Briones

10th annual Scout-O Championships

Orinda
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2001

Contact: Gavin Wyatt-Mair, 925-934-6567

We have another new map this year - the third year in a row! We return again to the southeast portion of Briones, where the map extension provides options for lower climb percentages and a better technical challenge.

All courses will be pre-marked. All courses will have e-punching. White, Yellow, Orange, Brown, Green, Red, and Blue courses will be offered. Grass stickers and thistles are usually abundant, so be sure to wear gaiters and long pants.

Registration opens at 9:00. Starts will be at the usual times: 10:00 to 12:30. Allow an extra 15 minutes to get to a slightly remote start. As usual, this Briones event includes both a regular BAOC event and our annual Scout-O Championships, so expect a sizable crowd. 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.

If you can help out on the day of the meet or before, we sure could use you! Please let me know...

Directions

Registration will be at the West entrance to the park, off of Bear Creek Road.

To get there, take Route 24 west from I-680 or east from I-80. Exit at Orinda, heading north on Camino Pablo. After about 2 miles, turn right on Bear Creek Road. After about 3.5 miles, the park entrance will be on your right (donıt be fooled by the parking area on the left ­ thatıs not it), and is well sign-posted. There is a charge of approximately $3.50 for parking.

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

BAOC Event 

Color      Distance (km)    Climb (m)    Navigational Difficulty   Physical Difficulty

White         3.6              90                Easy                   Easy
Yellow        4.0             135                Easy                   Easy
Orange        4.2             205                Moderate               Moderate
Brown         4.0             195                Hard                   Moderate
Green         4.9             250                Hard                   Hardish
Red           5.7             330                Hard                   Hard
Blue          6.6             365                Hard                   Hard
Top 10 reasons to do Briones this year:
  1. Tune up for the O-in-the-Oaks A meet on October 27 and 28.
  2. New map. It's a huge improvement - makes Briones a piece of cake!
  3. Be on show for hundreds of scouts to see our esteemed club in action.
  4. Star thistles have been burned away and are weak this year.
  5. Poison oak is minimal - mainly stalks and ankle-high leaves.
  6. Courses have variety - the first part is fine navigation in the forest, the second is fast open running and the third is coarse navigation in the forest.
  7. E-punching everywhere!
  8. Incredible views - take a second to look!
  9. Chance to see deer, eagles, coyote, skunks, buzzards, orienteers. And more.
  10. Orienteering - the thinking sport.
The start is about 1200m from the parking lot, on the trail. Head toward the archery range - it takes 10 minutes to get there. The Scout-O overlaps the White, Yellow and Orange courses. Please be tolerant. Also, remember that horses have the right of way, and try not to scare them. The terrain is rough. You will need good strong shoes and full leg covering, and advanced courses need good cleats. Registration for the BAOC event will be open from about 9:00. Earliest start is at 10:00, latest start at 12:30. Bring water.

Scout-O Championships

We are pleased to announce the 10th annual Bay Area Scout Orienteering Championships. Register by October 5 to participate!

Our scout champs last year were Troop 804 from Danville. They blasted their way straight to the top, narrowly defeating five-time champions Troop 32 from San Jose. Our top Girl Scout troop last year was Troop 1831 from Dublin. Who will be champions this year? Everyone stands a chance! Some practice, some fitness, and some thinking will get you a long way. So come on out - bring your compasses, running shoes, and your brains - and have fun!

The format for this year's championships will be the same as last year's, and is described below. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of all ages are welcome, and the competition is arranged to accommodate any skill level. In addition, the courses are arranged to meet the map and compass requirements for First Class, Second Class, or the Orienteering Merit Badge.

Yes, there will be patches. Anyone who has not yet received a patch for a prior year's event can get it at this year's event, or by contacting me. The patches are "progressive," so that a scout can participate in multiple Scout-Os and add to his or her patch sequence.

Last year we had electronic punching for the first time. We had some teething problems with it, but now we have it down. Results will be posted earlier! And, for the third year running, we will have a brand new map!

Competitive Categories

The event is divided into two parts: a set of courses in the morning, and a troop "score" event in the afternoon. Both events contribute to a troop's total score to determine the troop championship.

Hint: The more scouts that attend from a given troop, the better the troop usually does. We combine the top N scouts' scores from the morning and afternoon events to get the troop score. The value N is set by the meet director on the day of the meet, based on conditions and attendance.

Morning courses: Scouts will compete against other scouts with the same level of orienteering experience. Four scout courses will be offered, plus a course for the adults.

Choose your courses carefully! There are more points available for doing the harder courses (we encourage scouts to "move up" a notch), but don't get on a course you can't finish, because then you will likely lose points. As a rule of thumb, the points available for Course 2 are about 10% more than Course 1. Course 3 has about 20% more, and Course 4 has about 30% more points than Course 1.

Afternoon score event: All scouts may compete in this troop "score" event. Teams will remain the same as in the morning event.

Registration

All troops participating in this Scout-O must be preregistered and prepaid. Registration closes on Oct. 4. The cost is $4.50 per scout or participating leader. Make checks payable to BAOC and mail the forms to me (see below).

There are three ways to get registration forms:

When filling out the forms, choose your teams carefully, because they must remain together all day. Mixed-category teams are possible, but will compete on the course of the higher-ranking scout. Each troop may have one 3-person team to allow for odd numbers.

Event Schedule

Instruction will begin at 9:00 am. The start time for each individual team will be determined by the entry date of their troop. In general, start times will begin at 10:00 am and go until about noon. The score event will run 2:00-3:00 pm. The awards ceremony will begin at 3:30 pm, and the meet will be closed at 3:45 pm.

Try to arrive by 9:00 am. We will stick to the preassigned start times - it's less confusing that way. You may call the meet director for advance notice of your troop's starting times. Bring compasses and remember: We go rain or shine!

Prizes

Awards will be made to the best teams on each course. The champion troops will be determined by the results in all categories, including the score event. There will be medals, certificates, and a troop trophy.

This year there will be special awards for the top "junior" Scout troop (Cubs, Webelos, Daisies, Brownies, etc.), as well as for the top Girl Scout troop (if a Boy Scout troop wins), or the top Boy Scout troop (if a Girl Scout troop wins). Each participant will receive a progressive (by course) participation patch.

Equipment

You will each need strong trail shoes, long pants (Briones has stickers!), a pen or pencil, a watch, and a compass. You may want a water bottle, hat, sunscreen, etc., if it's hot, or rain gear if it's rainy. Also bring your own lunch.