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.


Scout-O Championships

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.

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.

Registration

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:

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.