CANCELLED - PARK CLOSED DUE TO HIGH FIRE DANGER

Orinda
Sunday, Oct. 12, 2003

Contact: Gavin Wyatt-Mair, 925-934-6567

We are pleased to announce the twelfth annual Bay Area Scout Orienteering Championship. Our 6-time champions last year were Troop 32 from San Jose. Our top girl scout troop last year was Troop 434 from Modesto. Who will be champions this year? 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 similar to 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. Or by contacting the meet director. The patches are "progressive", so that a scout can participate in multiple scout-o's and add to his or her patch sequence.

We will have electronic punching again. And, for the fifth year running, we will have a brand new MAP!

Competitive Categories

Scouts will compete against other scouts with the same orienteering experience. Four courses will be offered.

Course 1	Daisies, Brownies, Cub scout dens, Webelo dens, Tenderfoot and Junior scouts, and scouts with very little (less than 2) prior orienteering experiences: Dens and younger scouts will run in groups of 2-6 with an adult advisor who should follow his or her 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 experiences: 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 United States 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 pre-register. Leader results are for bragging rights only and will not affect troop scoring.

NOTE: 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 is about 20% more, and course 4 is about 30% more than course 1.

Score meet

All scouts may compete in a troop "score" event in the afternoon. Both morning and afternoon events will contribute to the troop 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.

Registration Information

All troops participating in Scout-O must be pre-registered and prepaid. Registration will close on October 2, 2003. The cost of the event is $5.00 per scout or participating leader. 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.

Registration forms available for download here. Troops may also obtain additional registration forms and detailed information from the meet director:

	Gavin Wyatt-Mair			
	20 Folin Lane				
	Lafayette, Ca. 94549
	Tel: (925)934-6567 at home		
	E-mail: GavinWMcomcast.net   

Registration forms and information will also be available at the registration desk at other scheduled BAOC meets in June through September.

Start times

The meet will be held on Sunday, October 12, 2003. Instruction will begin at 9:00 am. The start time of 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 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. The awards ceremony will begin at 3:15 pm and the meet will be closed at 3:40 pm. It is advisable to arrive at the meet 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. As before, there will be medals, certificates and a Troop trophy. There will be awards for the top "Junior" Scout troop (cubs, webelos, daisies, brownies, etc) as well as 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. Bring your own lunch.

Directions

Registration will be at the West entrance to the park, off of Bear Creek Road. To get there, take route 24 West from 680 or East from 80. Exit at Orinda heading North on Camino Pablo. After about 2 miles, turn right on Bear Creek Road. After about 3.5 miles, the park entrance will be on your right (don't be fooled by the parking area on the left - that's not it), and is well sign-posted. There is a charge of approximately $4.00 for parking. Please car-pool if possible. NOTE: we are NOT using the north-east side of the park this year even though we usually alternate north-east and south-west.