Discussion: good things on a fall weekend

Orienteering is a temping sport to focus on the things that didn't go well, because the bad stuff is much more obvious than those that did go well.

But, it's a weekend day in the middle of September, so many of us probably found our way out to the woods. Therefore, my question to you is:

* What is one thing that was great about orienteering this weekend? *

It could be about you & your course, the event's organization, or just the day. Maybe it was being outside in the crisp fall air, maybe good company after the race, maybe it was the leg that you executed with confidence, maybe it was a clutch route choice you made on a well-designed course, maybe it was careful relocation after you'd lost contact, maybe it was getting advice from a respected mentor or a good warm-up with a favorite o-friend, or maybe it was something else entirely.

So... what was it?

I shouted so loudly at an orienteering relay today that my voice is almost gone. I like cheering!

Also, there were live results from several radio controls in the forest, so I could follow all the relays from my phone and start cheering for my teammates before they even came in sight down the finish chute.

I spent a few hours this afternoon looking at one of the arenas for NAOC2014 and the arena setup is going to be amazing! I'm excited!

Number two is to see someone on Attackpoint starting a number of positive AP threads. Thanks Zan!

Yay, Zan! Beautiful weekend to be in the woods.

I had a string of three controls Saturday where I had great flow and perfect concentration, and then I spent the rest of the afternoon with a friend! Thank you Zan for pointing out the positive =)

Coincidentally, this is one of the few weekends in our orienteering calendar in which there is nothing on, locally. I'll come back with a positive thought next weekend (probably not, I usually just complain a lot).

But thanks for trying tRicky! :-)

tRicky I finished tracing the trails and vege boundaries for one of the MTBO carnival maps from a superb 2013 aerial. Can't wait to get out on the ground.

tRicky I finished tracing the trails and vege boundaries for one of the MTBO carnival maps from a superb 2013 aerial. Can't wait to get out on the ground to do the rest of the work.

Can't wait to come over there and race them!

Can't wait to come over there and race them on my bike!

BAOC had close to or over 200 people at its Presidio Scramble, year's record for a local event and a record for the Wilderness Scramble format. (Numbers are unverified, but should be close.)

I didn't orienteer this weekend but still had a great O weekend because I learned that NAOC 2014 is the weekend after, and near, U.S. Nationals, with training courses in between. I'm so excited! I got out a map of Ontario and started planning my trip. Thanks to ROC and O Ottawa for coordinating the two meets.

I'm happy to read logs of the elite orienteers who try their darnedest to train and train and train to reach their potential at the Worlds or wherever, while realizing I'll never be one myself.

And I'm happy I'm still able to get myself out onto orienteering courses...my motivation to keep in shape!

* What is one thing that was great about orienteering this weekend? *

Three words: Junior Training Camp

After a many year hiatus Ontario's jr. camp is back. I have many fond memories of being at this camp as a kid with over 60-70 other participants. Thanks to the support of Orienteering Ontario, GHO has brought this overnight weekend camp back and we started with about 25 kids (not a bad start). Perhaps more importantly, only 3 of these kids were in the sport 3 years ago. Woohoo.

The weather was fantastic and the autumn colours were starting to burst. A great time to be out orienteering.

Yay Zan, indeed.

Our local calendar had no races (the originally scheduled one had to be cancelled), but I attended a memorial for Tim Good, along with many other orienteers. His siblings shared many memories, some hilarious, along with dozens of pictures of Tim racewalking, running, square dancing, dressing in funny clothes (not all were o' clothes!), and, of course, orienteering. It was wonderful to see the support from all Tim's orienteering friends. Most orienteers are really wonderful people.

Went to the BC Championships in Victoria this weekend. It pissed with rain the entire weekend, most people in the long distance really got a great per-minute bang for their buck, but everyone still came back with smiles and praise for great course setting. Thanks VICO!

