There were lots of creative skips. I didn't skimp on the gully controls - normally I wouldn't dare use so many deep gullies on a course, but this was the Bubba Goat. I was surprised that more people didn't skip the 2 huge gullies at the top of the map, but later found out it was the first time there for most people. I guess the map doesn't really represent how deep they are. If we held the race again some of our older racers might skip those gullies - a lot of time is wasted climbing down and up, then down and up again to get out.

Many thanks to all the volunteers at registration and bag pickup: Martha, Shawn, Rick, Guido, Kevin, Steve and Robin. And a special thanks to Laurie for making the awards, and Jim Hall from COK for supplying the "hardware" awards.

See you next year when we hope COK will be hosting the Bubba Goat!

*****

Guido Nordmann wrote - Well, my first exposure to a goat race. And even being a Bubba, what an experience (still looking for the goats)! It started with the feeling being at a dress rehearsal. Sam tried to educate me beforehand, but if he would have mentioned "Latzhosen", I would have understood completely. It was fun watching all this well dressed individuals disappearing in the woods. Sam set some excellent and challenging courses. Specially the mountaineer section was exciting! Up and down, down and up, you name it. Maybe for next year, instead of bib overalls, request parachute and robes. The head on head competition with Robin was fun.

Thanks again to Sam and Laurie (and everybody else involved) for a beautiful and rewarding day outdoor!

*****

Shawn Callahan wrote - Bubba Goat was a lot of fun! Thanks Sam for a fun course (I enjoyed the gullies, 14 & 15) and Laurie for prizes (already using the mouse pad).

*****

Robin Shannonhouse wrote - Sunday was the day for the annual Southeastern region's Bubba Goat event. This year it was hosted Sam Smith. Incentives, in the form of terrific mouse pad awards, were provided by Laurie Searle.

The weather was just about perfect, sunny and temps around 60 degrees. Sam set up the course with 2 versions, a 6.8km "short" and a 10.9km "long" with the option of skipping any 2 controls. Anyone who orienteered in gen-u-wine blue denim bib overalls got a 15 minute head start on the pack and about a dozen folks wore their mostly spankin' new overalls to take advantage of the head start. About the only one there who's overalls showed any wear was Steve Shannonhouse, obviously his were years old and even sported some holes in the knees.

In honor of the occasion, and because Sam told me I couldn't wear the black denim overalls I've had for years, I had to do some extensive shopping to find ladies blue denim bib overalls. No size of guys overalls fit women properly. But I eventually found them, and dressed them up a bit with a Bubba Goat corsage (pine cone, fall leaves, plastic squash and berries and straw) and my trusty straw hat. Several guys said I wouldn't be able to finish with my corsage intact, but at the end of the course, it was in better shape than I was.

I chose the short course and, because we were walking, Martha and I got immediately left behind by the pack. It was quite distracting to see all those lovely overalls disappearing across the field and into the trees ahead of me. It must have been, because Martha walked right by #1 and had to go back. The leaders of the main pack caught up to me just as I was getting to #5. As I passed the spectator control (#13), I still hadn't decided which two controls to skip. Initially I thought about skipping 14 and 15, Sam's 2 favorite gullies containing their own hills, or the long legs of 17 and 18. I eventually decided that I wouldn't get back on time if I visited 18 because the leg from 17 to 18 covered half the map. And, since the short course skipped 18 thru 22, that left only the decision to skip either 17 or 23. At 16, I had 35 minutes left, so I decided the only alternative was the shorter leg to 17 and the finish. I got to 17 with 20 minutes left and just made it in with 3 minutes to spare before overtime!! Yay, Sam handed me by mouse pad. 

Success!

The famous gully controls of 14 and 15 were a hoot and I'm glad I didn't skip them. 14 looked worse on the map, a gully defined by a full contour line with a camel-look hill in the center -- a long one-contour hill topped by 2 distinct one-contour hill tops. The control was in the saddle. Approaching the gully, the terrain sloped down and it was fairly easy to get into one of the smaller gullies that fed into the big gully, then work around the long hill to the saddle and go up the side. I found Guido at the top punching in, and he was just shaking his head in wonder. I told him the next one was worse, but I didn't think he believed me. To get to 15, you had to go around a skinny lake inlet, I contour higher while Guido went more direct, apparently the water was down and Guido and about half of everyone else missed the #15 gully low and wound up off the map, in the surrounding neighborhood, which made for a quick recovery, so they didn't lose much time. I went a longer distance, but had a safer route and found the gully with no problem. But this gully was deeper, had very steep sides and was quite irregular and, even when I got down into it, it was tough to figure out which story-high lump was the hill with the control on top and which were just side protrusions. I almost went up the right one, the decided on another, and wound up climbing out of the gully entirely. But at least from that side, there was a skinny spit of land dropping only about 8 feet, then going up again to the hill. The hill was only about 2 feet wide and probably 20-30 feet long and it was scary to be up there. As I punched in, about 6-8 high schoolers were struggling up the other end of the hill, at probably the steepest point and I momentarily wondered if they would make it, but then decided if an old lady like me could make it, they could and I turned around and went back the other way. Guido struggled up out of the gully nearby and agreed this one was worse than #14. Kevin came up saying he'd got turned around and visited #15 twice, as if once weren't enough. Laughing, we all headed for 16. Guido got there first, it was a spur between 2 deep gullies that by now looked positively tame. I heard Guido yell a suggested crossing point to Kevin, but by that time, I'd already committed to another and I wound up crawling up the tip of the spur, with Kevin punching in and laughing at me, still struggling up on my hands and knees.

