Lake Russell Meet - Guido

If you haven’t been there, you missed it! We had a great crowd of ca. 120 groups and individuals starting their endeavor into the open and fast Lake Russell woods. Beautiful blue sky with lots of sun and sweat drops creating temperature made everybody enjoy the day even more.

Although the majority of the crowd was JROTC kids, we didn’t see many GAOC members. This created a bottleneck with not having enough helpers available, especially at the early stage of the event. Unfortunately we had a couple of last minute cancellations from helpers. Therefore a very special thanks to Rick Shane, Andreas Haldi, Bryan Garman, Vinton Wolfe and Greg Dunlap who shared the big load!
Being aware of the remote location for the Atlanta folks, for the future we have to consider to have enough committed helpers prior to the event. We don ’t wanna have people wait too long for registration, instructions and start time. Special care needs to be given to all the newbies, because we want them to come back.

We had quite a few first timers who came back from the White course and tried the Yellow course immediately after. Looks like the instructions weren ’t too bad… ;-)

Frank Campell had a Score-O going for his kids, using the same controls as for the regular courses. He had some good results and some of the kids weren ’t too tired to come over and try their luck on our courses.

Thanks to everybody who took the time to come and enjoy a great Sunday with us! And again thanks to everybody who chipped in to help!

Call for Meet Directors - Martha Carr

We need to get to work on next years schedule. I am dedicated to having a meet every other weekend, but we really need to get some new orienteers involved in directing their first meet. It's not that hard, and we'll help! I'd rather not have the same regulars having to put on two or three meets each, when we could "give someone else a turn". Please let me know if you can volunteer your time to help plan and execute a meet next year, rather than just attending them. Maybe a couple of you A-Racers would like to get a chance to "turn the tables" on us regulars for a change and give us some of our own medicine. Sounds inviting, doesn't it?

If you are a regular, please email me with your preferences for Park and timing ASAP and I'll start checking availability and we'll start to get the schedule pulled together.
 

Vampire-O Meet Report - Martha Carr (Oct 30, 2004)

By virtue of my presidentiary status, I hereby pronounce this years Night-O a resounding success!

With the addition of three (official) vampires, things got interesting.
I would have liked to have heard all the stories of what went on out there, but that will probably have to wait for the actual participants to tell "their side" of it. Many found that they could avoid a vampire for a good while---but not forever! I know of several individuals who filled up their cards pretty good, only to be accosted by a red light near (but not near enough!) the finish. I congratulate those O-teers and can only ask that they take solace in knowing in their hearts how well they did.........until.

I'll get the results posted as soon as I can dry out the punch cards and piece a few cards back together--maybe as Bill and Sam do bag pick-up today they will find pieces of those cards that went mysteriously missing in the night--well maybe there is not anything mysterious about losing your punch card while doing the breast-stroke across the Creek!

Thanks to all who helped and thanks to all who participated (record numbers this year). As always, the Neher family deserves special recognition for slaving over the stoves to bring us such fantastic and rib-sticking yummies. Eric Neher was our Day helper, numbering punchcards (Steve would be proud of the job he did), schlepping water with Bill, and filling cellophane bags with "Treats" to soothe all after Bill "Tricked" them on the Score-O. Thanks to Martina Slamova and Liz Curcuru for much needed registration help. And Steve and Robbie for just getting us more organized, in general. Last but totally not least, Bill Farrell did the lion's share of the work for this meet. Thank him for all the fun you all seemed to have.

*****

Joey Ciza wrote -

Thank you Martha, Bill, the Neher family and the others who put on the vampire-O. As always, the food was wonderful. I must have had a little too much of that good stew since I was moving too slow to make it to the NW part of the map. Never say anyone out around controls 25-32. Somehow managed to avoid the vampires on my way back in.
From 55, I took a direct shot through the woods with the lights out and crossed the creek just north of the bridge (looked like a bunch of potential vampires hanging out near the bridge). Had to wait on a vampire (I saw a red light) near 45 and then headed on back in.....
A nice quiet drive back to B'ham with no blue lights.

