about 150 m walk across the street to the shelter by the pond), or you can go past the white fence on the right and turn right into the grassy area next to the pond (about 15 m from the shelter).
If I think of anything else, I will let you know. Looking forward to seeing some of you next Saturday!
Angie and Joe B.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Flying Pig XIV and Interscholastic Championships
Jessica, Matt, Joe, Cate, and John Barrett went to Cincinnati, Ohio, for the Flying Pig/Interscholastic Championships on the second weekend of April. Jessica, Matt, Joe, and Cate ran as a Junior Varsity school team, while John ran as a Primary school individual, since there was no one else to make a team with him.
Friday was a middle distance race--not part of the Interscholastics--so Matt and Joe decided to run Green (there were some highly ranked young men coming, which meant a great opportunity for competition!), and Cate ran Yellow to add to her ranking races. Jessica ran Orange courses and John ran White for all three days. The Green (ISVM and M-18) was moderately difficult for Matt and Joe, but both ran clean races--finishing 3rd (Joe) and 6th (Matt) out of a field of 45. Jessica placed 5th out of 13 on the JV female Orange course. Cate thought that the Yellow was harder than others she has run, but she finished 2nd out of 13 females. John got lost twice--one minor mistake and one major--and finished 3rd that day.
Saturday was a long course--5.9 km for Matt and Joe, 5.3 km for Jessica and Cate, and 2.7 km for John. This first day of Interscholastics was a fairly easy Orange course for Matt and Joe, who finished 1st and 2nd out of 55 JV boys (Joe got confused finding his way to one control). This was Cate's first attempt at an A-level Orange course, and it was easier than she expected. Cate and Jessica finished 2nd and 3rd in the JV female group of 19. Almost a clean sweep for the Barrett Homeschool team on Day 1! John got turned around once, but figured it out and placed 2nd out of 6 Primary boys.
Sunday was another middle distance race--Day 2 of Interscholastics, with much more difficult courses than Day 1. Matt was sick with a stomach virus, but kept moving and finished 14th that day--2nd place for the overall two-day competition. Joe had a mistake-free run and finished first that day and first overall in the JV male category. Both girls got lost a few times on their "very difficult" Orange course, finishing 5th (Cate) and 9th (Jessica), but still managed 2nd (Cate) and 5th (Jessica) places overall. John had a perfect run on Sunday, and finished 2nd that day and 2nd overall in the IS Primary male category.
Despite the troubles on Day 2, we finished first in the Interscholastic JV school competition (14 teams total), bringing home two huge trophies. (Mostly due to Joe's urging and threats--he wanted that trophy so badly, and his siblings didn't want to let him down!) With almost 400 people, it was the biggest A-meet we had ever entered. Thank you, PTOC, for the chance to compete with some of the best young orienteers in the country, with challenging terrain and courses! We'll bring the trophies and maps to some of the upcoming meets. We can hardly wait until next spring to defend our title as ISJV champs!!!! (Unless we decide to compete as a Varsity team!)
Jessica, Matt, Joe, Cate, and John
Friday was a middle distance race--not part of the Interscholastics--so Matt and Joe decided to run Green (there were some highly ranked young men coming, which meant a great opportunity for competition!), and Cate ran Yellow to add to her ranking races. Jessica ran Orange courses and John ran White for all three days. The Green (ISVM and M-18) was moderately difficult for Matt and Joe, but both ran clean races--finishing 3rd (Joe) and 6th (Matt) out of a field of 45. Jessica placed 5th out of 13 on the JV female Orange course. Cate thought that the Yellow was harder than others she has run, but she finished 2nd out of 13 females. John got lost twice--one minor mistake and one major--and finished 3rd that day.
Saturday was a long course--5.9 km for Matt and Joe, 5.3 km for Jessica and Cate, and 2.7 km for John. This first day of Interscholastics was a fairly easy Orange course for Matt and Joe, who finished 1st and 2nd out of 55 JV boys (Joe got confused finding his way to one control). This was Cate's first attempt at an A-level Orange course, and it was easier than she expected. Cate and Jessica finished 2nd and 3rd in the JV female group of 19. Almost a clean sweep for the Barrett Homeschool team on Day 1! John got turned around once, but figured it out and placed 2nd out of 6 Primary boys.
