Recap

The first orienteering event ever held at the newest Stark Park, the Fry Family Farm, showed the sport’s wide appeal. Forty-one participants, from those less than 5 years old, to those more than 70; from those who ran at an impressive “5K-worthy” speed, to those who strolled at a scenic hiker’s pace; from sole competitors to entire families; from wily veterans, to first-timers; and, from those competitively conscious of the time, to those who just wanted to test their map-reading skills regardless of the ticking clock … all were present.

The final 2018 collaboration between Stark Parks and NEOOC benefited from weather that defied earlier predictions of rain, or even snow, with patchy blue skies, and temperatures in the 50s. The view from the Start was literally for miles! 26 controls with a total point value of 500 were set on a course designed for 90 minutes by Bob Boltz, using a map he created and fine-tuned all summer. While the ultimate point totals varied widely, the consensus was that it was an excellent course, on a fun and inviting venue (aside from some Halloween-esque thick grass that wrestled a few participants to the ground, almost refusing to let them go).

Steve Johnson cleared the course, finishing slightly faster than Bob Turanchik, who also found all 26. A Scout group nicknamed The Cheeseburger Potatoes also located each control, but the members were having so much fun, they ignored the clock (and their score ;-).

Although the event wasn’t as long as the recent Python Rogaine held in the Cuyahoga Valley, it too had a serpent connection, with the snake pictured below carefully guarding the knoll at Control #50.

Volunteers

Course Designer & Map Maker – Bob Boltz
Registrar – Howard Montgomery
Starter – Trevor Householder
Timer – Nick Pfeiffer
Event Director/Setter – Ivan Redinger
Collectors – Trevor Householder, Ivan Redinger, Howard Montgomery

Results

                        Gross   Time    OT       Net
   Participants         Points (MM:SS)  Penalty  Score
1  Steve Johnson        500     75:44            500
2  Bob Turanchik        500     78:39            500
3  Fred Mailey          440     80:38            440
4  James Fournier       440     86:28            440
5  Richard Davies       350     88:25            350
6  Jeff & Alex Perry    330     87:10            330
7  Chris Powers         320     72:53            320
8  Cliff Lee            360     99:27    45      315
9  Alexa & Joan Renner  250     90:47     1      249
10 Zane & John Renner   230     79:56            230
11 The Moobears         220     82:08            220
12 The Strader Family   190     80:07            190
13 Tim Feaser           190     90:02     1      189
14 The Lost Boys        210    101:07    66      144
15 Fran Kern             60     53:04             60
16 Chuck St. Johns       60     53:15             60
17 The Downes Family    380    123:01   380        0
18 Joanne Fry Group      40    123:23    40        0
19 The Cheeseburger     500    151:37   500        0
   Potatoes