Discussion: Suncoast ‘Coming Out of Shadow’

I suppose I should wait until all the eyes are crossed or whatever the saying is but I want to tell you that Suncoast Orienteering is about to take a big step forward. Sometimes known as Suncoast Orienteering and Adventure Racing (SOAR) we have operated under the umbrella of Florida Orienteering (FLO) for the last three years. Growing from a schedule of three events with a total participation of just under 200 we now have seven events on the schedule from November to March, each expected to have over 100 participants. It is time that we form a club and gain O-USA affiliation on our own. The paperwork is in progress.
The purpose of this message is to bring our 2015 schedule to the attention of you short term snowbirds and to ask for your help.
The Events (Each event has a twist of its own)
Jan 10 Ft de Soto Park. St Petersburg FL Three score orienteering courses at Yellow, Orange and Green level. This is primarily for the JROTC orienteering teams. After they have started the public will have a chance to run an ‘all controls’ score competition.
Jan 24: Oscar Scherer State Park, Osprey FL Novice, Intermediate and Short Advanced courses plus a 15 km ‘Super Blue\ course.
Feb 7: Caspersen Beach Park, Venice FL: 3-person 2-event Team Competition again primarily for the JROTC but the public can enter as a team or run the Score event as an individual after the cadets have finished that part.
Feb 28th T Mabry Carlton Reserve, Sarasota County FL – Novice, Intermediate, short and long advanced courses plus a bike orienteering course. Create yourself an adventure duathlon by running one course on foot then one on the bike.
Mar 28th –This just in – Suncoast Orienteering Championships for JROTC and public – Oscar Scherer State Park, Osprey, FL – four regular courses PLUS we will be partnering with an adventure race to be held at the same time and place. The adventure racers will do their land navigation on one of the orienteering courses. They will be eligible for SOC prizes (fat chance, eh orienteers?)
How can you help?
Of course if you would like to join Suncoast Orienteering even for a few months that could improve our application with O-USA
If you are coming to Florida and would like to help a school with its orienteering program I could put you in touch.
If your visit to Florida does not coincide with our dates I’d be glad to provide you with a map and a chance to test our courses.
If you have a spare dibbler/ sI stick sitting around ever since you upgraded and you would like to donate it I’d be glad to receive your donation and make it available for use when we get our own SI timing system.
Thank you for reading this message through to the end. (Yes, I know it is 'i's are dotted; 't's are crossed.)

How's your 501(c)3?

in process. We're working on the IRS forms 1023 and 2848 now.

fat chance, eh orienteers?

With the SML Champs in E KY that weekend, the ARers might have a shot at the SOC podium.

Côte du-soleil

I had the chance to be at Gord's event yesterday in St. Petersburg, plus talk to him extensively about what he is doing. And it is quite amazing.

Yesterday there were about 180 kids there via the Navy JROTC programs at a bunch of Florida high schools. There were also maybe 20-25 other folks there orienteering, plus a number of parents. Plus the folks in change of the O' program at each of these schools. But still, lots more kids than grown-ups. Oh, and one organizer with even a modest amount of O' experience, and that would be Gord. And it all works. In fact, it all works really well.

Gord does what we might call the technical work. He made the map. He designs the course (in this case 36 points for a score O' course). He puts out the controls. But he doesn't have to direct the event. Because, and this is really smart, the schools take turns directing.

They handle the entry process (everyone pre-registered), they make up the start lists, they run the start, they run the finish, they do the results, they get the trophies, they run the awards ceremony, they provide the food, they clean up at the end. Yup, a bunch of kids with some adult leadership, and they do it well. At one point Gord asked me to see if things looked OK at the start, help out if needed. I spent a few minutes there, three girls, looked about 15, totally competent, looked to be having a lot of fun too. Not like any start crew I've ever seen.

The vibes were very good. The level of orienteering we observed was sometimes good, sometimes not, but the kids seemed to be having fun. Each was there with their school, so each was on a team, and each had friends there. The event was centered around them, not the adults. So different from what I usually see.

And Gord, a former teacher and politician, seemed to be having a great time, schmoozing with both the kids and the leaders.

I'd suggest rereading Gord's post above. He has a lengthy list of places that need mapping (small areas, mapping would be quick and easy), of schools that are showing interest but need a little help. I know George Walker did some remote mapping for him, a couple of perfectly fine maps resulted that wouldn't have been done otherwise.

If there is anything you can do to help out, it would certainly help. Good things are happening on the Suncoast.

