December 16, 2013

Orienteerers of all Ages/Abilities Show Up at Riverstone for Final CTOC Meet of 2013



A New Map for out East!

After a large turnout at Riverstone International School for Saturday’s orienteering course, the results are in!  But first, a quick rundown of the day’s activities! 

The Beginner and Intermediate courses were run in a Classic format and the Advanced was run as a Motala. People showed up throughout the day between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., and while those that arrived early had to navigate hard, slippery conditions (Should I wear my spikes?”), those that ran the courses later in the day were “treated” to warmer, soggier conditions, especially in the fields on the SW side of the map.  “What conditions were preferable,” you ask?  As with much of orienteering....debatable.

With 50 participants (!! largest of the year?) the event was a great mix of Beginner to Advanced orienteerers and it was great to see a few families from the Harris Ranch community compete as well.  Additionally noted by a few of the club veterans was the even spread throughout much of the final results; no matter where one finished in the final standings, just a little more effort or a little more accurate navigation had the potential to significantly improve just about any result.   

And speaking of accurate navigation, the courses did present some challenges.  Potentially due to their proximity to each other, controls 37/38 (on the IDPR property in the East) and 54/55 (near the Barber Dam in the South) were mistaken for each other a few times costing finishers their “official” spots in the final results.  Other challenging decisions stemmed from:
  • The dense cattail marshes in the the SW.  “Kudos” to Alex McKinley, and Team Brittany/Olivia/Christina for gambling on the straight line paths through the frozen marshes...not sure it paid off though.
  • The disorienting nature of the the Mill District roundabouts (so-called for a reason).
  • The dry/frozen/snowy riverbed on the way from Control 54 to Control 52.  It will present an even greater challenge when it’s filled with water...
This month’s beginners (the Rizvis, Mascolas, Team Morgan and Team Blandt/Rivera) deserve special recognition as being the only category of participants to correctly visit ALL of their collective controls. I suspect our Intermediate and Advanced participants will start seeing those Beginners giving them a run for their money pretty soon.

And now, without further ado, the results...and a final thanks to all who came out to help, came out to run, baked cookies, cleaned up, took pictures or shuttled kids to and fro.  Hope to see more of all of you in the year to come!

Misc
  • A set of keys on a string was left at the start table.  Contact Ben Brock (bbrock@riverstoneschool.org) if you think they might belong to you.
  • If you'd like a copy of your map, let Ben Brock know!







Regan on a Fresh Map and Fresh Legs!
Yeah, I'd call that a boulder field...

Gabe cutting through the marshes.

Natalie punches in.





December 9, 2013

New East Boise Orienteering Course - Riverstone Meet

New East Boise Orienteering Course!

On Saturday December 14 a new orienteering map for the East Boise area will be unveiled! Ben Brock, Outdoor Program Director at Riverstone International School, and one of his senior students, Alex Pusch have been mapping the area around Riverstone and the new map contains school grounds (Riverstone and East Junior High), the Idaho Parks and Rec properties, the Mill District residential area of Harris Ranch, and the open lands west along the Boise River to Eckert Bridge near Barber Park. While the mapped area is not particularly large at this point, it will serve as the core of a larger map that will eventually include the Spring Creek residential area of Harris Ranch and (hopefully) portions of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and the new Marianne Williams Park.

December Details:
Who: Orienteers of all ages and abilities (beginners to advanced).
Format: Classic for Beginner and Intermediate. To make the most of the currently mapped terrain, Advanced course will be a "Motala" or multi-loop format.
When: Saturday, December 14. Registration begins at 10:30 am and continues to 1 pm. Courses will be open for starts from 11 am – 1 pm. Courses close at 2 pm.
Where: Riverstone International School is located at 5521 Warm Springs Rd. Event Headquarters will be in the foyer of the Kennedy Gymnasium, (accessible via Lysted Road). Follow the orange and white orienteering markers.
Entry: $5.00 per map for non-members (individual or group). Free to members of the City of Trees Orienteering Club.

You may want to bring: a watch, a compass, a snack and a cell phone. (Some compasses will be available to borrow). Also note: with the recent snowfall and cold temperatures, good footwear will be very important.

Event coordination (including some mighty fine cookies!) is being provided by Ben Brock (bbrock@riverstoneschool.org) and Alex Pusch and students in the Riverstone Outdoor Leadership Program. We'll see you out East!

-- Ben Brock
Director, Outdoor Program
Outdoor PE Teacher, Middle Years Programme

Riverstone International School: Inspiring the Journey