Hodge Park Report

by Reta Roe
March 7, 2015

Saturday, March 7, was two orienteering meets in one.   With perfect weather in the 70's, good publicity from the Shoal Creek volunteers, and the great facilities at Shoal Creek in Hodge Park, we had a very good turnout. 

We offered two types of courses, both starting and finishing at the Old Schoolhouse in the Living History Museum area. 

The White course was free with pin-punching, and confined to the Living History Museum area.  Many family groups picked up maps and went orienteering for the first time.  While only 37 participants are indicated on the registration sheets, we went through the 50 maps I made, plus more, that the Shoal Park volunteers made for us. 

Also offered were regular Yellow, Orange, Green, and Red courses with electronic punching.  The entire park was used, except for the golf course and the bison pen.   We had 99 participants distributed pretty evenly on these four courses, including both boy and girl scout troops.

Many thanks to Martha Edmunds for her publicity efforts and organization, and all the helpful Shoal Creek volunteers, who made sure that we had everything we needed.

Special thanks to Paul Clatterbuck for fielding the difficult questions prior to the meet, setting out controls on Friday, and picking up controls after the meet, furnishing beginner instruction and white course registration, and his overall organizational skills.   Dick Neuburger also furnished beginner instruction and white course registration, and picked up controls.  He and has wife, Nancy, vetted the course several months ago.

Nick Hockman worked registration, brought snacks, and picked up the pin punch controls.  Mike Shifman also set out controls on Friday, and picked up controls after the meet with his friend, Bill Solomon.

Also, a thank-you to Gary Hines of the Northern Knights and the Earthriders, for using their areas of the park.

A special thank-you to Bob, who brought me the cashbox, and put up with me through months of mapping and course setting.