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Public Event at Scout-O Championships

Briones Regional Park

Date: (Sat.) Sep. 24, 2022
Location: Lafayette, CA
Event Director: - 925.934.6567
Course Setter: Gavin Wyatt-Mair
Type: B; Open Event for non-Scouts — Regular 7-course BAOC event in conjunction with the Scout-O Championships

Related Event Information

Event Results Online Registration (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a40/register/start/briones2022) Course Setter’s Notes Concurrent Scout-O Champs Latest Previous Event (2019) Attackpoint Event Page (https://www.attackpoint.org/eventdetail.jsp/event_54336)

Please note that fees and time limits apply. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


We return, once again, to Briones Regional Park (https://www.ebparks.org/parks/briones/) for the Twenty-Eighth annual Scout-O Championships. As in previous years, this "open" event is being held in conjunction with the Scout-O Champs.

The forecast is for fine weather. It is a good area for picnics, so bring your friends and your family, and enjoy the park as well as the orienteering challenge.

Special Rules:

The Park District is very concerned about the possibility of fires.
Therefore, they have instituted two rules that we must all follow:
  1. No smoking at all.
  2. Drive only on roads (except if directed otherwise at the event).

All the courses will have E-punching. Beginner (White), Advanced Beginner (Yellow), Intermediate (Orange and Short Brown), and Advanced (Brown, Green, Red, and Blue) courses will be offered (see below). Grass stickers and poison oak are present, so be sure to wear long pants, and to wear gaiters on the off-trail courses.

Since the annual Scout-O will be held concurrently with this regular event, we expect a sizable crowd. Although preregistration is required for the Scout-O, it is not required for the BAOC B-meet.

BAOC members: Please note that your showing is very good publicity for the club, and sets an example for hundreds of scouts and adults to see!! Please do come, with your best O-gear, a smile, and a word of encouragement for the youngsters.

Parking, Registration, and the Finish are at the Bear Creek entrance to Briones Park (see the driving directions below).

Note: The Start is about 0.85 km, with 75 m climb, from the assembly area. It takes 15–20 minutes to walk there. The Finish will be close to the Assembly Area and the parking lot! 😊

If you have any questions, contact Gavin Wyatt-Mair, the Event Director, at 925-934-6567 ().

Schedule

Note that the event is on Saturday!

Registration will be open from 9:00 AM to noon.

Beginner clinics will be available from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. These are short, repeating sessions that introduce orienteering, and provide enough instruction to be able to complete a beginners (White) course.

Starts will be at the usual times: from 10:00 to 12:30. (There is a short walk to the Start.)

The Finish will close at 2:00 PM. Everyone must report to the Finish by then, and then to the E-punch download tent​—​even if they have not completed their course.

Costs

The following fees apply at this event:

  $3 for each junior on beginners (White) and advanced beginners (Yellow) courses
  $8 for each adult on beginners and advanced beginners courses
  $5 for each junior on intermediate (Orange, Short Brown) and advanced (Brown, Green, Red, Blue) courses  
$15 for each member on intermediate and advanced courses
$20 for each non-member on intermediate and advanced courses
  $1 for a compass rental (optional)  
  $5 for an electronic fingerstick rental (if you don’t own one; you’ll need one to complete the course)
$15 for the lowest-cost individual one-year BAOC membership (optional)  
Notes:
  • The park charges an entry fee of $3 per vehicle (and $2 per dog) if the kiosk is staffed.
  • At the event, we are able to accept payment only by cash or check​—​no credit cards or electronic payments.
  • Juniors are age 8 through 20 (under age 8 is free).
  • There is no charge for a second course (but you must end up paying for the more expensive course​—​e.g., Orange after Beginner).
  • Members of other orienteering clubs can pay the "member" fee. (We hope your club would do the same for our members. 🙂)

More information about event pricing is available in the club FAQ. All the prices are also shown on the standard entry form (PDF/12KB), which you can print and fill out in advance to save some time at the event. (You will need one entry form for each group of people going on a course together.)

Optional Online Registration

Online registration has closed, but you can still register at the event.

Notes:
  • Online registration is not required​—​you can register at the event.
  • You can see who is registered here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a40/reglist/home/briones2022) (but keep in mind that others will register at the event).

What to Bring

For the beginner (White) course, comfortable outdoors attire and shoes are fine.

Due to the dry weather, matted grasses, and loose soils, we recommend O-shoes or shoes with cleats on the intermediate (Orange & Short Brown) and advanced (Brown through Blue) courses. Hiking boots with an aggressive tread are recommended for the advanced beginner (Yellow) course.

Dry grasses with burrs and stickers are present on all the courses except White. We recommend long pants and gaiters.

A compass is not necessary, but can be helpful. We have compasses available for a $1 rental fee.

We time the courses with the SPORTident system, so each entry/team needs to have a SPORTident fingerstick. If you don’t have your own, you can rent one at registration for $5. (Use of the “E-punch” system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read about it here.)

Courses

The following courses will be available. Be sure to read the Event Director’s and Course Setter’s Notes for more information. 

                                                      Navigational   Physical
    Course        Distance      Climb      Controls   Difficulty     Difficulty
    White(1)       3.4 km     55 m, 1.6%      16      Easy           Easy  
    Yellow(2)      3.5 km     60 m, 1.7%      18      Easy           Easy
    Orange(4)      4.8 km     98 m, 2.1%      23      Moderate       Moderate  
    Short Brown    4.0 km     80 m, 2.0%      19      Moderate       Moderate
    Brown          4.7 km    100 m, 2.2%      21      Hard           Moderate  
    Green          5.7 km    145 m, 2.5%      24      Hard           Hard
    Red            6.8 km    165 m, 2.4%      27      Hard           Tough!
    Blue           7.9 km    195 m, 2.5%      32      Hard           Tough!

Beginners should be aware that the distances shown are the cumulative straight-line distances between controls. Your actual distance will be longer. The climb numbers represent the amount of ascending that would be done on the "optimum route" (in the Course Setter's opinion), without regard for any descending.

As noted above, there is a remote Start. The Finish will be close to the Assembly Area and parking.

Again, be sure to read the Event Director’s and Course Setter’s Notes for more information.

Request for Volunteers

If you are able and willing to help out on the day of the meet, or before, we sure could use your help! Please contact Gavin Wyatt-Mair, Event Director ().

Driving Directions

Registration will be at the West entrance to the park, off of Bear Creek Road. (This address might be useful: 1611 Bear Creek Rd, Lafayette, CA.) The approximate coordinates are N37.9271,W122.1578.

To get there, take Route 24 west from I-680 or east from I-80. Exit at Orinda, and head north on Camino Pablo. After about 2 miles, turn right onto Bear Creek Road. After about 3.5 miles, the park entrance will be on your right, and is well sign-posted (don’t be fooled by the parking area on the left​—​that’s not it).

The park charges an entry fee of $3 per vehicle (and $2 per dog), collected at the entry kiosk (when it is staffed).

Please carpool if possible, since there will probably be many scouts attending.

Parking

Do not park in the south side of the east, dirt, parking lot. That area is for horse trailers.