Date: Nov. 4 - 5, 2006
Location: Livermore, CA
Event Directors: 
- 925.516.7622, - 925.516.7622
Course Setters: Martin Kunz, Hannu Haarma
Type: A; 2-day event, with separate results for each day
Event Director's Notes Course Setters' Notes START LISTS O in the Oaks III at Joe Grant (2005) Last Year's Event at Morgan Territory
The BAOC will hold "O in the Oaks IV", the fourth edition of its annual Fall "A" meet, at Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, north of Livermore, CA, on November 4th & 5th 2006. This will not be a combined-total-time event. Day one (Saturday) will be a short course designed by Hannu Haarma, while day two (Sunday) will be classic distance designed by Martin Kunz.
Note: Be sure to plan ahead for the time it will take you to get to the Start area. On Saturday, there is a 1.8-km walk to the Start area for the advanced courses. On Sunday, there is a 3-km shuttle ride (frequency unknown) and a 200-m walk to the Start area for the advanced courses.
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Terrain/Map
The area for this A meet will be on some of the nicest terrain in the Bay Area. The terrain is approximately 50% open oak forest, 40% grassland, and 10% fight. It is not very steep by Bay Area standards, but there will still be some amount of climb. The white forest has good visibility and running, except on the steep slopes. There is a moderate trail network. There are numerous rock features and some fine contour detail, which will provide interesting and challenging orienteering. The map was produced by Zoran Krivokapic for the "O' in the Oaks" World Ranking Event in 2001.
You may order the Morgan Territory map from the event registrar for $3 per map.
Climate
The climate in early November can be quite variable, ranging from sunny clear days with a high temperature of about 70 degrees, to cooler temperatures in the mid 40's. There is a moderate chance of rain.
Hazards
There is a moderate amount of poison oak in the park. Poison oak will have mainly lost its leaves in November, and can be seen as a groundcover with short stems, about 1 foot high, vines, and occasional bushes. The stems and stalks still have the antigen that causes the rash, so the best policy is to identify the plant, avoid it if possible, wear long pants and long-sleeve shirts, strip and wash off with Tecnu (available at most drug stores) right after the race and again when you get back to your hotel or home, place your competition clothes, including shoes, in a plastic bag and do not touch them again until they have been washed. Use a high-strength topical steroid cream (e.g., Fluocinonide, 0.05%) as soon as you feel any itching or notice any small red bumps or lines on your skin, usually about 24 to 48 hours after exposure. If you use the topical steroid cream early, you can virtually eliminate any severe rash, but if you wait until the rash has appeared, it takes much longer to get it under control.
Mountain lions, coyotes, and rattlesnakes live in the park, but spotting them this time of year would be rare. If you encounter any of these predators walk slowly away (Do not run!).
All participants must carry a whistle for emergency use. If you do not have a whistle, ask for a free one at Registration.
Courses and Classes
The standard 7 courses and 43 USOF competition classes will be provided at the event.
Final statistics for the Saturday courses:
Course Length Climb Controls
White 2.6 km 85 m 11 Yellow 3.0 km 105 m 10 Orange 3.6 km 180 m 10 Brown 3.1 km 145 m 10 Green 3.9 km 190 m 13 Red 4.9 km 225 m 14 Blue 5.8 km 285 m 21
White Rec 2.5 km 85 m 9 Yellow Rec 2.9 km 100 m 9 Orange Rec 3.3 km 160 m 9
Final statistics for the Sunday courses:
Course Length Climb Controls
White 2.1 km 25 m 7 Yellow 3.1 km 60 m 8 Orange 4.4 km 225 m 10 Brown 4.0 km 280 m 8 Green 5.0 km 320 m 8 Red 5.8 km 365 m 12 Blue 8.2 km 505 m 14
White Rec 2.1 km 30 m 8 Yellow Rec 3.0 km 55 m 9 Orange Rec 4.4 km 225 m 10
Recreational Courses
White, Yellow, and Orange recreational courses will be available both days. Different courses will be offered on Saturday and Sunday.
Pre-registration is not required for those courses. The entry fees will be the standard recreational fees for White and Yellow courses at a BAOC "B" meet. That is, $6.00 for an individual adult or first member in a group, and $3.00 for each additional adult in a group. The corresponding fees for juniors are $3.00 and $2.00.
Registration opens at 9:00 a.m., short beginner's clinics will be offered between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., and start times will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Training/Embargo
Per USOF rules, "the area is closed to orienteering competitions and training for 4 months prior to the event [beginning July 4, 2006]. Individuals or groups training or orienteering in the closed venue will not be eligible for competition, awards, or rankings, but they may nevertheless participate in the event."
Electronic Punching
SPORTident electronic punching will be used for all competitive classes. If you do not own your own SI Card, you may rent one for $3.00/day. Please indicate on your entry form the number of your SI Card, or if you need to rent one.
