The turn of the century brought renewed efforts to invigorate the club. Plans were made to map new areas, increase volunteerism, and host another A-meet. At the same time, advances in technology began transforming nearly every part of the sport, from mapmaking and timing to communication and event management.
A long-distance variant of the sport, called rogaining, also made its way to Northeast Ohio. In a rogaine, participants navigate a much larger area and score points within a time limit. After testing the concept in 1997, NEOOC hosted a six-hour rogaine in Cuyahoga Valley in 2000. The event became recurring and eventually evolved into the 10-hour Python.
In 2004, NEOOC was again awarded the opportunity to host the North American Orienteering Championships. This multi-day event was held at Camp Manatoc and Cuyahoga Valley National Park, taking advantage of the scenic but intricate terrain at Virginia Kendall. Several nationally and internationally recognized orienteers participated.
Mapping remained a major focus of the club. NEOOC was again aided by international mapper Yefim “Fima” Schtempler of Ukraine. At the same time, LiDAR imagery dramatically improved the quality and accuracy of contour mapping, while GPS made fieldwork more precise than ever before.
Bob Boltz, a former science teacher, joined NEOOC in 1991 and became the club’s principal mapper during the digital modernization years. When he began mapping, Bob had no prior experience and learned the craft from scratch.
Bob recalls the early days of mapmaking before GPS and LiDAR transformed the process. Mappers began with U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps, tracing contour lines by hand before heading into the field. There, they painstakingly paced distances, measured directions, identified terrain features, and filled notebooks with observations that would later become detailed orienteering maps.
Bob’s first major mapping project was Quail Hollow Park in Stark County. Mapping just the first square mile required 170 hours of fieldwork. Depicting vegetation proved to be the most time-consuming task, and as the deadline for the club’s first event approached, Bob opted to show much of the vegetation as light green rather than delay completion of the map. He jokingly warned competitors not to place too much confidence in that part of the map. In later years, advances in OCAD software, GPS, and LiDAR significantly improved both the efficiency and accuracy of map production.
In addition to his mapping contributions, Bob played an important role in club communications and was a driving force behind the long-running Python event.
By 2019, nearly every active NEOOC map had either been created or updated by Bob. This work was vital to the club, especially as increasing restrictions by the Cleveland Metroparks required the club to seek new venues. Bob’s mapped venues included Quail Hollow, Fry Family Park, Richfield Heritage Preserve, Oak Hill, Boston Run, Pine Lane, Camp Tuscazoar, and Camp Manatoc and Camp Butler.
Bob’s extraordinary dedication to mapping gave NEOOC the foundation it needed to continue growing and celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Around 2010, electronic punching replaced manual pin punches, allowing results to be processed almost instantly. Printing technology also improved, making preprinted courses the standard and eliminating the need for competitors to copy courses from a master map before starting.
Although technology improved event operations, planning and coordination still required significant effort. Club members and volunteers devoted many hours to preparing equipment, managing registration, communicating with participants, planning and setting courses, and posting results in all kinds of weather. One especially important volunteer was Mark Stypczynski. As Howard Montgomery described it, “From the very early 2000s to his last volunteer Event Director stint with us in 2019, Mark ‘The Hardest Working Man in Show Business’ Stypczynski was the glue that kept events going.” He often served multiple roles at once and was also instrumental in securing approval for the club’s first permanent course in Brecksville.
The digital age also marked the end of The Grapevine, whose last known issue was published around 2006. Email became the norm for member communication, allowing the club to reach members more quickly than ever before. By the end of the 2010s, NEOOC had fully embraced the digital tools that continue to support the club today.
President
- Ken Lappin (2000-2003)
- Howard Montgomery (2004-2025)
Secretary
- Sarah Cechner (2000-2001)
- Bill Makowski (2004-2006)
Treasurer
- Paul DePrator (1998-2004)
Equipment
- Dave Karberg (2000-2002)
- Eric Sherwood (2003)
- Jerry & Heidi Spangler (2004-2016)
Publicity
- Kat Wollyung (1998-??)
Membership
- Greg Marjenin, Helene & Jon Gaidelis (2000-2002)
- Howard Montgomery (2003)
- Tom Ansberry (2004)
- Ken Lappin (2006-2013)
- Hazel Barton (2014-2015)
- Sanae Rogers (2016-present)
Event Coordinator
- Bob Curran (2000-2001)
- Mark Stypczynski (2003-2004)
Volunteer Coordinator
- Randy Mitchell (2007-2016)
Orienteering for Beginners
- Gregory Harpst (2003-??)
Webmaster
- Kyle Neet (2003)