Sunday was another middle distance race--Day 2 of Interscholastics, with much more difficult courses than Day 1. Matt was sick with a stomach virus, but kept moving and finished 14th that day--2nd place for the overall two-day competition. Joe had a mistake-free run and finished first that day and first overall in the JV male category. Both girls got lost a few times on their "very difficult" Orange course, finishing 5th (Cate) and 9th (Jessica), but still managed 2nd (Cate) and 5th (Jessica) places overall. John had a perfect run on Sunday, and finished 2nd that day and 2nd overall in the IS Primary male category.
Despite the troubles on Day 2, we finished first in the Interscholastic JV school competition (14 teams total), bringing home two huge trophies. (Mostly due to Joe's urging and threats--he wanted that trophy so badly, and his siblings didn't want to let him down!) With almost 400 people, it was the biggest A-meet we had ever entered. Thank you, PTOC, for the chance to compete with some of the best young orienteers in the country, with challenging terrain and courses! We'll bring the trophies and maps to some of the upcoming meets. We can hardly wait until next spring to defend our title as ISJV champs!!!! (Unless we decide to compete as a Varsity team!)
Jessica, Matt, Joe, Cate, and John
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Indian Cave State Park - Important info
1. US 73 is closed between Falls City, NE and the park. Enter Indian Cave SP from the north: Exit 110 from I-29, US 136, Brownville, NE. Go west on US 136 from Brownville for 1.2 miles, turn left (south) on State Route 67, drive 9.2 miles to State Spur 64E, turn left (east) and drive 5.2 miles to the park. After paying the day-use per car fee of $4.00, take the second left (one-way road) down the hill to the St. Deroin picnic area.
2. There is a $4.00 per car day-use fee. Pay at the self-service station at the park entrance.
3. Note the updated schedule: The Rogaine is now a 10-hour day event: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. The 3-hour Score O schedule remains the same: 1:00 - 4:00 pm.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Final Meet Notes--Wallace SP
Final Meet Notes
--The last control on the regular courses accidentally got described two different ways—as a trail crossing on the control code sheets, and as a bridge end on the map. The control is located where the two meet, and the code letters are the same on both—OO. Sorry!
--The park is very wet and slippery—be careful on the hills and creek banks.
--Rootstocks marked on the map are waist high or higher; however they have been doing a lot of tree cutting and felling recently in the park so there might be some missing or added since we field checked certain areas.
--Do NOT drink directly from the gallon water containers—cups are provided for drinking.
Angie
--The last control on the regular courses accidentally got described two different ways—as a trail crossing on the control code sheets, and as a bridge end on the map. The control is located where the two meet, and the code letters are the same on both—OO. Sorry!
--The park is very wet and slippery—be careful on the hills and creek banks.
--Rootstocks marked on the map are waist high or higher; however they have been doing a lot of tree cutting and felling recently in the park so there might be some missing or added since we field checked certain areas.
--Do NOT drink directly from the gallon water containers—cups are provided for drinking.
Angie
Friday, March 19, 2010
Wallace State Park Meet Notes
March 27, 2010
9:30am -- Register for Relay (and standard courses)
10am -- Relay start, registration for standard courses continues
approx. 10:30am -- Standard course starts
About the Relay
There will be 3 legs ( white level-0.9 km, yellow level-1.1 km, and orange/green level 1.1 km).
Maps will be printed at 1:5000. Teams can consist of either 1, 2, or 3 individuals or groups, but you must run all 3 legs. We will keep times of individual legs and the final team time. The relay will give you an opportunity to warm up and see how the map corresponds to the terrain. This is our first solo attempt and mapping and course setting, so please be patient and understanding if things aren't perfect. :) Especially the vegetation--the white forest seems to be growing more thickety (and the thicket thicker!) every day that we go to the park. I think that spring has sprung! However, no ticks or poison ivy leaves ... yet. We suggest pants and/or gaiters.
