The Newsletter of Orienteering New Brunswick
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Rob Hughes
Briefer than ever. Happy Holidays.......and keep sending in contributions to ONB Notes. There's no time like the present!!
The email address for all submissions to ONB Notes is rustics@brunnet.net.
Appeal: Having handled ONB Notes for over four years, I would appreciate it if someone else would feel up to taking over this task. I am finding it increasingly difficult to keep on top of it due to other commitments. If you think you could take this on, please get in touch. Thanks...... Rob.
The Ed.
Harold McQuade
Hello to all Orienteering enthusiasts.
The AGM on November 10, 2002 was held at Paul Looke's home and as usual those that could stay for lunch were rewarded by a delicious meal, thanks to Ariane's fine cuisine.
The number of members in Orienteering through the province has declined in 2002. The various clubs reported strong participation in the clinics and there have been good turn outs for events, however, the large number of people attending the clinics was not reflected in the attendance at the events.
The Moncton area scheduled several nightly orienteering events in June and September with attendance reaching expectations. The Moncton area now has two new venues, St. Anselme Park in Dieppe and Mapleton Park in Moncton, thanks to the new maps produced by Marcus Pinker. These new sites will complement the existing site at Centennial Park.
Marcus Pinker also contributed to the upgrading of the Rockwood Park map in Saint John, N.B. and Centennial Park in Moncton, N.B.
The gains in Moncton are being overshadowed by the potential loss of the Hillsborough quarry site. The Hillsborough quarry, which is owned by the provincial Department of Education, covers over 650 acres of very interesting geology. The Dept. of Education has decided to divest itself of the site, which has been assessed at over $214,000.
There have been some discussions between interested stakeholders who want to preserve the site for public use, such as the Village of Hillsborough. The Village does not have the resources to purchase the property. The loss of this property would have a serious impact on orienteering venues for New Brunswick.
It is time to wish all a happy holiday season and a successful New Years.
Harold McQuade
The results of the Autumn Amble, Hillsborough, NB. October 6, 2002. What a great day to amble though the autumn colours along the pathways and streams in the Pits of Despair! Was that actually the Hillsborough Mastodon that was heard in the woods? Who knows? What we do know is that many talented orienteers were able to show to the organizers of this meet that they can take what every can be thrown at them.
Many thanks to Course-Setter Harold McQuade, Vetter Terry Edgett, Luella Smith registration and St. Michael's Scouts for after the meet clean up.
[Autumn Amble details -- webmaster]
the view from:
Harold McQuade, course setter.
Hillsborough can always find a way of deepening your affection for orienteering. For those that are unfamiliar with Hillsborough it can be discouraging, it also has an amber of excitement. You must confess it is a unique landscape and habitat. Yes for those that heard the vociferation sounds in the woods they were correct to assume it was a thing of nature. On Tuesday a bear was sighted, by Fraser Ross, crossing a trail while picking up the last couple of controls that were left out
by Ray St-Laurent
WARNING: The following article contains words that may offend those with good taste.
This is the fourth in a series of articles describing orienteering variations. The current topic describes my first experience at a PunO,
The event took place on one of the hottest weekends of the year. Because it occurred on Sunday, there was a mandatory mass start regardless of religious affiliation. No one entered the course until the mass finished.
I soon realized that shoes with studs, especially for heels, was not a wise thing to wear at a PunO. If they had not been tightly laced, I am sure they would have strutted around by themselves flashing more tread then was appropriate at a public gathering, especially during the mass.
Then I had to choose what type of compass to use. A thumb compass seemed too macabre - even though they came from magnetic personalities. Maybe it was the shoes that convinced me to opt for the more disreputable base compass.
There were a surprising number of entrants participating. Using call girls to perform the call-up may have been an influence. Many chose to compete more than once - I passed numerous re-entrants.