I was impressed with our turnout. Only about 60 folks, but they include a widely varied selection. Busses from Hanna HS and Kennesaw Mtn HS, a bunch of adventure racers, Walter, Josef and Jim from North Carolina, and Mike Minium even flew down from Ohio to join us. Rick Shane arrived in O-duds, then turned around and headed for the local Wal-Mart to get bib overalls. Shawn was standing there, looking out of place in his O-pants, but just shook his head, laughed at us, and wore them anyway. Of course Josef and Yuri showed us why native-born Americans are an inferior orienteering species, but Walter wins my vote at the top of the "orienteers-with-accents" list as he finished close behind them AND he orienteered in bib overalls.

My mouse pad is already in use. Thanks again to Sam and Laurie and to everyone who got into the spirit and wore their Bubba-wear. It was a blast!

*****

Mike Ferguson wrote - Sam has put on another out standing meet and in record time. If all didn't have fun it was their own durn fault! lot's of overalls moving through the woods today wish I had worn mine. I did well through most of the course (long) till the last two controls I was going after (should have done the short) my knee refused to let me complete my task. I still covered about 9.4 k so I am more than happy. maybe soon I will be 100 % again and can get with the program. I had a great time can't wait till next year.

Walter Siegenthaler wrote - Another great Bubba Goat is history. It was a beautiful day at Lake Russell SP, almost too warm to run in bib overalls! I think we were 11 of us who chose to run in bib overalls in order to get a 15 minute head start. I'm not so sure if it really paid off, I felt very tired towards the end, but then again, it may be my age that's starting to show. Or was it may be the lack of training?

The first 13 controls were a lot of fun, short legs, quick decisions. I was together with Jim Hall, but then we took different routs into 14 and I didn't know if Jim missed it or if he was ahead of me and I never saw him again until he finished after me. It turned out that he got #14 ahead of me but then made an error on the way to 15.

I made it all the way to #17 before I got passed by the first "non-bib overall" runner and then I caught up to him at #22 again and had to "show" him where the control is. It is hard to hide that you are at the feature if you suddenly disappear from the surface (into the gully he has been looking for, for more than 10 minutes).

Thanks Sam and whoever else helped you organizing this years event, I enjoyed it a lot. And many thanks to Laurie for designing the nice mouse pads, they look great.

Well, I think next year it's time to chase the goats on COK land again.

Bill Farrell wrote - A HUGE Thank You to all who helped with the meet at Red Top!

It was another great day in the woods for our club.

The weather was agreeable and the woods were wide open... due to the hard work of the starving deer!

I tried to entertain everyone... and was happy to see all those smiling faces. Maybe it was the yummy B-day cake Martha made for all to enjoy. A very artistic O-flag! Pretty to see, better to eat -- there was not a crumb left on the platter!

The winning times was very good... showing the effect of the open woods. I was not able to impress the Red runners... even with my little surprise -- an optional snack at #6!

We did have an great turn-out, but we were able to get it together and get many folks out BEFORE the stated start time of 11:00!

I can not tell you how much I needed the help of the volunteers... many were not even club members and were still glad to help! A big THANK YOU to all who helped!

I also opened our talked about, but not used policy" -- to let First Timers run FREE!" It was very successful, I think.

*****

Laurie Searle wrote - I had more fun at Red Top than I've had for a long time.

At first I thought that Bill set an easy green course, since I was able to navigate right to each point. But then Sam told me that the real culprit was the deer -- they've eaten all of the underbrush! My only problem was in locating the "pit" water stop, which was in a easy location but hard to spot. But hey, there's got to be at least one control on each course worth pondering over.

Bill and Martha and all of their help did a great job in managing the huge crowd of schools and scouts. And someone brought a yummy carrot cake to celebrate Bill's birthday! Great orienteering AND cake! Who can beat that?

*****

Times were fast. The woods have been stripped bare of any undergrowth by the deer trapped on that peninsula. It's always been evident, but that was the worst I have ever seen it. I know it makes the woods look open and pretty, but it's not "normal".

2004 USOF Convention Awarded to GAOC/COK - Laurie Searle
GAOC and COK have been awarded the 2004 USOF Convention. Plans are to host the convention at Truett-McConnell College in North Georgia during the week of June 26-July 4, 2004. COK will host orienteering events on the first weekend, and GAOC will host its Georgia Navigator Cup A-Meet on the last weekend, which is the July 4th holiday. Check out the winning Bid on the GAOC website.