I had been waiting to file this report until all controls were retrieved, thus defining the closure of the event.
Sounds simple enough. Right? Not so.
Seems I've mis-judged (once again) just how challenging to make these Blue Courses.
I'll explain:
Recall that just for variety's sake, I had made this event a "Score" format, so as to perhaps draw a capacity crowd to this old and over-used venue in the heat of summer. Well, I almost succeeded in that. We drew 61 of our allotted 75 person maximum crowd. Rather normal for this venue at this time of year. But expecting an overflow crowd I had also set a Blue course of about 8km length, staging out of the Geneva Wilderness Area just up the road and using 6 of the most distant Score event controls.
FLO-Veterans and O-purists will read that last sentence and say: "Six controls on an 8km course? Good grief!!!! That lends itself to some monster-long legs, does it not?"
Sure.
In fact, the first and final legs were each 2km. And the second leg was over 1km. That means you will have covered over 3km and will not yet have reached the second control. The Course-setter in me chuckles in perverse anticipation at the very thought of such a course. So set it I did, with great delight. Alas, only Derek Bohn took up the challenge, so kudos to him and note that there is no such thing as Overtime when you're the only one on the course. He won!
Now, the Blue course saga continues to this day because the Blue Course Retriever did not locate control #2 (Code #32). In fact it was the least-visited control and only half the Score Course people who went out that way found it. So it's still out there, awaiting Ron Eaglin's possible running of the now-mostly retrieved Blue course route, picking up #2 on the way. At least that way we'll have another time to compare, to go with my 87' 24" of setting the course on the clock. I hope.
The Score Course retrieval is at least now complete, what with Will Pirnasch's having successfully retrieved the problematic Control #40 that he placed but which no one day-of-event could locate. As course-setter I am partly responsible for that, having placed the control in a poorly mapped area with several other vaguely similar forested marshes, one of which Will used. We have some further detail now via GPS and visuals that may permit an updating of the map and avoidance of a repeat. In the meantime I hope all participants can accept my apology for their having to spend an inordinate amount of time in that general area. At least I have tried to make up for it by giving credit to anyone who claimed to have found my ribbon in the right spot.
See the attached Tables of control visitations and other details.
If anyone believes they have not received credit for the mis-placed #40, by finding the ribbon correctly, please email me and we'll adjust your Results.
Let's discuss the Score Course itself: Congratulations to Mark Roberts for visiting all controls within the 3 hour time limit. I thought the odds were against anyone successfully doing that. An optimum route choice would have been about 10km total so something under 18 minutes per km pace is all that was required - that and a clean run, of course. If you were there, you know a "Clean Run" in LBE is a tough thing to do, not only due to the June 5 heat/humidity but also due to the nature of the LBE forest in most places. Lots of folks commented, for instance, on the blackberry bushes. They are nasty. A few also commented on the Great-un-mapped trail, too, so I must apologize (again) for that. I'd added several map changes but had neglected a crucial, prominent, mown trail out near the big-point controls.
All-in-all, as course setter I am sobered once more at having provided an event with problems due to my own carelessness, but it still feels good when the smiling faces come out of the woods. Oddly, the smiles are always proportional to the mud on the competitor. People continue to surprise me with route choices and also with a willingness to simply wade straight up a waist-deep creek to find some control located adjacent to the creek. It's also wonderful when good things happen for no reason, such as someone miraculously finding Chris Johnson's lost keys out in the forest somewhere, especially when Chirs was so bummed by #40 that he had retired from the course in disgust even though he'd usually be either the winner or among the top three. It partially made up for his Almost-Totally-Crummy day.
Many thanks to all the Helpers, especially Andi Crabb and her Boy Scout crew who served as parking attendants as well as Start-Finish coordinators on their way to satisfying O-Badge requirements. As usual my wife Janet helped at Registration despite not bothering to go out on a course. Jerry Sirmans had his usual help in retrievals from Nicci and Jim plus at least one other I've forgotten (Apology #3). Added thanks go to Will Pirnasch and Karl Armond for both control setting and retrieval, plus, I think, Ron Eaglin for future retrieval (?).
May you all have a happy, safe, and healthy summer in preparation for joining FLO for the Fall Season at RSRSR in Sept. I know I'm going to keep training all summer long.
Bob Putnam
... and from our other frequent course setter ...
I need to contradict Bob on one part - I don't think he did anything wrong with the course design; on the contrary.
That I missed the correct placement for #40 is not Bob's fault - the spot was in the correct position on the map, and the feature was obvious and clear (once you find it). It was my negligence alone that I came out to far east, wandered around for 30 minutes, and hung the control in the wrong spot (even though it looked about correct). I could have a) used my GPS (the idea occurred to me only later), b) go back out and try again from another attack point, or c) use my brain, and realize that you would not have chosen such a fuzzy feature. Either one would have brought me to the right spot - it worked right away at pickup.
I could only guess why the other control was missed, as I haven't seen it out there, or the map showing where it is supposed to be. However, the blue runner found it and did not complain, so chances are it is not far off.
I don't think you could have done better, so stop selling yourself short!
Will
SCORE-O Results:
| Name | Points |
| Will Pirnasch | 47 |
| Armond Family | 25 |
| Maria Brooks | 25 |
| Andi & The No-Names | 24 |
| Name | Points |
| M Warburton | 79 |
| Beavers & Ducks | 77 |
| Josh & Andy | 72 |
| Jonathan Hendrix | 50 |
| J Warburton | 35 |
| M-D Blues | 32 |
| Debbie Todd | 27 |
| Man-A-T's | 23 |
| Name | Points |
| Mark Roberts | 175 |
| Jeff L & Ron E | 150 |
| Jerry Sirmans | 135 |
| Jim & Nicci | 128 |
| Greg & Drew Owens | 114 |
| Brian Johnson | 113 |
| Pauline & Yak Attack | 110 |
| Shuman / Hewlings | 106 |
| Courtney McNamara | 102 |
| Sam S & Jason K | 85 |
| Chris Johnson | 84 |
| Allen & Amber | 83 |
| Laila Rahmatian | 68 |
| M & M Sullivan | 63 |
| Dave Brault | 60 |
| Monica & Christy | 59 |
| Jennifer Ruland | 58 |
| Greg Kalmbach | 51 |
| Robie & Gail Robinson | 43 |
| Name | Time |
| Derek Bohn | 188:00 |
| DNF | Did Not Finish |
| DQ | Disqualified (Missed Controls) |
| OT | Over 3 Hour Time Limit |