Flying Pig A-Meet (Cincinnati, OH)
By the Barrett Family
Following the Ran-It Granite (MD), we headed to Ohio for the 13th Annual Flying Pig from April 3-5, where we joined fellow Possum Trotters Reta Roe, Dick Neuburger, Paul Clatterbuck, and Jason Plunkett. We were in for another weekend of challenging courses, a thrilling relay, and orienteering camaraderie. The middle distance was Friday afternoon, a sprint Saturday morning, the Relay Championships Saturday afternoon, and the long distance on Sunday morning. All of the races were scored and awarded individually (no combined time results), so there were multiple opportunities for medals.
The hills were just as steep as they had been in Maryland, but the woods seemed greener—both on the map and in actual leaf growth (everything was sprouting!). The extra foliage, combined with the abundant depressions, made it easy for the course setters to keep the controls out of sight until we actually reached the feature.
There were around 150 participants at the Flying Pig, some of them familiar from the A-meet the weekend before. Only Reta, Dick, and Paul ran in all four races (they must be in great shape!). Eight of us won medals for the middle distance courses, despite the drizzling, cool weather, the muddy trails, and the parallel errors by some of us. After that race we got to feast on delicious pizza at a local restaurant, while discussing and comparing our route choices and splits. (We don’t have the information about the sprint and the long distance.)
The day of the Relay was picture perfect—a beautiful day for spectating and running, with sunshine, blue skies, and warm temperatures. PTOC entered two 12-point teams. The courses were regular length, which made waiting difficult and nerve-wracking for those on the second, third, and fourth legs. However, the excitement of seeing a team member suddenly come into view for the uphill climb to the hand-off/finish line was exhilarating! With some great runs by members on both teams, the A Team placed 2nd and the B Team placed 3rd. We’re hoping to get 1st and 2nd next year (and maybe 3rd, if we can convince some of you to join us!). The post-race treat of a huge bag of M&Ms (provided by Dick) was a welcome ending to a fabulous day. Well, the kids really enjoyed them—the bag was almost empty by the time we finished the nine hour drive back to Kansas City that night!.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Meet Report: Ran-It Granite, Maryland (March 27-29, 2009)
Meet Report: Ran-it Granite, Maryland
by The Barretts
A small group of us from PTOC (namely, the Barrett family) traveled to Maryland for the Ran-it Granite, March 27 - 29. We skipped the sprints on Friday, but ran in the middle distance on Saturday morning, entered a team for the sprint relay that afternoon, and ended with the long distance on Sunday morning.
The organizers promised open woods, and they were right. The white woods were easy to run, but the hills were not!! The contours were steeper than most of the parks around Kansas City. However, there were plenty of features (including numerous depressions) and paths to help us relocate when necessary. The weather was less than perfect—drizzling and cool with lots of rain during the nights, making the ground and paths muddy and slippery. With over 300 participants, the competition was tough, especially in the M-16 category with 14 boys—yet, Joe finished in 2nd place and Matt in 4th place for the weekend. Jessica (F-orange) and Cate (F-12) finished first in their categories, and Angie (F40+) got third place.
The sprint relay was a first for us, and the highlight of the weekend. The excitement was high for both the runners and the spectators, although the runners felt more nervousness and pressure than during a typical race, since they had team members counting on them. The PTOC team finished 19th out of 39 teams.
The Ran-it Granite was a well-organized meet by the Quantico Orienteering Club, with challenging courses, as well as the added fun of the sprint relay and a photo contest for anyone who took pictures (we have yet to find out the winners of the contest). We hope to make it back to the East Coast for some more orienteering adventures in the near future!
by The Barretts
A small group of us from PTOC (namely, the Barrett family) traveled to Maryland for the Ran-it Granite, March 27 - 29. We skipped the sprints on Friday, but ran in the middle distance on Saturday morning, entered a team for the sprint relay that afternoon, and ended with the long distance on Sunday morning.
The organizers promised open woods, and they were right. The white woods were easy to run, but the hills were not!! The contours were steeper than most of the parks around Kansas City. However, there were plenty of features (including numerous depressions) and paths to help us relocate when necessary. The weather was less than perfect—drizzling and cool with lots of rain during the nights, making the ground and paths muddy and slippery. With over 300 participants, the competition was tough, especially in the M-16 category with 14 boys—yet, Joe finished in 2nd place and Matt in 4th place for the weekend. Jessica (F-orange) and Cate (F-12) finished first in their categories, and Angie (F40+) got third place.