Event Center, Accommodations
The official hotel for the competition is:
- Comfort Inn
- 2625 Constitution Dr
- Livermore, CA 94551
- 925-606-6200
A block of rooms has been reserved at this hotel, mention Bay Area Orienteering Club when calling the hotel to obtain the group rates of $59/night for one queen bed, $69 for two queen beds.
Packet pick-up will be available at the Comfort Inn from 7 pm to 10 pm on Friday, or at the competition site Saturday and Sunday morning.
Camping
Del Valle Park (http://www.ebparks.org/parks/delval.htm), 6 miles south of downtown Livermore. The Del Valle Family Campground has 150 sites, 21 of them with water and sewage hookups (no electrical). The sites are served by centrally located toilet and shower facilities. For reservations, phone (510) 636-1684, up to 12 weeks in advance. Unreserved sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Registration and Entry Fees
There is no advance registration for the White and Yellow recreational courses — just go to the event and register there. The fees for those courses are described above.
The registration fees for the A-Meet courses are as follows:
Postmarked by Oct 7, 2006: Adult $24.00/day, Junior $12.00/day Postmarked by Oct 21, 2006: Adult $30.00/day, Junior $18.00/day Day-of-event entry: Adult $35.00/day, Junior $23.00/day
Adult members of USOF or another national federation belonging to IOF receive a $3.00 per day discount on A-Meet entry fees. Juniors (18 or younger) who are members of USOF receive a $1.50 per day discount on A-Meet entry fees.
Other fees:
SI Card rental: $ 3.00/day Loss of rental SI Card: $25.00 Compass rental: $ 1.00/day Loss of rental compass: $15.00 Map of Morgan Territory: $ 3.00 per map
Complete a standard USOF entry form (http://www.us.orienteering.org/Forms/standard.pdf), enclose a check payable to BAOC, and mail to:
- Robert Lewis
- 1807 Wade Ave.
- Santa Clara, CA 95051
- (408) 984-8124
- AMeetRegistrar@baoc.org
If you prefer, online registration is also available via active.com (https://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1370161) (but be aware that a service charge will be added).
Click here to see the registration status as of 10/14/06.
Foreign Participants
Information about obtaining a visa for entry into the US can be found here (http://travel.state.gov/visa/index.html). Foreign competitors may pay at registration when they pick up their packets (but please do register ahead of time, on-line (www.baoc.org) or by mail).
Awards
The awards ceremony will begin at 2:00 p.m. on each day.
The top three finishers in the F-10, F-12, M-10, M-12, F-14, M-14, F-16. M-16, F-18, and M-18 categories will receive ribbons. In the other categories, the top three finishers will receive tickets for a drawing. First place will get 3 tickets, second place 2 tickets and third place 1 ticket. Prize winners will be drawn from the collection of all tickets, for each day.
Saturday Night Dinner
The dinner will be at 6pm at:
- Cielito Lindo
- 2417 First Street
- Livermore
- 925-371-8757
Food will be ordered and paid for at the restaurant. We hope to set-up a projection of the Saturday courses so that competitors can describe their route choices.
From highway 580, take the North Livermore exit and proceed South for approximately 2km. Turn left on First Street.
Child Care
Child care will be available on site and must be arranged with the event director ahead of time.
Important Dates and Event Schedule
Oct 7 Last day for entry without late fees. Oct 21 Last day for entry with pre-assigned starts. Nov 3 7:00-10:00 p.m., packet pickup at Event Center Nov 4 Registration opens 9:00 a.m., first starts at 10:00 a.m. Nov 5 Registration opens 8:00 a.m., first starts at 9:00 a.m.
Event Officials
Event Directors Marie-Josee Parayre and François Léonard Course Setter (Sat) Hannu Haarma Course Setter (Sun) Martin Kunz Mapping Director Bob Cooley Registrar Robert Lewis
Driving Directions and Parking
The nearest large airport is Oakland, CA. San Jose and San Francisco airports are also relatively close by.
Take I-580 east to the North Livermore Avenue exit in Livermore. Everyone is strongly encouraged to carpool from a point near the exit, since parking at the park is very limited — see below for details.
To get to the park, head north on North Livermore Ave until forced to turn left onto Manning Road. Take the next right onto Morgan Territory Road, and continue 5.6 miles to the Morgan Territory Regional Preserve parking lot on the right. The road is very narrow with many sharp curves, so allow extra time and drive carefully. Parking and park admission are free. Parking on the road outside the park is not permitted.
Carpool Site
Carpooling is strongly recommended from Wal-Mart Store #1972, which is just off I-580 at the North Livermore Avenue exit. The address is: 2700 Las Positas Road, Livermore, CA 94550. Exiting I-580, turn right onto North Livermore Ave, and turn left at the second light (Las Positas Rd). Make a left at the next light (Arroyo Plaza/Hilliker Pl) and meet in the Wal-Mart parking lot. All participants must park on the east side of the Wal-Mart store, in the Receiving area — not in front of the store.