The map included several areas out-of-bounds. Open fields had to be detoured because they were closed on Sundays. Rough open areas seem to be littered with golf balls and the occasional frustrated golfer.
The therapeutic advantages of these types of events is controversial. If you are feeling somewhat low, the common use of depression controls might help. My experience is that climbing in and out of deep depressions became exhausting rather than fulfilling.
This event was unusual in that there were a combination of standard control punches and electronic punches . I'm not sure which I disliked more, whenever I punched a control, it would punch back. That gets to be painful. The Sport Ident units were hurtful in another way. I wish to state here and now that I am against the use of artificial intelligence in electronic controls. The 'improved' Sport Ident units were not content to just mark the time of passage with an audible beep. They would pass judgment on the individual, e.g. good sport, poor sport. As the course progressed my remarks ranged from you're behind (or was it your behind?) to loser, finally degenerating to condescending laughter. I went through more and deeper depressions as the course progressed.
As I got on course I kept passing contours. Somewhat fascinated, I followed a contour for awhile until a copse rebuke reminded me to get back to orienteering.
By this time the heat was becoming troublesome. I was happy to find a control in a saddle; there are always good refreshments in the saddlebags as long as you don't mind the unpleasant women that offer them. Even my studs went quiet. I decided I was not that thirsty, a mistake.
For a change of pace, I ran. I had a nasty scare when I suddenly plummeted from a cliff. Fortunately a catching feature broke my fall.
I traveled more cautiously through some woods to spruce myself up. I began to pine for a 'normal' orienteering event. Sure enough, I paid a price for this lapse in concentration. A hemlock trapped the edge of my suit. With considerable effort I managed to escape, ripping my trousers. Noticing a couple of route choices for line orienteering, I shredded the remnants of the flapping fabric to tear across the bottom line.
Now I was getting incredibly thirsty. I was ecstatic to reach a water control. It tasted so good I decided to change my name to Joy to enjoy the water even more. In retrospect I realize that the heat must have dangerously degraded my faculties. For some time I repeatedly opened and closed the tap, cackling hysterically as the water stream appeared and disappeared . I had become a dam fool water controller.
Eventually I got out on course again. Sure enough, one of the first things that happened was I managed to tear my hem again on a forest corner. I decided to change my name back from Joy.
I came to a rocky field. It seemed to be populated with people doing awful impersonations of Sylvester Stallone.
There were a series of controls on hills. These have always made me anxious. Not just high, steep hills, I am a bit of a knoll coward too.
Finally I neared a control in a deep pit. I approached apprehensively until I noticed the pit was encircled by a group of officious-looking bears. I was not ready to use the safety bearing. Something just snapped. Gathering my remaining spunk, I used my little-known ventriloquism skills to make a sound like salmon coursing upstream. The bears abandoned their post in search of their favorite meal. Stupid bears - they did not realize that spawning season was long past.
I remember climbing into the pit and punching the control. After that things are a bit blurry. Perhaps the control punch left me a bit dazed. The vaguely remember wildly running, faster and faster. Then, a part of me realized I was completely out of controls. I was at the finish.
The winner received a can of Varathane for the best finish. I received an old newspaper and some masking tape.
Would I do it again. No, it's too punishing.
The Orienteering Association of Nova Scotia is planning to hold a Meet Officials Level I course in the Spring of 2003. Open to anyone, although not recommended for those who have never orienteered before, the course is designed to:
Participants will receive a copy of the "B" Meet Officials Manual and the COF Orienteering Competition Rules. In addition to the classroom work, a practical component is required to obtain certification. Cost for attending the course is $35.00. This session will be scheduled on the dates that receives the greatest response. If you are interested in taking the clinic, please respond by rating the dates in order of preference. course site will be sport Nova Scotia, unless demand from another community is sufficient to move it. Option 1: Saturday, March 29, 10am - 4pm Option 2: Sunday, March 30, 10 am - 4pm Option 3: Tuesday, March 25, 6 pm - 9 pm; Tuesday, April 1, 6 pm - 9pm. Michael Haynes Executive Director
Outdoor Enthusiasts:
Are you ready for the 2003 Eco-Endurance Challenge? By now your feet have healed, and the fatigue of 24-hours fighting through the brush is forgotten. You are probably even thinking, "hey, that was a lot of fun".
