Almaden QuickSilver — Golden Goat
Date: (Sun.) Nov. 20, 2005
Location: San Jose, CA
Event Directors: 
- 650.248.9595, - 408.348.1282
Course Setter: Vladimir Gusiatnikov
Type: Extra long and strenuous courses; NO BEGINNER COURSES
Information Update — Nov. 13
If you've already registered for the Golden Goat, please check that the information in the attached table is accurate. Those that listed a team name are at the top of the list, and thereafter the list is alphabetical by last name. Registration will remain open until Thursday night, Nov. 17. Because of significant restrictions on parking, there are no White/Yellow/Orange courses offered, and no open day-of-event registration for the Goat/Kid. We expect to be at the limit by the close of registration on Thursday.
If you are already registered and cannot come to the event, please send me an email so that my count stays accurate. If you still haven't registered come Friday morning (for whatever reason), and you suddenly develop a desperate urge to run the Goat, please call the Event Director Goat at 408.348.1282, and we'll see if we can fit you in.
You don't have to declare Goat or Kid ahead of time, this can happen as late as the run itself. If you didn't express a preference, we have designated the full Goat as a placeholder.
This Event Director Goat was on the course today and finds it very runnable. Yes, there is a bit of climb, but if there wasn't we couldn't call it the Golden Goat! The Course Setter Goat (Vladimir Gusiatnikov) will publish course statistics in the coming week. There will be a Goat/Kid choice mid-way through the course. The Goat will have a fork control, and you can choose to take either the A or B route. In addition, Kid participants can skip a single control. Goat participants can skip any two controls, which may be consecutive or not. Of course, all controls must be taken in order. E-punch will not be used for this event.
As a reminder of the parking situation, we must ask for your understanding that we can only accommodate carpools (preferably 3 or more per car) in the lot at the event start/finish. As stated in the permit, we cannot park more than 40 cars in the lot, and the entire south side of the lot (against the fence) must be reserved for horse trailers.
Since this is a mass start (and mass exit after awards), it should be relatively easy to organize a carpool from home, or to stop and find others at the Hacienda entrance to the park, at the south end of the town of New Almaden. To get to the carpool area from Almaden Expressway, proceed 3 miles along Almaden Road through the town of New Almaden to the unpaved staging area on the right at the Hacienda entrance to the park (location of the A-meet in the autumn of 2003). Park at the orienteering "carpool" sign and wait for a ride or to offer a ride to the event start/finish.
The event start/finish is at the Wood Road entrance of Almaden Quicksilver Park, which is at the intersection of Wood Road and Hicks Road. From the carpool location at Hacienda, travel past New Almaden on Alamitos Road one mile to Almaden Reservoir, and another mile to a right turn on Hicks Road. After a subsequent two miles of steep climb (at least you aren't on the course) turn right at the Wood Road stop sign into the event parking area.
For those that form carpools from home, it might be faster to take Hwy. 85 to the Camden Avenue exit south. Turn right on Hicks Road and follow for 6 miles. At the intersection of Wood Road and Hicks Road, turn left into the staging area. Here's a map (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=New+Almaden,+CA&ll=37.182613,-121.847649&spn=0.055219,0.131441&hl=en).
Both the start triangle and the finish circle are within 50 m of the event parking area. The mass start for both the Goat and Kid will be at 10 am sharp, not at 10:30 am as was announced earlier, so plan to arrive around 9am to allow enough time for checkin (sign release form and pay balance owed), warmups, and trying on your new T-shirt.
The time limit for both courses is 3 hours and 30 minutes. Snacks and Gookinaid will be available at the finish. The award ceremony will take place after punch cards are checked and most competitors are in. The award ceremony should be about 1:30--1:45pm, so if you plan to finish in less than two hours, bring a chair and relax (and good luck with meeting your goal). If you are really interested in filling your whole day with Goat activities, you could help us with the control pickup that will commence after 2pm. Bring your mountain bike!
If you missed the first order of T-shirts (or mugs, hats, etc), we will take additional orders (and money) at the event. If we combine all new orders the vendor will continue to give us the bulk discount, so the price is the same as the first round ($13). Since the shipping address must be the same for all shirts in the order, the items will be distributed at future BAOC events. If you don't already have one coming (as indicated in the attached list) and you can't wait for a second bulk order, order it directly from the source (http://www.t-shirthumor.com/Merchant2/products/glgt.html).
Please watch the BayONet (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/baoc) for late breaking news. We look forward to seeing you at the event.