I got to wander through Whistler's Magical Forest that Erik is currently mapping for the 2014 Canadian National champs. It really is a beautiful, rarely seen forest and I (as I often do when I'm course planning or controlling) felt so fortunate to be able to enjoy such a special place. And a place where hundreds of thousands of people come to each year, but almost none of them will ever see. How lucky am I?

I got to run around in some beautiful Norwegian forests, on a training with controls, but all on my own. Bumped into a clubmate who was out for a run and chatted for a bit, both of us remarking how beautiful a day it was and how great it was to be outside.

I got to try making a Sprint-O map of the resort I was visiting in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It was a good lesson in the limitations of air photo generated base maps when even 3-storey buildings are involved and located close together.
The map will remain a work in progress.

I ran in the long (i.e. classic) championships of Lower Saxony on Sunday. The weather was beautiful, cool but with a clear autumn sky. I only started orienteering last year, and this was my second "serious" race ever -- twenty minutes faster than the middle distance champs a month ago.

Adventure in nearby parks in the wonderful city of San Francisco. Met many who tried it for the first time. Advertising is bringing them out.

What kind of advertising?

They're reading Attackpoint threads about rule changes. Link went viral on the mytwitface, I hear.

Now now Cristina, this isn't that kind of thread... though that did make me smile :)

See, something else to be happy about - orienteers often make each other smile! (When we're not nit-picking or whining.)

So many good things!

And... another weekend around the corner...

I started mine off with early morning terrain intervals at Hammond Pond, chasing a sprightly Alex around the rocks & trees of Hammond Pond... tramping on golden fallen leaves underneath our feet.

Only a week until Hamilton!

@ Mr. Wonderful, we advertised in the online edition of the SF Chronicle, Active, Running in the USA, and about 17 other calendars/websites/newspapers.

Also did local email lists and flyering.

26 5th graders, first time orienteering today, had SO MUCH FUN. Will take them out again in 2 weeks on a big adventure: street-O to subway, hike to park, team orienteering. We'll work up to serious off-trail woods orienteering in the spring. Maybe I can get CSU to put on a Friday sprint event so they can compete "for real".

8 hours in the mountains with friends tomorrow!

Looks like a good turnout, it'll be a great event!

I just realised it's spring over here so I can't even contribute to this thread.

No wait I have one - I went to mountain bike orienteering yesterday and didn't have a fall!

(terrible)

it'll be a great event!

It was fantastic! The weather was beautiful, and the terrain was really fun (which was fortunate, since the original venue had to be changed just a few weeks ago.)

So who'll be the first to contribute to "I love rogaining" on the other thread?

For me, this past weekend, I got to race in a new local map with lovely woods with lovely leaves on the ground and slightly different features, with a great course that made me think, so kudos to the course setter. Oh, and I finished in single digit placement amongst the usual strong competition. Confidence for the Nationals is restored!

The world is hills and trees, and also buildings and people, and all that comes with people.

On a fall weekday, on an extended lunch break, I went around the course for Chinatown Street Scramble. The sights (and sounds, and smells) were many... and I didn't even get to Chinatown proper, nor the Financial District!

A good crowd of tourists on a weekday afternoon taking pictures of the painted ladies in Alamo Square.

Halloween decorations just started going up in the NOPA.

USF students and professors walking the streets around Lone Mountain.

Little girls (couldn't have been older than about 13) running intervals on the grass along Golden Gate Park's panhandle.

Two teenagers, school out, smoking pot on a staircase in Anza Vista.

Had to jump over the usual dreadlocked bodies with pitbulls on Haight.

An indie musician on Octavia sounded interesting; a crowd of about 20 was listening. I had to move on.

Shiny tall buildings going up by Twitter headquarters, imagine all that new wealth!

They dug up the block where Hayes Valley Farm used to be, and before that, the freeway off-ramp. Shiny tall buildings are coming there, too.

It was all quiet by the notorious Ninth Circuit Courthouse.

The chess players appear to have been evicted from Fifth and Market for good.

Managed to not step into any human poop. About 14 km in just under 2 hours, some climb, intensity 1.

In all, a good day.