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Public Event at Scout-O Championships

Briones Regional Park

Date: (Sun.) Oct. 27, 2024
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; everyone is welcome, including beginners — free, brief, beginner instruction will be available

Related Event Information

Event Results Course Setter’s Notes Attackpoint Event Page (http://www.attackpoint.org/eventdetail.jsp/event_58727) Concurrent Scout-O Champs Last Year’s Event

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


Status Update on October 25th

The weather forecast for Briones looks great, the park is in good shape, we have a permit, Newt Hollow picnic area is reserved... All systems are GO for a great day of orienteering!
Well, we do need some help at Briones on Sunday. Can you please volunteer?
Gavin Wyatt-Mair, Event Director (Oct. 25, 1:25 PM)


We return, once again, to Briones Regional Park for the 30th annual Scout-O Championships. As in previous years, this event, which is open to everyone, is being held in conjunction with the annual Scout-O Championships.

We have arranged for fine weather. The park 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).

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

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 a 20-minute (1.4 km) walk from the Assembly Area. The Finish is 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

The following standard BAOC event schedule will be followed:

  9:00 AM – 11:59 AM: Registration open
  9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Beginner clinics instruction (free)
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Starts are open for all courses
                  2:00 PM: Everyone must have returned to the Finish
Note: At registration, all juniors (i.e., under age 21) must be accompanied by parents or legal guardians, or bring with them a waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian. (The registration form is available here [PDF/12KB].)

Note that you can register and start on the courses anytime during the open times above. Thus, for example, you do not need to be "punctual" at 9:00. (You can if you want, but please don’t show up earlier and expect to be served.)

Beginner clinics are 15–20 minute, repeating sessions that introduce the sport of orienteering, and provide enough instruction to be able to complete the Beginner course.

Note that everyone must return to the Finish by 2:00 PM, and then promptly go to the download tent, even if they have not completed their course. Please do not leave without checking in! If there are unaccounted people after 2:00, we must initiate a search for them.

Costs

The following fees apply for this event:

  $3 for each junior on beginner (White) and advanced beginner (Yellow) courses
  $8 for each adult on beginner and advanced beginner courses
  $5 for each junior on intermediate (Orange) and advanced (Short Brown, 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:
  • If the entry kiosk is staffed, the park charges a fee of $3 per vehicle (and $2 per dog [Guide and Service dogs are free]).
  • Juniors are age 8 through 20 (under age 8 is free).
  • At the event, we can accept payment by cash, check, or credit/debit card (but no electronic payments — e.g., PayPal, Venmo).
  • There is no charge for a second course (but you must end up paying for the more expensive course — e.g., the Orange course after a beginner course).
  • 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/reglist/home/briones2024) (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.

For the advanced beginner (Yellow) course, hiking boots with an aggressive tread are recommended.

Due to the dry weather, matted grasses, and loose soils, we recommend O-shoes or shoes with cleats on the intermediate (Orange) and advanced (Short Brown through Blue) courses.

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 for the "public event" (see the here for the details of the Scout courses). Be sure to read the Event Director's and Course Setter's Notes for more information. 

                                              Map     Navigational  Physical
    Course       Distance  Climb  Controls   Scale    Difficulty    Difficulty
    White(1)      3.4 km   230 m     10     1:7,500   Beginner      Easiest  
    Yellow(2)     3.5 km   270 m     11     1:7,500   Adv Beginner  Easy
    Orange(4)     4.5 km   305 m     13     1:7,500   Intermediate  Intermediate  
    Short Brown   4.1 km   185 m     13     1:7,500   Advanced      Moderate  
    Brown         4.1 km   260 m     13     1:7,500   Advanced      Intermediate
    Green         5.2 km   250 m     13    1:10,000   Advanced      Challenging
    Red           6.1 km   325 m     17    1:10,000   Advanced      Very Challenging
    Blue          7.0 km   400 m     20    1:10,000   Advanced      Really Challenging

Notes:
  • 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.
  • There is a 1.4 km walk to the Start — about a 20-minute walk.
  • Water will not be provided on the courses. Please bring your own water.
  • Numbers in parentheses in course names identify Scout Championship courses.

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 willing to help out on the day of the event, we sure could use your help! Most tasks do not require previous experience, and we're happy to train new people!

We need volunteers for these tasks:

If you can 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, but you could park there and walk if you like).

The park charges an entry fee of $3 per vehicle (and $2 per dog [Guide and Service dogs are free]), collected at the entry kiosk (if and 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.