Sounds like the HS programs are going really well. We were impressed with the meet we went to a couple years ago. Same arrangement - the jrotc group ran the meet but the technical part which Gord handled. A very fine time. Tell Gord that I would be happy to do more maps for him any time and update the prior ones now that someone may have actually tried to use them.

Thanks for the mention, Peter and what a great selection of photos! Reminds me, too, that I have to get that root stock on to the map for next year.
I tried something new (for me) in the Score O. Yes there were about 36 contols but each of the three courses - novice, JV and Varsity - had only 15 controls each, appropriately graded for the level of experience. The novices got almost the same distance as the varsity but far less bushwhacking.
I highly recommend that clubs try that idea. It must be discouraging for novices to have no chance of competing with the experts.
Thank you Peter and Gail for all your help.
Yes, orienteering is alive and well in the Florida JROITC program. And long strong in the Navy JROTC, we are now seeing more units from the other three services joining in. YES!
Does remote mapping pay off? You bet it does. One of the schools George mapped went on to qualify for the Navy JROTC national championships. The other has had a young lady join this year and she has now won competitions at all three levels in one year.
Watch Channell Walters at the GNC next weekend. It will be her first orienteering outside of Florida. She is the young lady with the HUGE smile. Without the starter map she may still be wondering what orienteering is!
It inspires all the students to know that other orienteers somewhere are interested in helping them. Thank you George and thank you also to Kevin Heywood who always seems to be able to come up with contour images of areas when needed.

Nice; congrats Gord.

Is that snow in the seventh of Peter's photos, or something else (foam from surf?)?

Snow? Snow? :-)

Actually just sand. I was standing on a narrow beach, under water at high tide, a waterway connecting Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico just behind me.

The beach in the next to last photo is right on the Gulf.

I'll post the map in a bit….

Great job, Gord. And thanks to PG for bringing this back to everybody's attention. Nice photos.

A couple more photos (by Gail), one of another of the kids, the other of the Boss (Gord is wearing the shorts) --

I ran in one of Gord's two day events two years ago. There were memorable things! One was the girl who got up early on Sunday morning, took a walk and saw a Florida panther. Another was the tortoise coming out of his/her hole near the event start/finish. And last, and perhaps most important, was that I made a route choice error and added 50% to my total climb, yeah, I went down through a ditch and added an extra 5 meters to the advertised 10 meter climb on the course. Oh, well. My courses were great, the kids seemed to love it. Gord did a great job then and seems to be continuing giving everyone a great time!

Here's the map, showing all the controls. Click on the map for a larger image.

I was very skeptical of the possibility of much orienteering value. After walking around quite a bit of it, and watching the kids in action, it seemed like it worked very well -- interesting, not too hard, not too easy.

Congrats Gord! Thanks for the summary, photos and map, PG.
I really like the idea of the schools taking turns race directing.

Gord, re: score-O and control level of experience. We use a similar set up for all our kids races but make it even simpler. All races are score-O (time limit) mass start races. With kids ranging from 6 to 18 years old we make the score-O exactly the same for all kids by putting out a range of difficulty controls (we classify them using the ski trail difficulty rating system and they are assigned different points as in score-O). The youngest kids are required to get all the beginner difficulty controls before trying an intermediate difficulty. Older kids may be required to alternate easy and difficult as a way to make the course longer. One course for everyone makes it even easier to host and by (sometimes) prescribing a specific difficulty control for for the first control for each age group we can split people up quickly and easily despite the mass start (so the race finishes quickly and no need for a start crew).

I'll see if I can get DontGetLost to send me to the Sunshine Coast on a fact finding mission. ;-)

Congrats again. So good to see more youth being introduced to our sport.

http://www.petergagarin.org/2015/suncoast9.jpg

It's right next to you!

Sounds like the HS programs are going really well. We were impressed with the meet we went to a couple years ago. Same arrangement - the jrotc group ran the meet but the technical part which Gord handled. A very fine time. Tell Gord that I would be happy to do more maps for him any time and update the prior ones now that someone may have actually tried to use them.

George -- My sense is that the maps are getting used, even the ones that look very simple and straightforward. Not for the main events, but for giving schools a nearby area to get used to O' maps.

And there was one case where the school wanted a map so the kids could show their parents what it was they were doing.

Gord was showing me how much useful mapping can be done remotely, combination of aerial photos and street views. Makes the field work a lot quicker and easier.

Thanks, Peter. I'm on it. Started another for him today. Certainly nice to get some positive feedback.