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Sean Cody finishing the Bear Valley Ski-O in 2001

Sunol Regional Wilderness - ROGAINE (Adventure Orienteering)

Date: Sunday, March 21, 2004
Location: Sunol, CA.
Event Director: - 510-658-4327
Course Setter: Penny DeMoss
Event Type: C; ROGAINE (Adventure Orienteering)
Deadline: mailed entry must be rec'd by March 18th

Last Minute Updates by Harold DeMoss

The Rogaine is Sunday, March 21st. I would like to remind people that the closing date for Rogaine entries is Thursday, March 18th, so that we can get the proper number of maps printed, and other paperwork completed in a timely manner. There will be NO race day registration. However, changes or additions to an entry already received can be made by e-mail up until 7pm, Saturday evening, March 20. We will accept changes or additions on race day morning, but due to the necessity of making sure that we can start the event promply at 9 am, we prefer that changes or additions be done prior.

The map scale will be 1-10,000, in sealed map cases, and special water proof punch cards.(no e-punch). I would also like to encourage people to enter even if they want to stay out for less than 4 hours. There are 72 controls on the map. The farthest controls have the highest point values, but the majority of the controls are "closer" in, such that various size "loops" can be planned, and many controls can be visited in whatever time limit a group desires.

Sunol Regional Wilderness tends to be "hilly", however it is rolling hills, as opposed to Briones, which was more "valley and ridgeline" topography. The experienced orienteers out for 7 hours will see parts of Sunol that they have never seen, and will probably never see again. It's absolutely gorgeous out there this time of year, with the very, very green hills and the wildflowers just coming out. Don't miss a chance for a 'grand day out'!

Comments from past Rogaines:

"I had a blast at the rogaine" ....Nik Weber

"..one of my most memorable O experiences"... George Minarik

"...definitely our best 'date' since AJ was born!"......Wyatt Riley

"We have never been on such a beautiful and well planned 'O' event"....Kevin Schoenfeld

There are more, but you get the point.....there's still time to hook up with someone and enter next Sunday's Rogaine (Adventure race, long score 'O', whatever.....) Closing date is Thursday, March 18. No entries on the day, although you can make changes to the composition of your team if necessary.

We'd like to mention a couple of things to keep in mind when planning for your day out. Please arrive early enough to BE READY TO RUN at 8:40 am. Packet pickup starts at 7:30am. In the race packet is a waiver that each member of the team must sign before you can go out on the course. Packet pickup ends at 8:40, there will be a mandatory briefing (about 5 mins.), the maps will be handed out and you'll have approximately 15 mins to plan your strategy. So, it's not going to work to arrive at 8:30 is it? The race will begin at 9am sharp. If you arrive late you can go out, but the clock starts at 9.

Carry liquids. We're hoping that it cools off this week, but even if it does you should have something with you that you can refill. We've put out water at 5 controls and there are an additional 3 places with drinking fountains, but we have no way of knowing which way your team will be going. You'll probably want to bring something to eat as well......seven (even four) hours of running can create quite a hunger.

We have reserved a picnic area with lots of tables, so bring lunch and compare blisters and route choices while you recover a bit before heading home. BUT please note: Sunol is a dry park. Absolutely no alcohol is allowed in the park, not even in the picnic area. Sorry about that, I know a cold beer sounds good just thinking about it.

Another reason to arrive early is so that you can peruse the preview map. It can be quite helpful to see the big picture. There are a few out of bounds areas that we'd like you to be familiar with although they are marked on your map as well. There will be valuable info posted with the map, so you'll want to have a nice long look.

Experienced 'O'ers will notice on the clue sheet that the USOF has changed a couple of standard clue symbols. Lone tree, and copse have new symbols.....check it out before you head out. We will have printed cheat sheets for those of you who do not know all the symbols....ask for one at packet pickup.

Guess that's all for now.....we're pretty excited about the meet, we've had loads of fun tramping around out there...it's been just spectacularly beautiful...but tomorrow we start putting out the controls, so maybe we won't be so cheerful by the time we've put out 72 of them.

If you have any questions, let us know....

Original Announcement

Key Points:

It's time to start thinking about picking a partner for this year's ROGAINE. A Rogaine is a team orienteering event featuring distances much longer than traditional orienteering courses, and Adventure Racers will find the Rogaine a good opportunity to improve their orienteering skills.

We'll be using beautiful Sunol Regional Wilderness this time and it should be lovely green and soft underfoot at that time of year. Be prepared for any kind of weather though, as there's no telling what the conditions will be. This event will be run rain or shine.

Rogaine
A really long Score-O, with time limits of 3, 6, 12, or 24 hours, generally using really large maps. The acronym "rogaine" was invented in the 1970s from Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance, or from a combination of the inventor's names (ROd, GAIl, and NEil), depending on who you ask.

The general format will be the same as in past Rogaines, with several categories in both the 4 hour and 7 hour time limits. You do not have to decide if you're in the 4 hr. or 7 hr. race until after you've started. There will be many controls out and if you only want to go out for a couple of quality hours of orienteering, you're most welcome to do so.

A Rogaine is a group activity. You must have at least two people on your team. Generally the more people on the team, the slower you'll be, as you'll only go as fast as the slowest person. (Although the last two Rogaines have been won by a team of three members.) The pairs or group must stay together at all times. The definition of together is, within verbal AND visual contact. This would be approximately 40 meters for most teams, less for the veteran teams!

The categories are the same for both time limits. The perpetual trophy will go to the team with the most points regardless of category. The categories are:

Alex and Yelena Krasnov skate to the finish, winning the Green course in the traditional Bear Valley Ski-O (Photo: Tony Pinkham)

It is not necessary that a group stay out for the whole 4 or 7 hrs. When you decide that you've had enough fun for the day, then come in, BUT, if any member of your team comes in, you must ALL come in. If you still have at least two members in your team after returning with the member who needed/wanted to retire, you can go back out on the course.

The controls will have values from 10 to 100 points. The penalty will be 10 points for every minute or part of that you arrive back late. The control locations will be Orange or Advanced level technically. You must be at least Orange level (intermediate) to enjoy this event.

NO ENTRIES ON THE DAY
Entries should be received by Thursday, March 18, 2004. This will ensure that we get started on time on race day morning and that we have the proper number of maps printed. The entry fee is $10 per person. Please print out a copy of the entry form, fill it in, and send it to us via 'snail mail' at

Harold DeMoss
6365 Crown Ave
Oakland, CA 94611
Don't forget to include your entry fees. Changes in your team composition can be made via e-mail right up until the closing date for registration.

There will be a mass start at 9am sharp. Pick up race packets between 7:45am and 8:30am in the start/finish area. We will be handing out the maps at 8:45am and teams will have approximately 15 minutes to make a plan.

Scenic shot of Lake Louise taken on an off day between APOC events in Alberta, Canada (Photo: Tony Pinkham)

There will not be any other courses on offer at this meet.

Water will be provided at various locations on the course, in sufficient quantity that you will be able to refill carrier bottles, camel backs, etc. We will not be providing any food though, so be sure you carry enough food (energy bars, etc.) with you to prevent 'bonking'.

Other pertinent info will be forthcoming...check out the BayONet and web site.

Driving Directions

Take I-680 to the Calaveras Road exit near Sunol. Go south on Calaveras Road about six miles to Geary Road. Turn left onto Geary and continue a couple of miles to the park entrance. Pay the parking fee ($4) and follow the O' signs to the event start/finish parking area.