Well, get planning for next spring, because on April 26-27, 2003, you get to do it all again. Once again, the event will be held in Halifax County, near Tantallon. However, most of the race area will be different from the 2001 and 2002 area.
The categories are the same as last year: 8-hr foot, 24-hr foot, and 6-hr bicycle.
In 2002, there were 170 participants, and the past two years the winning team has come from Quebec. Who will have their names carved on the Trophy this year?
For registration information, see the website.
Registrations will be accepted starting January 1st, 2003.
Start getting in shape, there are only five months left!
Michael Haynes
OANS
Kelvin King
HRSAR
OR:
"Challenging Weekend - Adventure Race, Cornwall, PEI":
Harold McQuade
History:
André Bourque and myself competed in a short Adventure Race in the Cornwall area west of Charlottetown, P.E.I. organized by Pat Chan, October 19, 2002. We completed the event in 6 hours approximately 1 hour ahead of the next team.
This year's season of Orienteering ended with a busy weekend with a short Adventure Race held near Cornwall, P.E.I. on Saturday and terminating with the Sass Peepre "B" event at Mactaquac, N.B. on Sunday.
The challenge of competing is driven by a requirement to push one's body, aging body, to new adventures. To this cause, André Bourque and myself, entered an Adventure race organized by Pat Chan. Pat is an avid Adventure Racers and he put together this event as a training exercise with proceeds going to the Red Cross.
The event consisted of biking, canoing and trekking. Eleven people entered the event, making up four teams, André and myself made up one team.
The event started off with a 13 kilometer bike leg. André and myself were ahead at the end of this leg by approximately 6 minutes. This changed quickly as we entered the canoeing portion of the race. Two of the three person canoe teams, (mix teams), powered by us and the third team was right behind us at the finish of the canoeing leg. We had one portage to complete on the river and a second one to carry the canoe to the road. The first portage was a surprise, and in a stupid hurry we entered the river earlier, about 20 meters, the river had another obstacle waiting for us.
We finished the canoeing portion of the race 20 minutes behind the leading team. The next portion of the event was the orienteering leg, or trekking, we finished this leg 20 minutes ahead of everyone. The last leg was another 25 kilometer of biking which went un-challenged. We finished the event over 1 hour ahead of everyone.
Many thanks to André for joining me.
Rob here are the results of the Adventure race:
TEAM ARM / RAM (Alexis, Rachel, Matt)
(cumulative times)
bike: 0:40 (all times in hours and minutes)
canoe: 2:38
trek: 4:59
bike: 7:14 finish time
(leg times)
bike: 0:40
canoe: 1:58
trek: 2:21
bike 2:15
Team Blonde (JA, Alexis P., Elspeth)
(cumulative times)
bike: 0:44 (all times in hours and minutes)
canoe: 3:03
trek: 4:55
bike: 7:14 finish time
(leg times)
bike: 0:44
canoe: 2:19
trek: 1:52
bike 2:19
3 Blind Mice (Ariane, Rachel B., Ian)
(cumulative times)
bike: 0:43 (all times in hours and minutes)
canoe: 2:37
trek: 4:35
bike: 7:07 finish time
(leg times)
bike: 0:43
canoe: 1:54
trek: 1:57
bike 2:33
Team Mud Runners ( Andre, Harold)
(cumulative times)
bike: 0:34 (all times in hours and minutes)
canoe: 2:57
trek: 4:13
bike: 6:01 finish time
(leg times)
bike: 0:34
canoe: 2:23
trek: 1:16
bike 1:48
This is the reply I got from Colin Kirk when I asked about what markers are best these days and does that colour blind blue strip really work.