The sprint relay was a first for us, and the highlight of the weekend. The excitement was high for both the runners and the spectators, although the runners felt more nervousness and pressure than during a typical race, since they had team members counting on them. The PTOC team finished 19th out of 39 teams.
The Ran-it Granite was a well-organized meet by the Quantico Orienteering Club, with challenging courses, as well as the added fun of the sprint relay and a photo contest for anyone who took pictures (we have yet to find out the winners of the contest). We hope to make it back to the East Coast for some more orienteering adventures in the near future!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Possums at the Flying Pig - US Relay Champs
Possum Trot Orienteering Club won its first (ever?) medals at the US Relay Championships held at the Flying Pig O'Meet in Cincinnati, OH! PTOC A (Paul Clatterbuck, Cate Barrett, Dick Neuburger, and Joe Barret) won the 2nd Place medals, and PTOC B (Angie Barrett, Jessica Barrett, Reta Roe, and Matt Barrett won the 3rd Place medal!And on the previous day, Joe, Cate, Jessica, and Reta were 1st in their classes. Angie was 2nd, and Dick and Matt were 3rd in theirs.
Congratulations, Possums!
Here are some photos by Dick and photos by the Barretts.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Possums in Granite
Congratulations to the Barrett Family!
After Day 1 of the Ran-It Granite A-Meet in Maryland (20 miles west of Baltimore), 3 Barretts are in first place!
Cate: F-12 (WHITE)
Joe: M-16 (ORANGE)
Jessica: F-Open (ORANGE)
Matt is in 5th place in M-16 (ORANGE), and Angie is in 4th place in F40+(GREEN)
Jessica, Matt, and Joe were 19th (out of 38) in the Sprint Relay!
Way to go, Possums!
(For full results, go to: http://qocameet.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=32 )
After Day 1 of the Ran-It Granite A-Meet in Maryland (20 miles west of Baltimore), 3 Barretts are in first place!
Cate: F-12 (WHITE)
Joe: M-16 (ORANGE)
Jessica: F-Open (ORANGE)
Matt is in 5th place in M-16 (ORANGE), and Angie is in 4th place in F40+(GREEN)
Jessica, Matt, and Joe were 19th (out of 38) in the Sprint Relay!
Way to go, Possums!
(For full results, go to: http://qocameet.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=32 )
Friday, March 20, 2009
Indian Cave State Park Meet Notes
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Course setter: Dan Welch
Welcome to beautiful Indian Cave State Park! We hope you enjoy our event!
On January 18, 1963 Nebraska’s Falls City Journal announced above its full page headline:
Indian Cave State Park!
Man, even as cold as it is today, that wonderful piece of news sure does warm up a guy’s blood stream.That January the Nebraska, Forestation, and Parks Commission approved wooded Missouri River bluff lands in the Indian Cave area straddling the Nemaha and Richardson County line as the site of the state’s fifth major Park. The site was chosen after 18 months of intensive search in southeastern Nebraska for a wide development project. The original 2,400 acre site has grown to over 3,200 acres. The park is remembered for its Cave containing the only known example of Indian petroglyphs in Nebraska, its steep, wooded Missouri River bluffs, and Lewis and Clark Expedition overlook as well as its special summer American heritage program that displays old time crafts and one room schoolhouse learning.
Park address:
65296 720 Road
Directions from I-29 and Hwy 159 (Exit 79)
NOTE: Google maps shows using US 136, north of Mound City, MO. The following directions assume using Hwy 159, south of Mound City. Either set of directions will get you to the correct place.
Drive west on Hwy 159 through Rulo, NE to Falls City (about 24 miles).
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Course setter: Dan Welch
Welcome to beautiful Indian Cave State Park! We hope you enjoy our event!
On January 18, 1963 Nebraska’s Falls City Journal announced above its full page headline:
Indian Cave State Park!
Man, even as cold as it is today, that wonderful piece of news sure does warm up a guy’s blood stream.That January the Nebraska, Forestation, and Parks Commission approved wooded Missouri River bluff lands in the Indian Cave area straddling the Nemaha and Richardson County line as the site of the state’s fifth major Park. The site was chosen after 18 months of intensive search in southeastern Nebraska for a wide development project. The original 2,400 acre site has grown to over 3,200 acres. The park is remembered for its Cave containing the only known example of Indian petroglyphs in Nebraska, its steep, wooded Missouri River bluffs, and Lewis and Clark Expedition overlook as well as its special summer American heritage program that displays old time crafts and one room schoolhouse learning.