*****

Sam Smith wrote -

It was a lot of fun, even though I ended up with 0 points. Yes that's a zero. I looped around the field and got the high pointers, then headed out NW into my favorite boulder garden. Saw no one, except Guido at the earth bank. Got back in the finish area just under the 90 minutes, only to see vampires everywhere - I thought there were only three? Ran through the mucky swamp only to be caught by the Shane girls right behind the Neher's trailer.

It was a lot of work for a zero score, but worth it to be caught by three such cute sisters. I won't forget this night-o because of it.
Thanks Martha and everybody involved.

*****

Andreas Haldi wrote -

It certainly was worth driving out to Cochran Mills to be part of our most recent event. First, there was so much great food prepared by the Neher family that I wasn't sure anymore if I came for the food or for the Vampire O. Then a huge crowd and all the excitment of Night-O and the vampires.

I have to admit that I didn't get the whole feeling for the vampire part yet since the race was practically over after 45 minutes for Bryan and me when our punch cards were dissolved in the river. So all I could give to vampire Martina was half of a soaked punch card which didn't really help her (I'm sorry). And then when I was a vampire people either claimed that they didn't have a punch card or they just ran away from me even though my red light was shining right at them...

Anyway it was a lot of fun. Thanks to everybody who helped out at this meet (including Bill and Martha). Thanks to Joey for "showing and giving me the light". And thanks to Bryan for mental support in the dark and for swimming after my map when I lost it in the river. And I'm still convinced that if it wasn't for that river one of us (or vampire Guido) would have won that race.

Lake Russell is coming up in two weeks. A long drive to Guido's meet... Can I already sign up for carpooling, Bill and Martha?

*****

Bill Farrell wrote -

I am glad to hear that some fun was had... some food was eaten and some bodies were bit!

There were some great stories: Joey and Frank did a lot of running with their lights off... and, with a very few... got in without being bit.
Ron Sanders... one of the original vampires, got Guido at the last second... and Sam, who had slimmed through the big swamp with his light off, just to get bitten by the Shane girls... right at the safe line.
Bill Hill was hiding in plain sight... laying flat in the field... just waiting for the hapless young ladies to approach. They were being tricky by cutting their lights off... big mistake! He waited until they nearly stepped on him before he jumped up -- BOO!
Lee Bradshaw was another original, but I didn't get to hear his story. Wiley and niece were the last... she is so sweet and so shy... but she loved biting the victims -- ahhhh, the power!

There were only THREE real Vampires. I made the announcement that NO Red Lights were to be used -- ignored! More unsettling was that so many cheaters -- no, not cheaters -- for they had no intention of winning -- just having their own fun... at the expense of others, disrupted the game. These folks fail to realize that someone (this time it was me) goes to a lot of trouble to offer them a good time -- setting up problems to offer a real challenge... only to have their efforts dismantled-mantled by the tricksters. It could have been even more fun if all had played the game fairly!

I don't understand the thinking behind dirty tricks... and I don't think it's funny.

Anderas said he tried to play fair, but some folks did not want to play... so, next year, they can stay home.

Even with the problems... it was too much fun! Bill.
 

*****

Rick Shane wrote -

I figured I would just play the odds and not worry about vampires...there were only three, right. That turned out to be poor strategy. I got nailed by a bogus vampire about 30 minutes in. I lit up the next person I saw...I just wanted a card so I could keep orienteering. The card I got had one punch on it. Oh well, I would just keep going forward to as many new controls as possible. I got out of the crowded area and headed towards points east. Fortunately, I got hit by another vampire just short of the main road, this time one with a legit flashlight, I think. It was fortunate because it gave me the opportunity to relieve Martina of her punch card as she was coming back across the road from points east. And her card was in pristine condition with lots of controls punched! Thank you, Martina. From there I picked up the remaining easy controls and snuck back into the safe zone unscathed.

After a few minutes, my kids came in. I told them to check in, and they
told me they didn't have a punch card...a vampire had take it. They had
gotten 15 controls, though...pretty good for first time night-o-ers. I told them they had a few minutes, and to go back out and get somebody else.
About a minute later they came running back in...with Sam's punch card!
They just could not have been more excited.

We had an unbelievably great time. Much thanks to Bill, Martha, the Nehers, and everyone else who helped.