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BAOC COOL Introduction

Date: (Sat.) Oct. 25, 2008
Location: Oakland, CA
Event Director: - 925.872.3935
Course Setter: Jay Hann
Type: C; An introduction for those students who may be interested in the Bay Area Orienteering Club California Outdoor Orienteering League (BAOC COOL)

Related Information

Please note that fees and time limits apply, unless otherwise mentioned below. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


Event Schedule

9:00 – COOL map orientation begins
10:00 – COOL: How the league works
10:30 – COOL: Fun and Games with a Mini-O
12:00 – End of COOL activities, more Mini-O
1:00 – Courses close, potluck begins

At this event, there will be an introduction for those students who may be interested in the Bay Area Orienteering Club California Outdoor Orienteering League (BAOC COOL), but don't feel they're ready. Or for anyone who just wants to have fun! This event is also free.

Already in the league? Come by to help teach the new students, to see your friends again, and to have fun!

You don't have to be involved with the league to try these courses. Everyone is welcome to try.

Course Statistics

We will have four courses on the Mini-O, similar to the Mini-O last June at Donner Memorial State Park. These four courses roughly correspond to the four BAOC COOL courses: 

  Course     Length   Climb   Controls   Class

  Course 1   103 m     1 m       11      Elementary 
  Course 2   105 m     1 m       13      Middle School
  Course 3   152 m     2 m       13      JV
  Course 4   381 m     5 m       26      Varsity

The Elementary course is the only course to include control numbers on the map.

The Varsity course has one leg that goes through unmapped trees.

Maps

Pre-printed maps at 1:300 scale, and will include the temporary fencing mapped as black lines. There are no control descriptions—you will need to find your control purely from the mapped location. There are individual trees mapped as green circles and in the general vicinity of the temporary fences, but the mapping of individual trees ends somewhere between ten and forty meters from the center of the temporary fencing. The mapped trees, as well as the temporary fencing, will be used as control points. All controls will be visible from the temporary fencing at some point, although the controls on the further away trees may be hidden by the closer trees, depending on where you are standing. There are no mapped boulders. There is some light green mapped. Dark green represents areas within a tree circle that is filled with small logs, sometimes arranged like a teepee or a lean-to, or sometimes knocked down in a disarray. There is one water feature, a pipe mounted on a post.

Map Symbol Summary

Tree – green circle
Temporary fence – black line
Log – brown line
Master control – black X
Water post – blue X
Trail – dashed black line
Form line – dashed brown line
Light bush – light green
Pile of sticks – dark green

Logistics

Each course level has two maps, which have different but equivalent routes. Two runners start at the same time running the same course level, so there will be some head-to-head competition. The expected winning time will be less than three minutes, probably less than two minutes, so this is fast-paced fun. The average leg length is ten to fifteen meters.

The first thing to do is to find another person running the same course, who you would like to run against. Then get your e-punch finger sticks and proceed to the start. Make sure you have filled out a waiver; a COOL application will work for students. The master control is your first control after the Start and the last control before the Finish. The master control is also punched between each loop.

Punching

There will be electronic punching used on all the Mini-O courses. "Rental" punches will be available for those who don't have a finger stick, with a special rate of free. You will be able to repeat another course or the same course using the same finger stick. We will be using the GeBE printer to download and print results.

Note: If you would like your results posted on the Web site, please print an extra copy and write your name and the course on it.

Directions

The Mini-O site is located about 150 meters SW of the meeting area, within a relatively flat redwood grove. There will be streamers from the road to the Mini-O site.

Rules