About the Standard Courses
The usual colors: white-1.4 km, yellow-2.1 km, orange-3.4 km, green-4.5 km, and red-5.4 km. The courses are a little on the short side for two reasons--hopefully you will have just run the relay, and there are lots of hills at Wallace SP. The maps will be printed at 1:7500, so be forewarned if you are used to running on 1:10,000. The green and red courses are not technically difficult, so you will be getting those maps when the timer starts. The others will pick up their maps at the registration table.
We hope that the park dries out before next weekend :), and we look forward to seeing many of you there.
Angie, Matt, and Joe Barrett
9:30am -- Register for Relay (and standard courses)
10am -- Relay start, registration for standard courses continues
approx. 10:30am -- Standard course starts
About the Relay
There will be 3 legs ( white level-0.9 km, yellow level-1.1 km, and orange/green level 1.1 km).
Maps will be printed at 1:5000. Teams can consist of either 1, 2, or 3 individuals or groups, but you must run all 3 legs. We will keep times of individual legs and the final team time. The relay will give you an opportunity to warm up and see how the map corresponds to the terrain. This is our first solo attempt and mapping and course setting, so please be patient and understanding if things aren't perfect. :) Especially the vegetation--the white forest seems to be growing more thickety (and the thicket thicker!) every day that we go to the park. I think that spring has sprung! However, no ticks or poison ivy leaves ... yet. We suggest pants and/or gaiters.
About the Standard Courses
The usual colors: white-1.4 km, yellow-2.1 km, orange-3.4 km, green-4.5 km, and red-5.4 km. The courses are a little on the short side for two reasons--hopefully you will have just run the relay, and there are lots of hills at Wallace SP. The maps will be printed at 1:7500, so be forewarned if you are used to running on 1:10,000. The green and red courses are not technically difficult, so you will be getting those maps when the timer starts. The others will pick up their maps at the registration table.
We hope that the park dries out before next weekend :), and we look forward to seeing many of you there.
Angie, Matt, and Joe Barrett
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
SLOC A-Meet Report
St. Louis A-Meet Report
A large group of PTOC members (around 20 of us) traveled to St. Louis for an A-meet on the weekend of March 5-7, 2010. The weather was picture-perfect—sunshine and 55 degrees most of the time. There was an A-meet sprint in Forest Park on Friday, and then we all traveled over an hour south to Hawn State Park near Farmington, MO. Saturday included an A-meet middle distance race in the morning and a fun sprint (which ended up being longer than some of the middle courses!) in the afternoon. On Sunday, people chose between the challenging Grunt, Runt, Green, and Orange courses. PTOC didn’t have anyone competing in the Grunt, but the other three races were well-represented. The weekend was a complete success: many awards won, acquaintances made and friendships renewed, fantastic opportunities to practice orienteering skills, and time to relax and have fun in the woods as well. Here are some details from the juniors who benefited from PTOC’s Junior Grant.
Matt: I ran the first sprint as fast as I could and made no mistakes. I got first place on the green/brown/orange course, which was really exciting! On the middle, I ran M-18 for the first time at an A-meet. I didn’t do quite as well as I had on the sprint. It was challenging, and I made one big mistake on control 3 when I tried to follow a bearing and missed the trail I was aiming for. I was 7th overall on the green course, and 1st in M-18. The second sprint went about as badly as the first sprint went well—even John, my 9 year old brother, beat me! I ran fine until looking for control 8, which found me off the map wandering around with several other guys for about ten minutes. The Runt was long and hard. I made two 10-minute mistakes on controls 3 and 10, but other than those I found them all fine. I was so tired I could hardly make it up the hill to the last control. I enjoyed running in the open and challenging woods of St. Louis, but the sprint is my favorite category.
