Oakland
Sunday, Aug. 24, 2003

Contact: James Wilson, 510-531-7374

Come and help us celebrate BAOC's 25th anniversary at Redwood Park in Oakland. The clubs first meet was held at Redwood Park and adjoining Joaquin Miller Park so we plan to offer a couple of the original courses (or close variations) from that historic meet, and the remaining regular courses will be set by not one, not two but three course setters - Ian Tidswell, Joe Scarborough and Bill Straka. The courses will make extensive use of the detailed open redwood forest. The details are yet to be finalised but we will have the full range of courses from beginner to advanced. We will also hold orienteering skills clinics for beginners and intermediate/Adventure Race levels. To celebrate the historic event, we are planning on a birthday celebration, complete with cake and making this a potluck, so bring your favourite dish to share, and perhaps some anecdotes to share about the last 25 years of BAOC. Check for more details at www.baoc.org closer to the date. There is also a swimming pool at the main parking lot of Roberts Park to cool off in after your course (admission : $2 for under 15 years and over 61, $3 for 16 to 61 years) and there is an open grassy area at Redwood bowl if any body has enough energy left after their course to get a game of some kind going.

Note from BAOC founder Joe Scarborough:

Bay Area orienteering saw its birth back in 1978 at Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, the site of this year's 25th anniversary celebration. The original advanced courses will be repeated to allow present-dayers a revisitation of that momentous event. Or, you might say this is a re-run of the 15th anniversary meet from 1993, which many more of you will remember. Time marches on. As I recall, Patty Clemo and Janet Halsebo Petersen took care of cake and drinks, courtesy of the club, and a pot luck barbecue. The original Blue was won by Tom Pelnar, honored at a Big Basin "A" meet just a couple of years ago. His time was 1:44:40. Bruce Wolf showed the way in '93 with 1:04:53 over the 6.0 km 1300 ft climb course, redesignated "Red" per modern standards. Bob Cooley took Green (nee Red) followed by Gary Carpenter, Ron Gross, Dennis Wildfogel, George Minarik and others still with the club. A special invitation goes to those folks plus potential Red repeats like Strat, Tidswell, Ohlund, Kraght, Petersen, Custer, Blair and Hudson. Attendees of that seminal '78 meet who are still orienteering: Shirley Parlan and Steve Smith. Maybe we can talk them into showing up and perhaps even drag some others out of retirement. Of course, the event is open to all. Come and see how far we have progressed.

Directions

Take the Joaquin Miller/Lincoln Ave exit off highway 13. Go east (uphill) about 1.2 miles to the light at Skyline Blvd. Turn left up the hill and go 1.3 miles to the free parking lot just before the entrance to Chabot Space and Science Center on the right. You will go past the main entrance to Roberts Park on the right and Sequoia arena on the left. Park in the parking lot and follow the signs up the trail and down to the Redwood bowl picnic area.

Public transport-Take AC transit bus #53 from Fruitvale BART. Get off at Chabot Space and Science Center and take the Roberts ridge trail next to the parking structure , drop down on the access road past the park residence and into the redwood bowl area where you will see registration.