For years I’ve looked for the opportunity to introduce a concept of team orienteering to the right market. The concept: teams of three or four would compete in two events in one day – score orienteering in the morning. With its fixed time limit score would ensure that all participants were back in good time to get ready for the afternoon event – an orienteering relay.
What are the rules of a ‘team score’ event? An array of control points are placed in the terrain. On the start signal teams open their map package and divide up the controls amongst themselves as to who visits which control. The objective: get punches from all the controls and check in together in a little time as possible.
In the relay each of the team members take turns going in to the terrain to run a course. Different courses are set using one of the Motala or Farsta models.
The advantage of running the Suncoast Orienteering series is that I get to set the rules. With new schools and new students coming to the sport they have amazing flexibility to try new things. Everything is new to them.
Thus was created the Suncoast JROTC Team Orienteering Championships. Sixteen three-person teams from six schools gathered at Sarasota County’s T Mabry Carlton Memorial Reserve to test themselves in this new format.
What a perfect venue! The park assembly area with a covered pavilion sits in the middle of a large area of mixed woodlands and wet lands. The trail network takes visitors in every direction, a course setters dream. I was able to send participants in three directions for the Score-O and save two hiking loops as the ‘spine’ for the relay courses.
The competition: At first it looked as if it was going to be a rout. In the morning teams from Lemon Bay High School took the top three spots. That was a great performance for a school in its first year of orienteering. They were able to enter four teams and loan out another three students to help teams that were short. They came to the event knowing how to use a compass and measure distance by pacing. They have learned well in a short time.
The team Score-O was not without tension as two members of a team would wait anxiously for the return of their third – orienteering’s equivalent of the final Jeopardy question – before the team could check in. Watching parents and supporters made sure that every returning orienteer got cheered to the finish.
After a mid-day break teams gathered for the relay. Three members on each team, three course to run. The courses were very similar to each other with some common controls and some separate. The mass start sent the first leg runners on a 200 meter run before they got to the start point. Second and third leg runners took over at a map exchange point conveniently set up on a handy wooden fence.
At the first exchange Lemon Bay’s top team was again way out in front. At the second Robinson 1 had pulled even. Excitement grew when it was realized that both their third leg orienteers had taken off in about a 180 degrees wrong direction. Would another team be able to overtake them before they corrected themselves? The Robinson runner was the first to correct himself and head out on the right course. They won handily while Lemon Bay 1 took forever to recover. Robinson 1 finished first followed by two teams from Charlotte High School. I liked the fact that the trophies were going to be shared around.
While Lemon Bay’s top team had a big lead after the Score-O and after the first leg of the relay it seems the pressure got to them. Robinson 1 took the combined title, followed by Lemon Bay 1 and Charlotte 1.
The Individual results taken from the relay times showed there is some great potential for national junior team orienteers among the Suncoast schools. We’ve got to come up with ways to get these potential stars involved in national events and training camps. Ideas anyone? Bogardus (Lemon Bay) and Oates (Charlotte) had a re-run of the close race they staged last month at Oscar Scherer. Keen of Charlotte gutted it out to win the girls’ title running a lot of the event on an injured ankle. Sheldon of Port Charlotte ran strongly even though her team was way out of the top tier.
At the end four of the six schools ‘made the podium’ in one way or the other. All teams could be ranked in the Score-0, no DQ’s, just ‘incompletes’. As could be expected there were some miss-punches in the relay.
I’m pretty sure Team Orienteering will become an annual event on the Suncoast schedule. If the event grows as I expect it we can adjust the competition to have a ‘varsity’ class for the more experienced orienteers and a JV or novice class for those being eased in to the sport. I’d also like to find a scoring system that can involve more teams in the results, keeping the overall title up for grabs until the end.
Finally some big thanks are due:
The next and final event on the 2012-13 Suncoast Orienteering schedule is the March 16 event at Lake Manatee State Park. See you there!
Gord Hunter
Event Director
Team Results
Name | Time |
Lemon Bay Team 10 | 29.59 |
Lemon Bay Team 11 | 36.53 |
Lemon Bay Team 13 | 37.10 |
Robinson Team 14 | 42.16 |
Robinson Team 15 | 43.20 |
Robinson Team 16 | 44.23 |
S. Sumter Team 21 | 52.59 |
Charlotte Team 18 | 56.57 |
Charlotte Team 20 | 63.02 |
Port Charlotte Team 25 | 90.02 |
S. Sumter Team 22 | 101.45 |
Charlotte Team 19 | incomplete |
Lemon Bay Team 12 | incomplete |
North Port Team 23 | incomplete |
North Port Team 24 | incomplete |
Name | Time |
Robinson Team 14 | 52.57 |
Charlotte Team 18 | 68.18 |
Charlotte Team 19 | 68.19 |
Lemon Bay Team 10 | 91.15 |
Lemon Bay Team 12 | 91.17 |
Lemon Bay Team 13 | 91.23 |
Robinson Team 16 | 92.40 |
Port Charlotte Team 25 | 106.42 |
Robinson Team 15 | 113.45 |
Robinson Team 17 | 121.40 |
S. Sumter Team22 | 122.46 |
S. Sumter Team 21 | 151.14 |
Name | Time |
Robinson Team 14 | 1.35.13 |
Lemon Bay Team 10 | 2.01.14 |
Charlotte Team 18 | 2.05.15 |
Lemon Bay Team 13 | 2.08.33 |
Robinson Team 16 | 2.27.03 |
Robinson Team 15 | 2.37.05 |
Port Charlotte Team 25 | 3.16.44 |
S. Sumter Team 21 | 3.24.13 |
S. Sumter Team 22 | 3.44.31 |
Individual Winners
Name | Team | Time |
1. Bogardus | Lemon Bay 10 | 15.03 |
2. Oates | Charlotte 18 | 16.08 |
3. Nick Grant | Robinson 14 | 18.21 |
Name | Team | Time |
1. Keen | Charlotte 18 | 22.53 |
2. Shelton | Port Charlotte 25 | 23.27 |
3. Garcia | Lemon Bay 13 | 29.00 |
DNF | Did Not Finish |
DQ | Disqualified (Missed Controls) |
OT | Over 3 Hour Time Limit |