Miami Valley
Jr. Orienteering Championship Practice
and Turkey Hunt
November 12, 2011 - Bill Yeck Park
Weather: 40's early rising to the 60's and Sunny
Attendance: 99 in 67 starting units
Thanks for meet assistance:
White course (design and set) - Josh Assink
Registration - Mike Allen, Tom Wentling, and Sharon Bond
Computer timing - Ben Bond, Jeff McPherson, and Sharon Bond.
Starts - Ben Bond, Tom Wentling, and Jeff McPherson
Control retrieval - Tom Wentling, Caterina & Tom Svobodny
Other - RT Bell
Thanks to all for attending. The weather was again perfect for orienteering.
Results in the links below are shown by division for the Jr. Champs and by course for the Turkey Hunt in three formats for each: a standard result list, split times, and chip data. The "mp" (mis-punch) assigned by the electronic timing system indicates someone did not complete their course.
In the Middle School/Jr. High Individual Division, Harman Elementary's Caterina Svobodny posted the best time.
In the Rookie Individual Division Caleb Greene of Union County Middle School took the top spot. With Reed Singer's fine finish, if UCMS had one more entry in the division who finished, they would have won the large traveling trophy.
The JV Individual Division Sam Kelsch from Union County High School posting the fastest time.
The split time list shows time spent traveling between each control. For each competitor, the first row shows cummulative time, and the second row shows each leg's split time. Leading times are in blue. For example, in the Rookie Individual Division, Ben Bond was first on leg 1, then Jameson Vaughan had the next 3 fastest legs. By leg 5 and 6, a very consistent Morgan Vaughan, though not winning any leg, held the overall lead. Only with a strong finish, winning legs 6, 7, and 8 did Caleb Greene move into first and hold it to the finish.
The chips report is the raw data from the computer chip inside the SI cards (finger sticks). It shows the start time of day, finish time of day, elapsed time (bold), and download time of day (Read at). It also shows each control number punched and the time of day it was visited. This shows where people were and when, as they traveled around their course.
The top 1/3 of finishers on a course may consider moving to the next higher course. Finishers outside the top 1/3 should master it before moving higher. Competitors on the green course should be confident enough in their navigation to run the entire course.
Though additional orienteering is always encouraged, in the interest of competitive fairness, only the first course an individual or group runs can be included in the computation for championship awards. Once an orienteer is out on a course they return with advantageous knowledge of the competition area, shared controls, etc. For this Practice Event only, results of subsequent courses are listed with the other results for the Jr. Champs. For the Spring Championships where trophies are awarded, only the first course run is included in the Jr. Champs results.
There was a noticeable lack of Dayton area high school usuals. Schools like Wayne, Springboro, Fairborn, Hamilton, and Stebbins were not in attendance. I'm sure the teams that attended didn't mind that they stayed home, but it is best to have everyone out competing.
The 2012 Miami Valley Jr. Orienteering Championships will be held on March 24, 2012; so plan accordingly. Bolster your teams to get at least 3 competitors in each division you enter. Train so your team does well. I look forward to seeing the results and handing out many trophies!
I hope everyone enjoyed their courses -- especially green #12 and red #15. While this massive tree is still standing upright, I plan to use this location underneath its roots. Since last year the stream has re-sculpted the bank in the area, so it's just a matter of time before it comes down.
[Aside: While picking up controls I approached this one from the top of the bank. My planned controlled descent quickly went awry, and I found myself sliding head first on my back toward the creek below. From the top I saw a nice 5" diameter root to step on and later use as a handhold. No sooner had I stepped on the root did I discover that it wasn't attached to the bank, and the other end ten feet away would not support anything other than itself. Gravity worked as always, and my other foot, still on top of the bank, well to the side of my center of mass caused me to flip upside down. My head and then my forearm smacked against other roots from a nearby rootstock, and then I proceeded to slide in the aforementioned manner. This isn't the way I like to see myself descending a 25' tall earthbank, looking at the sky and inverted trees, and luckily I stopped sliding about half-way down. After a few moments to collect my thoughts I realized I wasn't too beat up, and proceeded to right myself and get the control. Then leaving the bank I slipped on a leaf covered branch that sent me to the ground again. Though that time I used my ample posterior padding to cushion the impact. While not as damaging to the body as Pat Meehan's recent cliff descent, it reinforces the adage that things can go from good to bad very quickly.]
One last note. On Saturday, Nov. 26, OCIN is hosting a TROL Training Camp at Miami University, Oxford, OH, for all junior orienteers. More details are available via the OCIN web site (see "Good Links" on MVOC site) and the Training Camp Info & Registration Form. I encourage all to attend and boost their navigational skill.
Matt Bond
Meet Director
Jr. Champs Practice Winsplits file
Use with Winsplits Pro