Saturday, 8Mar08 was bright, clear, sunny... and cold. Notwithstanding that, we had thirty-three singles and groups whose cabin fever needed a cure. ... and of course there's nothing quite like Orienteering to effect a cure for cabin fever.
The map of Blue and Grey Park (Jackson County, MO) is a bit out of date, so some of the trails have changed over the years. In spite of that, the basic map is still very good, and this showed, as nearly everyone aced their respective courses. Some participants read the meet notes which mentioned the "trail disclaimer" but others apparently didn't read the notes, or disregarded this invaluable information. Fortunately, it was a minor issue. For participants and times, please refer to the separate results posting.
There was one runner on red who told me, as I called his finish time, that by his watch he was three seconds faster than what I had timed. I told him that three seconds in a local meet was no big deal. OK, OK, Paul-- you win! I'll accept your observation as a formal (and legitimate) protest, and so you will tie with Casey at 1:26:05 on Red! Who would have guessed that over the length of the Red course that two runners would have exactly equal times! The only team on Yellow missed one control, but that was likely because it was hung a few yards from a pond edge, for reasons of safety (mud and water). Unfortunately I didn't post a finish time for them.
The weather often is a negative factor when we run at Blue & Grey, but all things considered, this day wasn't too bad.
My thanks to Dick and Nancy Neuburger and Mike Shifman, who helped set out the flags. Also thanks to Paul Clatterbuck and Dick Luckerman for help in pickup. Reta Roe and Nick Hockman did the usual outstanding job running the show with registration and Nick's refreshments (including hot cocoa!) warmed us. As you can see, it takes the efforts of several people to have a successful Orienteering meet. There's a saying that "many hands make light work," and that is certainly true in the Possum Trot Orienteering Club. So I'll just flat-out ask that you volunteer for ONE job at ONE meet next season. You'll enjoy that aspect of the sport as well--- I guarantee it!!!!
Just one more thing: any errors or omissions in this report or the results posting are strictly my fault.
Bob Lane --- 8Mar08