David Ross
"The blue stripe for colour blind competitors is not really necessary. Way back when markers were red/white it was discovered that 99+% of colour blind people were colour blind on red. A study in Sweden determined that the two best colours for colour blind people) are blue/yellow (Sweden's colours). Norway objected strenuously. It was further determined that orange was quite acceptable to colour blind people. It seems that there is a pigment in orange that is easily seen by 99.9% of colour blind people. As most clubs/associations already had red/white markers the IOF made a 2 year concession that organizers could add a blue stripe to markers but that manufacturers should discontinue making red/white markers and change to orange/white. Orange/white markers have been the standard for the last 15 years and I have not seen/read anything recently that mentions the blue stripe. It may be that some US vendors latched on to some old stock or are using the blue stripe as a marketing gimmick but it is not necessary and not an advantage to colour blind people. The only COF member I recall that had a problem with the red/white colours is Oivind Naess and I am unaware of any complaints or problems with the orange/white markers."
"Ted de St. Croix" <tdestcroix@telus.net
Here is a short report from the World Masters Orienteering Championships/Games in Australia. Alex Kerr and I came 3rd in our respective classes (H65, H45). We were 14 Canadians all told and many had trouble in the tough detailed terrain. The terrain was quite bushy and we had most of our 330 m climbing on one leg, the leg which dropped me from 1st to third in fact. There were many dnfs and over timers ( 3 hours). For complete results and graphs see here. I caught a Swede by 2 minutes by control 3 due to a smart (or lucky) route choice. He tucked in behind me for a bit...at least until I jumped a high fence which he didn't see until too late. "OOOOF" was all I heard. He caught up to me at the next control and said "this is no fun". Then I lead him through some horrible thorny crap (tried rough compass when I should have tried to map read through the narrow open gaps) and he soon gave up on me and went another way. "Sorry about that..." I spent a week prior orienteering in the outback which was so dry that none of the usual spring flowers had bothered to show their pretty faces. A plague of Emus from the northern territories (due to drought) kept us company as well as the usual crowd of kangaroos. Let us know how the fall events back East go. In the west we are running weekly night O events around the city thanks to efforts by Thomas Nipen and Marta Green.
best regards
Ted
Here's a letter sent by our new ONB President to the Village of Hillsborough.
November 15, 2002
Village of Hillsborough
P.O. Box 100
2849 Main St.,
Hillsborough, N.B.
E0A 1X0
Dear Sir or Madam:
Subject:: Department of Education Property, Sale of Gypsum Quarries
Orienteering New Brunswick would like to lend its support to preserve the old abandoned gypsum quarry property for public use. Our organization has benefited from the use of the site and recognizes the social and historical value of the land.
The site has hosted a number of Orienteering events in the past and it is being considered for future major events, such as the Eastern Canadian Orienteering Championships which are scheduled to be held in New Brunswick in approximately 5 years. Orienteering New Brunswick has invested thousands of dollars mapping the area and the loss of this site would have an economical hardship for our organization. It would also mean the loss of one of the most interesting sites in the province, a site that routinely attracts Orienteers from outside the province due to its challenging terrain. There are only a few locations in New Brunswick, (Rockwood Park in Saint John, N.B., Fundy National Park and Hillsborough, N.B.) that are large enough to support provincial "A" meets.
Orienteering New Brunswick is only one of many groups that have enjoyed the privilege of using the site and the loss of the property would be irreplaceable.
If there is anything we can do to assist the Village of Hillsborough in this matter, please contact me. During the day I can be reached at 851-6789 (office), and in the evening at 852-3903. My e-mail address is: rosemere@nbnet.nb.ca
Yours truly,
Harold McQuade
President, Orienteering New Brunswick
cc New Brunswick Interscholastic Atheletic Association
Sports New Brunswick
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