Joe: For the Forest Park sprint I came in 5th on the green/brown/orange course. I found all the controls easily except #7—I was in the right place, but I didn’t know where I was on the map for 20 seconds or so. My middle race was a disaster. I ran M-18 (green), and it took me forever to find control 3. I cut off the trail way too soon, and spent 10 minutes trying to relocate. I ended up second in my age category. The fund-raiser sprint was good—I found my way but didn’t run my fastest, so my finish was average. For the final day, I ran the Runt (9.5 km). I finally beat Matt! It was a clean run, a lot better than the middle race the day before, and I came in second place overall. I was very tired when it was over! I liked the Runt the best that weekend, because I did well. Switching the map scale from race to race was hard to get used to, but it was an excellent weekend of orienteering.
Cate: I ran yellow for the first time at a national meet. The first sprint was easy, because it was all on trails, and I finished second on the yellow/white course. For the middle race the next day, I had to follow creeks as well as trails, which made it a little more challenging. The afternoon sprint was even harder, since everyone had the same course, but I was still able to find all the controls. I had to run an orange on the final day, because that was the easiest course that was offered. Only one control gave me some trouble, because I didn’t go far enough up the hill the first time. I eventually found it, and finished the rest of the course without mistakes. The middle yellow was my favorite race of the weekend. I’m looking forward to the Interscholastic Championships in Ohio next month.
John: I ran in the M-10 category, which is the white course. I was able to do the first two races without a shadow this time. The first sprint didn’t go well, because I had a hard time finding the finish and then skipped the last control and had to go back and punch it. The other boy my age won that race. On the second day I ran better and got first place. I like running in the woods better, but the map on the second day was so small I couldn’t really read it. I accidentally punched a yellow course control, but figured out my mistake and punched the right ones after that. For the last two fun races, I ran with Mom on the sprint and Jessica on the orange course. I read the map some of the time and ran along with them the rest of the time. I’m glad I went, because I got some really nice awards and had fun orienteering by myself.
A large group of PTOC members (around 20 of us) traveled to St. Louis for an A-meet on the weekend of March 5-7, 2010. The weather was picture-perfect—sunshine and 55 degrees most of the time. There was an A-meet sprint in Forest Park on Friday, and then we all traveled over an hour south to Hawn State Park near Farmington, MO. Saturday included an A-meet middle distance race in the morning and a fun sprint (which ended up being longer than some of the middle courses!) in the afternoon. On Sunday, people chose between the challenging Grunt, Runt, Green, and Orange courses. PTOC didn’t have anyone competing in the Grunt, but the other three races were well-represented. The weekend was a complete success: many awards won, acquaintances made and friendships renewed, fantastic opportunities to practice orienteering skills, and time to relax and have fun in the woods as well. Here are some details from the juniors who benefited from PTOC’s Junior Grant.
Matt: I ran the first sprint as fast as I could and made no mistakes. I got first place on the green/brown/orange course, which was really exciting! On the middle, I ran M-18 for the first time at an A-meet. I didn’t do quite as well as I had on the sprint. It was challenging, and I made one big mistake on control 3 when I tried to follow a bearing and missed the trail I was aiming for. I was 7th overall on the green course, and 1st in M-18. The second sprint went about as badly as the first sprint went well—even John, my 9 year old brother, beat me! I ran fine until looking for control 8, which found me off the map wandering around with several other guys for about ten minutes. The Runt was long and hard. I made two 10-minute mistakes on controls 3 and 10, but other than those I found them all fine. I was so tired I could hardly make it up the hill to the last control. I enjoyed running in the open and challenging woods of St. Louis, but the sprint is my favorite category.
Joe: For the Forest Park sprint I came in 5th on the green/brown/orange course. I found all the controls easily except #7—I was in the right place, but I didn’t know where I was on the map for 20 seconds or so. My middle race was a disaster. I ran M-18 (green), and it took me forever to find control 3. I cut off the trail way too soon, and spent 10 minutes trying to relocate. I ended up second in my age category. The fund-raiser sprint was good—I found my way but didn’t run my fastest, so my finish was average. For the final day, I ran the Runt (9.5 km). I finally beat Matt! It was a clean run, a lot better than the middle race the day before, and I came in second place overall. I was very tired when it was over! I liked the Runt the best that weekend, because I did well. Switching the map scale from race to race was hard to get used to, but it was an excellent weekend of orienteering.
