If you want to run in the Night-O, please register no later than Thursday night. This will allow us to print the right number of maps.

To register, use this form:

http://backwoodsok.org/advanced-training-event-registration

We will meet Saturday at 7:45 in the parking lot at the Bond Park Community Center. Please use the street named “Maury Odell” instead of the (more frequently used) entrance right across from St. Michaels Catholic Cathedral, since the gates will close after dusk. Follow the orienteering signs.

We will have a mass start at 8PM.

Some general considerations:

• Watch out for slippery conditions. Wet trails are muddy and more likely to make you slip. Do not trust wet wood (like roots or downed trees) any more than you would trust ice.
• Have a backup flashlight. Make sure you have enough juice in both the primary flashlight/headlamp and the backup one for at least two hours of continuous operation (in case you get lost).
• Bulky flashlights provide more light, but also a possibility to hit yourself with them (as history has shown). Headlamps (with bright LEDs) work well, although some find them not bright enough; they will, however, free one of your hands and that can help.
• Make sure you let us know when you finished the course. Please do not leave the park without notifying us. This way we will know who is still on the trails.
• If you can, please consider helping with control pick-up.
• In case of wet weather: we will provide map cases, but please consider returning them at the end, so we can reuse them. If you wish, you can bring your own (new or previously used) map bag.
• An emergency phone number will be printed on the map.
• Bond Park is a fairly small map. At any time, you will be within 100m of a trail. For this reason, the controls cannot be hidden very well. This will be the first time we will do a Night-O course at this venue, using the new map; feedback about the course (difficulty, length, number of controls) will be greatly appreciated, especially compared to the previous years’ choice (Lake Johnson).
• As usual, we will be using e-punches. If you do not own a fingerstick (SI-Card), you can rent one. Make sure you also carry a whistle.

The scoring for this event is similar to a Score-O, in that each control has assigned a number of points, and you have to collect as many points in a given time period.

With the exception of the long course, the order in which you collect controls is not relevant. However it is important to be back in time – the penalties for being late are quite severe:

• 5 points for the first minute
• 10 points per minute for the next 5 minutes
• 15 points per minute for the next 5 minutes
• 20 points per minute after that.

There will be 3 possible courses to choose:

• Short course – The time limit is 30 minutes. All controls for the short course are on the Northern part of the map, and have codes between 40 and 60 (inclusive). The order in which you pick controls is not relevant.

• Medium course – The time limit is 45 minutes. Collect as many controls as you can, the order is not relevant.
• Long course – The time limit is 45 minutes. The rules are the same as for last year’s Night-O (which was at Lake Johnson). You will pick a parity (odd or even) and start picking controls with a control code of that parity. At some point you can switch to the other parity. For example, you can pick controls in the following order: 42, 56, 58, 48, 47, 64, 62, 59, 43, 35, 47. After control 48 (even) you mistakenly punched 47 (odd) – that’s still ok, if you continue with even then 47 will not be awarded points. Then you decide to go with odd, so you start with 59, 43, 35, 47 – notice you picked 47 before, but it did not count then; it does now. If you picked even controls again at the end, THEY WILL NOT COUNT. You can only switch parities once.

What the long course forces you to do is a two-step strategy: pick a parity, then the order in which to pick controls within that parity.

You do not have to commit to the type of course in advance, but you have to let us know at the end if you want your results to be counted as Long or Medium, since the scoring algorithm is different.

Night Orienteering at Bond Park. This is a members-only event, so registration is required.

Please park at the Bond Park Community Center, off of High House Rd. in Cary. Do not park by the lake, the park will close the main gate.

We will start at 8:00PM # (that means SHARP). We will gather in the parking lot around 7:45PM.

Please check the web site for possible time changes.

Sycamore Scramble and the USOF Intercollegiate Championship Event for 2010 included a Sprint and Middle length event on Saturday 2/20/2010 and a Classic length event on Sunday 2/21/2010.  We had three days of sunshine squeezed into weeks of rain and snow.  The forest was open and fast and some good times were turned in.
Below are [...]

The event information is now available.  It has the updated course information, schedule and all that stuff.  If anything is unclear, or you have questions about the information, please contact me, so I can send you an answer and update the page.

The start times for the Sycamore Scramble are now posted online.

It looks like the weather is going to cooperate.  The forest is amazingly clear, the times should be very fast, and you can probably even keep your shoes dry.

We are looking forward to a great event.

Joseph Huberman

Event director

It is specifically prohibited for you to use a GPS for any navigational assistance at all!

But the rules don’t specifically prohibit you from carrying one if you don’t use it during the event.

USOF Rules Regarding Aids to Navigation:

• 36.             Equipment and aids
• 36.3     During the competition only a compass and the map provided by the organizer may be used for navigation.
• 36.3     Personal aids not used directly for navigation are permitted. (e.g. magnifying glass, flashlight, cane, eyeglasses)
• 36.4     The use of any navigation aid other than a compass is prohibited. (e.g. transport, electronic apparatus, radio, pedometer, altimeter)

On a practical level at the Sycamore Scramble if you wish to carry a GPS unit that has a display that shows any navigational information*, and doesn’t talk, and you don’t want to take the chance of being disqualified if someone protests you (particularly if you win):

• At the Start, you should present it to the Start Official who will tape and seal your display.
• At the Finish you must present it to the Finish Official who will confirm and record that the seal is intact before you exit the finish chute .
• Then you may remove the tape.

We will use 3M blue painters tape, and you should confirm that this tape is safe for your display.  BOK will not be responsible for damage to your GPS unit from these procedures.

*Navigational information includes, but is not limited to: location, speed, distance, altitude, direction traveled, range or bearing to a point

Joseph Huberman
Sycamore Scramble Event Director