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Topic created by bobburg on Sun Sep 19, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Course Setter Notes – Rutgers Preserve – Sept 26th
Course Stats
(With last minute tweaks, these may change slightly before being delivered to the printer on Monday. But this list is pretty close.)
White 2.2k 33m 11 ctrl
Yellow 3.2k 39m 11 ctrl
Orange 3.9k 54m 11 ctrl
Brown 3.5k 36m 8 ctrl
Green 5.5k 90m 12 ctrl
Red/Blue 9.0k 126m 20 ctrl (Note that Red/Blue will consist of Brown and Green courses)
The Rutgers Preserve offers a challenging situation in which to set good courses. Much of the area offers large gradual hillsides with lots of open hardwood forest, featuring several dramatic reentrants (mostly on the eastern portion of the map) with lots of side reentrants carved by water draining down to the few major intricate streambeds – many of which are currently dry. Rock features are rare. In some areas there are intricate trail systems, in other areas almost no, or quite indistinct, trails. There are stands of evergreen on the western portion of the map which only the advanced runners will be visiting. All courses avoid any of the expanses of thicker vegetation, utilizing extensively the prettiest open areas on this map.
We guarantee the trip to the frontiers of DVOA-land will be well worth the travel.
The original map was the generous gift of a former DVOA member who lived close by. But being a beginner mapper, the geometry of the map never quite matched the terrain. So I have extensively re-mapped the portion where White and Yellow courses are concentrated, and which all courses visit, especially in the second half of their courses. I think those familiar with the problems on this map will be pleasantly surprised. Only the advanced courses visit areas that have not been remapped. So accordingly, in those areas I have for the most part used locations near larger unmistakable features.
The WHITE course is appropriately straight forward, using a wide variety of control features always along, or easily visible from, trails and streambeds. But for the experienced White participant, you will have a few opportunities for safe, brief cross-country shortcuts.
The YELLOW course always offers a longer safe choice along linear features. But for the more seasoned navigators, you will find several opportunities to choose from multiple possible routes, even to take brief more direct cross-country routes.
The ORANGE course is relatively short, but offers a nice variety of long and short legs – some through long expanses of woods, some through the intricate system of trails and streambeds, i.e. both running legs and careful technical legs. All through the nicest areas on the map.
The BROWN course also offers a mix of long running (huffing puffing) legs and short technical legs requiring route choice and careful map-reading. All with virtually no climb. J
The GREEN course is slightly longish (to take full advantage of the best areas) but with very limited climb. It, too, offers a mix of long legs and short technical legs.
The RED course will feature running both Brown and Green courses (in that order), with a 3 minute off-the-clock time limit to get from Brown Finish to Green Start, only 120 meters away. (We will provide water at both Finish and Start especially for Red runners.) The two courses share no common controls, though they use much of the same area, often in opposite directions. So the Red course should provide runners an intricate navigational experience.
I’ve enjoyed the special challenges of designing courses in these circumstances. The Rutgers Preserve’s mostly open terrain definitely offers orienteers a lot of potentially fast legs. I hope you find them challenging, fair, and enjoyable.
And please visit Route Gadget afterwards to trace your courses. In addition to providing great entertainment and analysis for our members, it provides invaluable feedback for the course setter.
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Reply by kathyu on Mon Sep 20, 2010 at 9:13 am
Because of moving computer equipment around, I will be doing the epunch early and late shifts at Rutgers, so if someone would step up to babysit the computer while I get to run a course, I would greatly appreciate it! Reply here, or use the volunteer thing.
