I asked Santa for the most exciting orienteering event ever, for January 7.
I should have been more specific.
If you were there, you know how it ended, but here's how it developed.
SCENE 1 - The planning was near perfection. (1) I had designed courses I was really excited about and had a chance to visit, vet and ribbon every control site weeks in advance. (2) Jonathan Linforth had printed up maps with latest field corrections. (3) Winter Park JROTC would set all the Yellow, Orange and Green controls with electronic punches and I had delivered controls to them a week ahead. (4) Will Pirnasch volunteered to set all the hard controls the day before and I had only a few close-in controls to set the morning of the event, involving a 3.5km run. (5) Volunteers sufficient to staff all functions up until noon, with only a few openings on the PM shift that I was sure we could fill on site. (6) Rangers were on board, permits in place, with a promise from the Park of a ranger on site the whole day. (6) Volunteers to retrieve all controls were lined up.
SCENE 2 - Friday morning, day before the event, I received an email from club member James Carr that he'd just run Wekiwa trails and was surprised to see trails near the Youth Camp taped off for a controlled burn ...TODAY! Question: Would that affect the event?
SCENE 3: Reading the email, I had that sinking feeling. Maybe you know the one. I do remember thinking: "FIRE?!!!?!!!?!!!?!!!?!!!?!!!?!!!!!"
Then I calmed down. Surely it's something minor, I thought, or some small area, or maybe off our map. Just call the Park.
SCENE 4 - Call Park. Speak to Ranger #1. Ranger #1 says "Oooo. I probably should have called you". We discuss: Yes, it's part of the map, but don't worry, he tells me, the burn concludes on Friday and FLO can still run the event on Sat. My second call, to Park Manager, confirms this: Burn concludes on Friday and FLO can still run event on Sat. Exhale.
SCENE 5 - Contact Will Pirnasch and urge him NOT to set controls Friday afternoon as planned, or else 12 of them will be burned up. He's OK with that. He'll check in Sat AM via cell phone and set then. I put out a call to solicit added volunteer control setters to take my planned controls. I will then set the ones within the controlled burn area - those whose ribbons will be gone and whose feature (palmetto thicket or vegetation boundary) will be toast. Things are looking better. I sleep well.
SCENE SCENE 6 - Youth Camp 8:00 am. Our Ranger #2 is already present and JROTC is setting up tents. I joke with Ranger #2 about how their little controlled burn is disrupting my control setting scheme, making me run lots further than planned.
He: "Oh, no. You can't go into the burn area. It's closed to everyone today."
Me: "Oh, no. I've cleared it with Ranger #1 and Park Manager, yesterday via phone."
He (patiently): "No. I was told this morning by the Fire Ranger that no one could go in there, including you."
Me (impatiently): "We're different. We don't mind. Keep civilians out. We've done this before. Don't worry."
He: "No".
Me: "Contact them again, for me, and get them out here to discuss." (I forget to say "please")
SCENE 7 - Fire-control Ranger arrives and I give her my assurances that we MUST go forward with the event, we WANT to run in there, it'll be FUN, we don't mind a little smoke, etc. etc.
She: "No. No one can go in there today."
Me (doing a slow burn)(pun intended): But, but, but, I got an OK from both Ranger #1 and Park Manager yesterday that we were OK, and besides, THIS MEANS WE HAVE TO CANCEL THE WHOLE EVENT!"
She: "I'm sorry, but with the conditions out there today, I cannot allow anyone to go into the area of the controlled burn at all. I know it's unexpected, but that's final"
Me (adopting rude/sulking/scornful/annoyed/petulant pose, without even trying): "The hearts of 4 courses, the best parts, go through there. I'll have to tell everyone to pack up and go home."
Then, magically, from within the FLO group, one, then another, then another, suggests we can adapt. We just have to adjust the controls we can still use, alter courses, maybe shorten them. But so what? Salvage the event at least.
So that was the solution. All the grown-ups around me proved to be right. We discussed it some more, and in the process Fire Ranger noted some small fringe areas may be accessible this morning after all. Maybe a couple of controls could be saved there. She agreed to have Gord Hunter accompany her to the area to scout it out. Meantime a group of us would sit down to plan necessary alterations to four of the six courses.
In the end, the event took place and we have a number of people to thank, in addition to the ever-patient Wekiwa Rangers.
Thus, "Thank You" to: Janet Putnam, Ray Bruneau, Russ Steinke, Jerry Sirmans, Gord Hunter, John Ide, David Haynes and his whole JROTC Contingent, Toby Henson, Frank Kuhn, Kris Mante, Joe Maliszewski, Jack Cash, Greg Owens and doubtless a few others I've missed.
Next month: Routine stuff. Promise.
Bob Putnam, Course setter.
Related Links:
| Name | Time |
| FL X 3 | 21:08 |
| Merideth, V | 55:01 |
| Rupert, N | 55:47 |
| Team Sharkey | 114:09 |
| GS Toop 502 | 143:05 |
| Name | Time |
| Boone HS #1 | 49:37 |
| CC | 59:58 |
| Rodriguez | 60:00 |
| Summerfield | 73:58 |
| CCHS #2 | 77:22 |
| Spiezio, E | 81:14 |
| McCard, D | 85:52 |
| Knoebel | 89:01 |
| Vanguard HS | 100:35 |
| Troop 263 | 102:20 |
| Touchstone | 140:40 |
| Sills | 170:40 |
| Troop 837 | DNF |
| Name | Time |
| Keegan | 72:25 |
| CCHS #2 | 73:04 |
| Big Team | 89:51 |
| Trail Mix | 93:17 |
| Hamilton | 96:28 |
| Thumper | 105:48 |
| Lewis, C | 107:45 |
| FiveFold | 115:31 |
| Troop 240 | 124:37 |
| Kalmbach | 127:14 |
| J2 | 128:51 |
| Danita | 134:15 |
| Medina | 168:01 |
| Icardi | OT |
| CCHS #3 | OT |
| Name | Time |
| Hall,J | 53:38 |
| DebnPaul | 70:23 |
| Sheriff,J | 78:21 |
| Brooks,M | 79:42 |
| Crane,D | 81:57 |
| Humberg | DNF |
| Dennis/Carolyn | DNF |
| Braue,T | DNF |
| Name | Time |
| Hunter,G | 42:22 |
| Scott,D | 46:20 |
| GO Blue | 54:57 |
| Sirmans,T | 56:50 |
| Dempsey,M | 61:55 |
| Maliszewski,J | 62:05 |
| Warburton | 74:59 |
| Fluegel,S | 80:16 |
| Spencer,S | 112:29 |
| SuckaPaw | 120:58 |
| Peacock,S | DNF |
| Name | Time |
| Johnson,C | 75:32 |
| Eaglin,R | 81:37 |
| GoodNuff | 84:30 |
| FL X 3 | 86:51 |
| Bruneau,R | 93:09 |
| JAX | 98:16 |
| Fluegel,D | 105:00 |
| Boris/Hammi | 135:40 |
| Primal | 136:14 |
| Newell/Thomas | 166:01 |
| Mante,K | 168:10 |
| Beavers/Dux | DNF |
| Name | Time |
| DNF | Did Not Finish |
| DQ | Disqualified (Missed Controls) |
| OT | Over 3 Hour Time Limit |