Tilden Park
Date: (Sun.) Jan. 13, 2008
Location: Berkeley, CA
Event Director: 
Course Setter: Martin Kunz
Type: B; First "B" meet of the year
Event Director's Update
By (Jan. 7, 2008)
It looks like we are going to get a break in the storms for this coming weekend at Tilden. The forecast today is for partly cloudy skies with only a 10–20% chance of rain.
Start off your orienteering year with some fine courses designed by Martin Kunz. He is emphasizing route choice for the first half of the Green, Red, and Blue courses. This is an important aspect of orienteering, and sometimes not given enough heed. We frequently have courses with all of the legs 400 meters or shorter. Not on Sunday. There are some long legs that will require analysis to choose the optimum route. Since the northern part of the map has a lot of fight, the trail route might, or might not, be the best choice. As a consequence, there may be more trail running than the typical BAOC course. Also, some of the control points, particularly in the first half of the course are not super technical in nature.
If you prefer a more "conventional" BAOC course, you may want to do the Brown course. This will be in the same area as was used last year. The White, Yellow, and Orange courses also will be on the eastern hillside.
There will be two Start areas:
- The Long Orange, Green, Red, and Blue courses will start at the Lake View group picnic area, about a 5-minute walk from the assembly area.
- The White, Yellow, (regular) Orange, and Brown courses will have their Start at the Quarry picnic area, also about a 5-minute walk from the start.
The Finish will be near the equestrian area. The assembly area, both Starts, and the Finish all have toilets. That must be a first for a BAOC event.
Remember, we will be instituting a trial self-service entry into the EP database at this event, to try to decrease the line for entering into the computer before you go out on your run. If you own your own finger stick, and are in the archive, go to the self-service computer in the blue EP tent, put your stick in the red Master station, and your name, stick number, and usual course should pop up on the computer screen. If everything is OK (particularly the course), just hit Enter. Otherwise, use the drop-down menu to change the course to the one you are doing (and make any other changes, such as spelling of your name), and then hit Enter.
With the last wind and rain storm, Mother Nature really shook the dandruff out of her hair, and there is a lot more fallen branches and dead vegetative material in the park, particularly in the Eucalyptus areas. Try not to do too many face plants.
As usual, the event director can always use some more volunteers. Thanks to those of you who have already spontaneously volunteered. If you can help out, particularly for beginner's clinics, starts, registration, or control pickup (and the finish if we have enough help), please let me know.
The map is slightly non-standard in that the symbols are the size one would have in a 1:15000 map, or about 33% smaller than usually seen in a 1:10000 map. That's because the map was drafted at 1:10000, instead of the usual 1:15000 with a blowup to 1:10000. It is an excellent map, however, and the vegetation is quite well mapped.
Some of you will pass by some beautiful Red Hot Poker (http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/perennials/other-perennials/classid.7232/) plants. Stunning red flowers at this time of year.
Evan