BAOC Annual General Meeting
Date: (Sun.) Apr. 15, 2012
Location: Sunol, CA
Event Directors: 
- 650.248.9595, - 510.407.1876
Type: Annual membership meeting and election of officers
Rex Winterbottom – Candidate for Event Coordinator
I first attended a few BAOC events in 1989 when I was in high school. In 1995, I became a club member and went to more and more events. The following year, I set a summer training session on the old Anthony Chabot map and I also directed and set the U.C. Berkeley event in September. Anybody remember the P.R.O.T.E.S.T. course, and what the acronym stood for? Since then, I have set courses and directed events at many venues for BAOC. Highlights include directing the club's 30th anniversary event at Joaquin Miller and the "Return to Boggs Mountain" A-meet and setting middle distance club championship courses at Spooner Lake in the Sierras. I'm also an avid orienteer, having traveled near and far to Canada, the U.K., and many U.S. states to participate in events.
For several years I served on the BAOC board as the club social director until trading places with Ben Legg last year to become our club's training director. After taking a break from my teaching career, I started a small business called terraloco (small t) in 2008. With terraloco, I have explored my interests in creating fun map adventure events for the masses in places nearby and as far as Joshua Tree and Las Vegas. I've learned how to reach out to a general public that isn't very aware of orienteering. I've gained a lot of experience negotiating with businesses, landowners, parks, and government agencies. And, with some tutelage from Ben Legg, Bob Cooley, Vladimir Gusiatnikov, and Magnus Johansson, I've learned mapping and created about 20 orienteering maps since I started.
Why do I want to be BAOC's next event coordinator? I want our club to grow. Events can help it grow. We have an awesome core group, but I fear we are not attracting new, enthusiastic members rapidly enough. My vision for the club is to maintain our classic orienteering events while promoting more "newbie-friendly" events such as the "wilderness scramble" series to attract more folks from the general public. And I would like for us to schedule a year out in advance as we used to do a long time ago so we can heavily promote and attract these people. All while maintaining good relationships with all the entities, public and private, who help us put on fun events. I believe I can leverage the extra experience and insights gained from terraloco while putting BAOC first. My first task would be to set the 2013 schedule before considering doing any terraloco events for that year. Vladimir has assumed full control of Get Lost!! (another venture I was involved in) and I am free to focus on BAOC. Vote for me, and I'll work with you to make a great 2013 schedule.