Park address:
65296 720 Road
Shubert, NE 68437-9801
Park Phone: 402-883-2575
Directions from I-29 and Hwy 159 (Exit 79)
NOTE: Google maps shows using US 136, north of Mound City, MO. The following directions assume using Hwy 159, south of Mound City. Either set of directions will get you to the correct place.
Drive west on Hwy 159 through Rulo, NE to Falls City (about 24 miles).
Turn right on Hwy 73 (initially north and then turning west) to Hwy 67 (about 9.3 miles).
Turn right (north) on Hwy 67 and drive to Hwy 64E Spur (also 720 Road) (about 8 miles).
Turn right (east) on Hwy 64E and drive to Park Entrance (about 5 miles).
Other Notes:
- Park entrance fee is $4.00 per vehicle (carpool if you can).
- Event site is 1st left turn after entrance (Day Use area)
- The map is derived from USGS contours and ortho photos. The contours are very rough, with much detail missing; i.e., only the big reentrants are shown. Keep track of your distance.
- There will be NO WHITE (Beginner) COURSE due to the scarcity of linear features, only YELLOW, ORANGE, GREEN, and RED.
- The woods are open, but there is much deadfall (from a recent ice storm) making running difficult.
- The terrain is very steep.
- Purple X’s denote an uncrossable portion of the one-way road; the earth banks are vertical and over 10 feet high in places.
- There is a 3-hour time limit on all courses.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Watkins Mill SP, 3/14/09, Meet Notes
Directions to Watkins Mill State Park:
From I-35, take Exit 26, State Highway 92 at Kearney. Go east on Highway 92 for 6 miles. Turn left (north) on county road RA for one mile. Turn right at the main entrance to the park. All three of these turns have state park signs.
Go 0.4 miles on the Park Road to the first right. This is signed for the campground. The road ends at the top of the hill. Straight ahead is a parking area. A right turn goes into the campground and event registration.
Other Park Information:
The showerhouse will probably be closed; however, nearby restrooms are available.
A playground is located near registration and the start/finish area.
Dogs are allowed in the park, but should be kept on a leash at all times.
Mapper’s Notes:
Vertical green lines indicate thickets
Brown x’s are major stumps or rootstocks
Black circles are man-made objects
Blue circles are wells
Green circles and green x’s are distinctive trees. Generally, circles are
deciduous and x’s are conifers, but there may be some exceptions.
Coursetters’ Notes/Safety:
You may encounter horses (with riders) on some trails. Please give them the
right-of-way.
Some trails could be muddy and a few controls could be in swampy areas
because of recent rainfall.
Because of warm weather, some course setters found ticks last week.
No courses are near the Park Road; however, all courses cross the spur road
and campground road. These have a 10 mph speed limit, but participants should check for traffic before crossing.
From I-35, take Exit 26, State Highway 92 at Kearney. Go east on Highway 92 for 6 miles. Turn left (north) on county road RA for one mile. Turn right at the main entrance to the park. All three of these turns have state park signs.
Go 0.4 miles on the Park Road to the first right. This is signed for the campground. The road ends at the top of the hill. Straight ahead is a parking area. A right turn goes into the campground and event registration.
Other Park Information:
The showerhouse will probably be closed; however, nearby restrooms are available.
A playground is located near registration and the start/finish area.
Dogs are allowed in the park, but should be kept on a leash at all times.
Mapper’s Notes:
Vertical green lines indicate thickets
Brown x’s are major stumps or rootstocks
Black circles are man-made objects
Blue circles are wells
Green circles and green x’s are distinctive trees. Generally, circles are
deciduous and x’s are conifers, but there may be some exceptions.
Coursetters’ Notes/Safety:
You may encounter horses (with riders) on some trails. Please give them the
right-of-way.
Some trails could be muddy and a few controls could be in swampy areas
because of recent rainfall.
Because of warm weather, some course setters found ticks last week.
No courses are near the Park Road; however, all courses cross the spur road
and campground road. These have a 10 mph speed limit, but participants should check for traffic before crossing.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Field-checking at Indian Cave State Park
Four Possums: Dan W, Mike S, Paul C, and Dick N, took advantage of the warm temperatures to complete preparations for the Indian Cave State Park event coming up on March 28. We used the 2 1/2-hour drive time to plan field-checking and control site vetting activities. We met for our sack lunches, exchanged maps, and used the afternoon to vet the tapes that had been hung in the morning. Afterwards we enjoyed delicious pizza in Fall City. Plan now to attend the event in beautiful Indian Cave State Park. Here are some pictures.
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