Delaware Valley Orienteering Association

Thanks to Fred Kruesi, registrar extraordinaire as well as unofficial event director for the whole weekend. After 20 years, Fred is stepping down. Ralph Tolbert has agreed to step into the registrar role, but not necessarily all the roles that Fred has done for this event.

Thanks to Steve Aronson and Sharon Siegler, chief cooks and bottlewashers who have managed, after 12 years of KP, to make feeding 150+ people look effortless. Steve and Sharon, too, have decided it's time to step aside and try other roles at the training weekend. (Steve has already volunteered to set courses for next year's night-O and Sunday events.) That means we need to find people to step into those roles. (Steve and Sharon have offered to serve as mentors as well as to share their menus and recipe cards.)

Thanks also to the other kitchen crew members. I don't know all their names, but I do know Steve Reeps has been the griddle master for longer than Steve A. and Sharon have been running the kitchen. I saw Mary Frank in the kitchen as well as a number of other folks. Dave D started before I got there Friday afternoon and was one of the last to leave the camp.

Thans to the training crew: Janet Porter, for organizing them; Donna Terefenko, Julie Keim and Anne Fitch helping beginners get off on the right foot; Tom Overbaugh, Ed Scott, Bob Gross, Bob Meyers and Denny Porter for working with the intermediate Level; and Corinne Mayland, Clem McGrath and Sam Kolins for helping the advanced runners improve their skills. 

Thanks to John Gillette for running e-punch registration both Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Thanks to Bob Fink for checking out the cabins before the ranger did at the end of the weekend; it helped make that process easier.

Thanks to Roger Hartley and Bob Meyers for running beginner starts on Sunday and to Mary for staffing the supposedly self-starting starts for the advanced courses.

Thanks to Petr Hartman, Rob Wilkison, Kathy Moss, and Diane Reider for helping with control pick-up on Sunday.

Thanks to Denny Porter for getting the lights on in the dining hall and for lighting up starts at the night-O.

Thanks, last but not least, to Nate O for setting courses for the Saturday night-O and regular round of Sunday courses. 

As you can see, it takes a good number of good people to make a good event.

If I missed anyone (or spelled anyone's name incorrectly, my apologies; give yourself a shout-out here! 

Clem

I must confess that the kitchen has been very nice to me for the last 12 years. I have managed to develope a wonderful kitchen crew that I consider some of my best friends. I never considered myself to be a cook, but I can follow instructions. Jack Williams gave me a great set of instructions, and as Nancy stated, I would be happy to pass them on to you. Yes, the job is large, and the planning starts in July or earlier. I have been using club funds to purchase quite a bit of equipment, and the system works (although there is always room for personalization and tweaking).

This year's crew was a mix of regulars and newbies, some of which I only remember first names. Sharon managed the cold food side of the kitchen and was my quartermaster. Steve Reeps is the best grill man around. Dave was there early and late everyday. Both of them went above and beyond. Jean and Caroline showed up early Friday and preped salads galore (Jean supplied me with the Shepard's pie recipe and inspiration). Gina, Sergei, Alexie, Mary, and Shawna  spent the afternoon cooking, cleaning serving and anything else I asked for. Late night KP was performed by some draftees, including the West Point Cadets,  the Fork Union cadets, Kirsten and her Dad. Finally, on Suday an anonymous family showed up and washed the final set of dishes.

Thank you one and all. It takes a village to do a training weekend, and you all do it well.