Thanks,
Kathy U -
Reply by BRycharski on Tue Sep 21, 2010 at 3:56 pm
From the event Director Bob R. Calling for more Volunteers, I need more DVOA helpers please (especially a few early risers), some local PA and NJ Scout units have waited 6 months or more for the return to Rutgers Ecopreserve (they thought it maybe was a twice a year DVOA hiking event like in 2009). The forest is fast, Bob Burg has corrected substantial map topo line issues (great Map fix effort BBurg ). If there is ... 1 advanced DVOA CS type or runner who can meet me at 8 am on 26 Sept to help me place the White and Yellow course O flags (While I set out the water control); great, else I have 7 NJ Scout N Brunswick leaders “volunteering” to help at RU, they need supervision as they learn their duties, let’s show them DVOA can provide a few more event helpers than currently shown on the electronic Volunteer list. Seriously, I have at least one Cub unit coming in a bright Yellow School bus! 6 more, a few large units, one is helping at Start though.
FYI - This week I have a Instant – “”Prize”” for the …last Sept 26th DVOA volunteer, a “Free” – “Try-O” ‘pass award’ … to my Sat Oct 2 Mahwah debut of an Alan Young (Cad/color) and Bob Rycharski (field checker) new HVO topo map production of Campgaw Mtn Co Park, and a Audience of over 600 Scout s will personally applaud you at Finish for your generous offers of help (Winner last vol on Fridays eboard will be the winner/for DVOA members only)…But that ... story of how I Organized Rutgers, and simultaneously Campgaw Scout Omeet courses for these local newbies to orienteering on a NEW map's a story for a later e board posting. It is a riveting tale of swamps, open woods exploring, mystery 12 M hill that grew over a abandoned home (some said Harry Potter did it), 5 times the rock wall and cliff detail shown on the 1982 map, 5 long boulder walls on the old map that have strangely "vanished", Others have changed alignment on this dormant HVO legacy map, and a Grand valley view of Mahwah, NJ all the way to Airmont NY from the top of Mount Campgaw Mtn. to boot. Alas, No snow (its Mahwah’s only ski resort), or this tale would really have a happy ending . Look out for Sitzmarks!… If none found, Look for the red DVOA banner instead... -
Reply by BRycharski on Fri Sep 24, 2010 at 3:22 pmHello DVOA, REPEAT< I an getting slightly nervous here. I (ED) have found one new Rutgers volunteer, but one had to retire; net gain - 0 . Please sign up or Volunteer to help early on 26 Sept Please, we are using e punch so most Map hike ... duties are needing to help train the new Scouts (We have 6 Scout volunteers to be trained) and HS'ers that come over to Piscataway & Rutgers this Sunday. hope to hear from you all, and soon? walk on helpers welcome. Bob
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Reply by BevH on Sat Sep 25, 2010 at 11:01 amFred and I have volunteered to help on the second (post-11 am) shift. We have a long drive, will try to arrive before 9:30 am, and the earlier we go out, the sooner we will be back to relieve the early shift volunteers. One of us could also/instead 'man' the computer, so KathyU can go out. However, we tend respectively to do brown and green, and are not generally speedy orienteers. We are likely to return 1.5 to 2 hours after we start. If you want us there by 9, please let us know asap, because we will need to leave home by 6. Also, if you want us to do any other assignment, instead of what we randomly volunteered for, please let us know. Because of the long drive, we can't stay long into the afternoon. Bev
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Reply by BRycharski on Sat Sep 25, 2010 at 6:13 pmHi Bev, 9:30am arrival will be fine, I will refine the job assignments once volunteers show up.
I have 7 Scouts coming with no O "official" experience except once last year for their troop 132 leader Tom, so we will see who wants to do What , tomorrow - reason, Just in time is better than under staffed number of volunteers - Thanks for taking the time to travel up ot Rutgers and help, you have made my day (especially since I just got back from hangin 70% of the flags and e punch with Jerry Smith)
Instant woods conditions, forest is fast, Bob Burg really did set the flags in the best part of the Rutgers Ecopreserve park (But woe is the orienteer who overshoots (some of these O markers...))
And Gripe time, BOB Burg, you "deleted" my Tree house from the RU map, its still there, near the start (T mark, North central part of the map, w of the upper stream...) (the depression near the 3 clustered rootstocks is a marginal degression, yet it exists too :-( ))? The "Tarzans", tree dwellers of the Piscataway RU Outing Club chapter are bound to compain tomorrow
