Briones
9th annual Scout-O Championships
Orinda
Sunday, Oct. 15, 2000
Contact: Gavin Wyatt-Mair,
925-934-6567
Scout-O: Must preregister and pay by Oct. 4. Entry fee $4 per person.
Well, the new Briones map certainly makes for a better-quality orienteering
experience. We will return to the northern portion of Briones this year,
where the terrain is gentler than the southeast portion. Relatively, that is.
White, Yellow, Orange, Brown, Green, Red, and
Blue courses will be offered, and all maps will be pre-marked.
There will be a free Start-o for kids. Grass
stickers and thistles are usually abundant, so be sure to wear gaiters and
long pants.
Registration opens at 9:00. Starts will be at the usual times: 10:00 to
12:30. Allow an extra 15 minutes to get to a slightly remote start.
As usual, this Briones event includes our
annual Scout-O Championships, and we expect a sizable
crowd (we had around 600 last year, so be prepared!). If you are able and
willing to help out on the day of the meet (or before), we
sure could you! Please let me know!
Directions
Registration will be at the North entrance to the park, off of
Alhambra Valley Road. To get there, take route 24 West from 680 or East from
80. Exit in Lafayette at Pleasant Hill Road and head north. The third light
is Reliez Valley Road. Turn left (west) here, and go about 5 miles. The Park
entrance will be on your left and is well signposted. There is a charge of
approximately $3.50 for parking.
Please carpool if possible, since there will be many scouts attending.
We are pleased to announce the 9th annual Bay Area Scout Orienteering
Championships. Register by October 4 to participate!
Our champions last year were Troop 24 from Berkeley. They have
worked their way carefully to the top. Who can unseat them? Maybe Troop 32
from San Jose, who have won five times before? How about Troop 139 from
Davis, who have been third twice. Maybe a girl scout troop will rise to the
task... Everyone stands a chance!! Some practice, some fitness, and some
thinking will get you a long way. So come on out - bring your compasses,
running shoes, and your brains - and have fun!
The format for this year's championships will be the same as last year's,
and is described below. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of all ages are welcome,
and the competition is arranged to accommodate any skill level. In addition,
the courses are arranged to meet the map and compass requirements for First
Class, Second Class, or the Orienteering Merit Badge.
Yes, there will be patches. Anyone who has not yet received a patch for a
prior year's event can get it at this year's event, or by
contacting me.
The patches are "progressive," so that a scout can participate in
multiple Scout-Os and add to his or her patch sequence.
Our computer automation of results continues to improve, and we are expecting
to be able to announce results earlier this year, and post the in-between
standings after the morning event.
Competitive Categories
The event is divided into two parts: a set of courses in the morning, and a
troop "score" event in the afternoon. Both events will contribute to
a troop's total score to determine the troop championship.
Hint: The more scouts that attend from a given troop, the better the
troop usually does. We combine the top N
scouts' scores from the morning and afternoon events to get the troop score.
The value N is set by the meet director on the day of the meet, based on
conditions and attendance.
Morning courses: Scouts will compete against other scouts with the
same level of orienteering experience. Four scout courses will be offered,
plus a course for the adults.
-
Course 1: Daisies, Brownies, Cub Scout dens, Webelo dens,
Tenderfoot and Junior scouts, and scouts with very
little (fewer than 2) prior orienteering experiences. Dens and younger scouts
will run in groups of 4-6 with an adult
advisor, who should follow the group, not lead it. Tenderfoot scouts
will run in pairs.
-
Course 2: Cadettes, Seniors, Second Class and/or First Class
scouts, or scouts with minimal (2 to 5) orienteering
experience. Compete in pairs.
-
Course 3: Star, Life, and/or Eagle scouts, or scouts with
substantial (more than 5) orienteering experiences. Compete in pairs.
-
Course 4: Advanced, highly experienced orienteers of any rank.
Run alone on a typical US Orienteering Federation Orange-level course.
-
Adult course: All leaders and parents are invited to compete on a
course similar to, but separate from, Course 3.
They may run in groups or alone. Leaders/parents should also preregister.
Note: Leader results are for bragging rights only,
and will not affect troop scoring!
Choose your courses carefully! There are more points available
for doing the harder courses (we are
encouraging scouts to "move up" a notch), but don't get on a course you can't
finish, because then you will likely lose
points. As a rule of thumb, the points available for Course 2 are about 10%
more than Course 1. Course 3 has about
20% more, and Course 4 has about 30% more points than Course 1.
Afternoon score event: All scouts may compete in this troop "score"
event. Teams will remain the same as in the morning event.
All troops participating in this Scout-O must be preregistered and prepaid.
Registration closes on Oct. 4. The cost is $4.00 per scout or
participating leader. Make checks payable to BAOC and mail the forms to me (see below).
There are three ways to get registration forms:
-
Download the registration form (editor: removed bad link to "../../misc/scouto_reg.pdf") (PDF format, requires
Acrobat Reader).
Print it, fill it out, and mail it in with your check.
-
Pick them up at the
Registration table at any BAOC meet through September.
-
Contact the meet director (me):
Gavin Wyatt-Mair
20 Folin Lane
Lafayette, CA 94549
925-934-6567 (home)
gavinwmhome.com
When filling out the forms, choose your teams
carefully, because they must remain together all day. Mixed-category teams
are possible, but will compete on the
course of the higher-ranking scout. Each troop may have one 3-person team to
allow for odd numbers.
Event Schedule
Instruction will begin at 9:00 am. The start
time for each individual team will be determined by the entry date of their
troop. In general, start times will begin at
10:00 am and go until about noon. The score event will run 2:00 - 3:00
pm. The awards ceremony will begin at
3:30 pm, and the meet will be closed at 3:45 pm.
Try to arrive by 9:00 am. We will stick to the
pre-assigned start times - it's less confusing that way. You may call the
meet director for advance notice of your
troop's starting times. Bring compasses and remember, we go rain or shine!
Prizes
Awards will be made to the best teams on each course. The
champion troops will be determined by the
results in all categories, including the score event. There will be
medals, certificates, and a troop trophy.
This year there will be special awards for the top "junior" Scout troop
(Cubs, Webelos, Daisies, Brownies, etc.), as well
as for the top Girl Scout troop (if a Boy Scout troop wins),
or the top Boy Scout troop (if a Girl Scout troop wins). Each
participant will receive a progressive (by course) participation patch.
Equipment
You will each need strong trail shoes, long pants (Briones
has stickers!), a pen or pencil, a watch,
and a compass. You may want a water bottle, hat, sunscreen, etc., if it's hot,
or rain gear if it's rainy. Also bring your own lunch.