Cate: I ran yellow for the first time at a national meet. The first sprint was easy, because it was all on trails, and I finished second on the yellow/white course. For the middle race the next day, I had to follow creeks as well as trails, which made it a little more challenging. The afternoon sprint was even harder, since everyone had the same course, but I was still able to find all the controls. I had to run an orange on the final day, because that was the easiest course that was offered. Only one control gave me some trouble, because I didn’t go far enough up the hill the first time. I eventually found it, and finished the rest of the course without mistakes. The middle yellow was my favorite race of the weekend. I’m looking forward to the Interscholastic Championships in Ohio next month.
John: I ran in the M-10 category, which is the white course. I was able to do the first two races without a shadow this time. The first sprint didn’t go well, because I had a hard time finding the finish and then skipped the last control and had to go back and punch it. The other boy my age won that race. On the second day I ran better and got first place. I like running in the woods better, but the map on the second day was so small I couldn’t really read it. I accidentally punched a yellow course control, but figured out my mistake and punched the right ones after that. For the last two fun races, I ran with Mom on the sprint and Jessica on the orange course. I read the map some of the time and ran along with them the rest of the time. I’m glad I went, because I got some really nice awards and had fun orienteering by myself.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Gates at Wyandotte Co Lake Park are OPEN
Feb 6 - Wyandotte County Lake Park -- Exit I-435 at Wolcott Rd (N93rd Rd), go south about .5 mile, then turn left onto N93rd Ln, then left on West Rd for about .5 mile to Marina Parking Lot.
UPDATE 8:15 a.m. Sat morning: The gates are OPEN! The event is on schedule (Sat 10:00 a.m. Registration and Starts, Last Start 12:00 noon).
UPDATE 8:15 a.m. Sat morning: The gates are OPEN! The event is on schedule (Sat 10:00 a.m. Registration and Starts, Last Start 12:00 noon).
Thursday, January 21, 2010
USOF Rankings for 2009
Congratulations to the following Possums on their 2009 Rankings!
Name,Ranking,Class
Cate Barrett,1,F-12
Joe Barrett,2,M-16
Matt Barrett,4,M-16
Jessica Barrett,2,F-Orange
Angie Barrett,5,F40+
Reta Roe,10,F65+
And to Orienteer Kansas members:
Mary Jones,7,F45+
Michael Eglinski,7,M45+
Name,Ranking,Class
Cate Barrett,1,F-12
Joe Barrett,2,M-16
Matt Barrett,4,M-16
Jessica Barrett,2,F-Orange
Angie Barrett,5,F40+
Reta Roe,10,F65+
And to Orienteer Kansas members:
Mary Jones,7,F45+
Michael Eglinski,7,M45+
Road Trip to the Gateway Grunt, Mar 5-7
Several Possums are planning to go to the Gateway Grunt, March 5 – 7, 2010, in St. Louis and south in Farmington. Present plans are to leave Friday morning in time for the Sprint at Forest Park from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. and then to drive to the Super 8 in Farmington, MO for the events on Saturday and Sunday. We will drive home Sunday afternoon. Doesn’t that sound great!
If you would like to join the group, please notify Dick Neuburger, rneuburger@gmail.com or phone 913-888-1528, so that we can plan carpooling and motel reservations. We’ll leave registering for the events to you.
See you Sunday at Monkey Mountain!
Dick N
If you would like to join the group, please notify Dick Neuburger, rneuburger@gmail.com or phone 913-888-1528, so that we can plan carpooling and motel reservations. We’ll leave registering for the events to you.
See you Sunday at Monkey Mountain!
Dick N
Sunday, January 3, 2010
SM Park 1-hr Score O will be held as scheduled
As of 0900, Sunday, Jan 3, the Park Department is clearing the roads and we will have access to Shelter #4. Registration begins at 12:00 noon and ends at 12:45 p.m. Mass start is at 1:00 p.m.
Posted by Dick Neuburger
Posted by Dick Neuburger
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