Geneva Wilderness Area
06 November 1999
86 Starters

Courses: WHITE | YELLOW | ORANGE | GREEN | RED | PINK
WHITE

Oviedo #1A 33:21
Central Florida Dist 10 #5 36:47
Troop 543 #4 42:27
Central Florida Dist 10 #6 42:27
Troop 543 #3 45:50
Troop 543 #2 DNF
Central Florida Dist 10 #4 DNF
Troop 543 #1 DNF

YELLOW

Troop 543 #1 40:01
Oviedo #1 55:45
Troop 543 #3 63:32
Tyndall 63:53
Troop 543 #2 65:07
Byrge 84:44
Maloney 92:54
Milum 113:21
Auburndale #2 129:52

ORANGE

Prytulo 91:03
Anne Putnam 92:24
Nuckolls 111:26
Dempsey 123:44
Lauterer 127:50
Sumano 129:59
City of Orlando 141:15
Canty 142:20
Baker 143:28
Moraseki 148:29
Oviedo #1 161:03
Fekes 176:03
Stern 187:28
Wright 193:05
Troop 560 #1 205:17
Auburndale #4 215:49
Steinke DNF
Lake Howell HS #4 DNF
Lake Howell HS #5 DNF
Yeadon DNF
Johnson DNF
Edwards DQ
Auburndale #3 DQ
Ron Eaglin 39:49(Course-Setter)

GREEN

Titusville #2 90:58
Seymour 98:51
Kate Putnam 104:08
Dan Moraseki 148:03
Titusville #1 161:42
Titusville #3 165:00
Troop 560 #3 189:13
McGrath 212:45
Mathews 238:04
Titusville #5 DNF
Kerby Allen DNF
Auburndale HS #1 DNF
Troop 560 #3 DNF
Oviedo HS #3 DNF
Lake Howell HS #1 DNF
Oviedo HS #4 DNF
Oviedo HS #6 DNF
Lake Howell HS #3 DNF
Oviedo HS #2 DQ
Oviedo HS #5 DQ

RED

Bob Putnam 72:07
Dave Ousley 85:37
Arild Orsleie 86:20
Joe Maliszewski 117:02
Beverly Ousley 149:25
Titusville #4 149:52
BCHS - Serano 230:57
BCHS - Ruzinok 235:17
BCHS Old Men 262:02
BCHS Phis 273:02
BCHS - Marris DNF
BCHS - Johnson DNF
Murphy DNF
Canon DNF
Sumano DNF
Kennedy B.C. #1 DNF
Lake Howell HS #6 DNF
Hodges DQ

PINK

(This was a long White course)
West Orange #1 81:54
Lake Howell HS - Lelievre 100:22
West Orange #2 129:19
Tanner 129:25
Lynch 129:58
Lynk 147:04
Chissoe 177:31

It was terrific, and terrifically FUN. Congratulations to Ron Eaglin on a first rate combined EC/CS job. And Congratulations to Malcolm Adams for a first rate Mapping Job. This was the introduction of the expanded Little Big Econ map, which included the Geneva Wilderness Area, where we used the new Environmental Center as the staging area.

The maps are wonderful. There is actually a separate 1:7500 map of GWA, which we used for White and Yellow courses, since they stayed within GWA. And "Thank You" to Seminole County Parks for graciously allowing us the use of the new Hedrick Environmental Center for staging. What a treat to have indoor plumbing adjacent to the start/finish/registration.

I wasn't at the registration table all day so I didn't notice whether anyone ventured all the way to Orlando from GA or SC or NC, but we had adventure racers from Miami, another Miami entrant who works for the county and wants to start O' down there, and we had a TON of JROTC'ers driving for several hours in some cases, warming up for next month's FL Championships and January's JROTC Nationals at GAOC.

Haven't counted heads yet but we used 86 maps, Ron says. If historical ratios hold, that's about 220 people. Good crowd.

Also had Good Weather, if you think 78F, 40% humidity, sunny, high puffy clouds, 5 mph breeze, and no bugs whatever defines "good". (This last for the benefit of all northern readers, just to rub it in) Courses were tough, as advertised. Orange winner (Walenty P.) was at about 90 minutes last I looked. Green was also 90. Red about 70. In the meantime my rambling's will have to suffice.

We were warned that we'd get wet on Red due to the flood-swollen Econ River. I got wet, though my map didn't, though that was ALL that didn't. I approached red #6 so badly that I hit the Econ River about 200m too far east, but the tired old brain said "keep going" so I did - across a flooded oxbow that was over my head. While I'm literally swimming through tangles of cypress knees and fallen branches, it slowly dawns on me: "Ron would not really have put a control out here, would he?" Sure enough, when I drag out, there is the river and there is where I'm supposed to be, way back up river. So I swam back across at a shorter but no less deep part, once again trying to simultaneously hold my map out of the water, bag or no bag, keep my O-pants from coming off as I found they are wont to do while swimming, and stay afloat. That was fun, but it takes a lot out of you. It's also more than a little humbling to have made that kind of error. After that the rest of the red course was 'normal'. Even the part where the shortest route passes at right angles across a seemingly endless field of plowed ditches, so that you take two steps in a ditch, then two up on the heavily overgrown undisturbed flat, tripping on wait-a-minute-vines, then two more down in a ditch, and so on, and so on.... I loved it.

Daughters Anne and Kate did Orange and Green respectively, and respectably, but they crossed some of the same overgrown briar-y fields I did, so we were all able to enjoy comparing scarred legs, arms, etc. as late as Sunday night. Kate 'won' for her face-first fall into a sawgrass marsh and all the lacerated fingers that yielded.

But I digress. Or at least I'm emphasizing all the things we tell first-timers they need not worry about when they go orienteering. You all have to promise not to tell prospective O'ers any of this stuff.

A thoroughly fun day for everyone except Janet who somehow sorted out the chaos at registration almost singlehandedly. Thanks to all who pitched in to save the day.

Now, its on to next month's FL Championships at Kelly Park, where we'll venture into the northern part of Wekiwa Springs and its breathtakingly beautiful wiregrass carpeted long-leaf pine uplands.

And by the way - we still want others to contribute to this dialogue, too. I can't be the only one having fun out there. You all have the email distribution list (I think!) So let's hear it.

Bob Putnam
Created Wed Nov 10 EST 1999