This first "official" regularly scheduled FLO event at F.A.M. was a resounding success! Thanks for coming!
Fun was had by all.
With nary a lost, blinded nor otherwise injured orienteer.
I was honestly a little worried, sending folks through low-hanging-branches of pine plantation forest the like of which FLO had never before used in 20 years of events.
I guess I needn't have worried.
Over 240 people turned out for the full set of 6 courses. If you were not there you can see by the results that courses were ideally challenging, as seen by winning times: in the 60's on Advanced courses and in the 40's (or nearly so) on Yellow and Orange. And with relatively few DNF's, the course-setter, I can tell you personally, feels terrific.
A huge "Thank You" goes to all those who pitched in to help, from Event Coordinators Missy (also compiler-of-results), Artur and Amy Jo, all of whom also served as Control Setters the day prior to the event, registration helpers Cheryl and Dr. Laura, Jamie and her Dad plus Ray B. Then the Poison Ivy team of Michelle and Steve helped Kris M. and others retrieve controls. Thanks, too, for the help afforded by FAM staff, manager Bruce Pitaek as well as the gentlemen who made themselves available all day long for us, pitching in wherever needed.
If you there and among the volunteer helpers and I did not mention you in the preceding list, please accept apologies for my oversight. O know Cameron O. volunteered but I don't know exactly how he was put to work. Rest assured you are all nevertheless appreciated. If you were there but were not able to help, I hope you did think to Thank those who were volunteering, or at least will remember to do so at the next event, and the next, and the next. Your kind words are the single greatest reward for the volunteers who keep, and have kept, FLO running for these nearly 20 years. Remember FLO is a 100% Volunteer 501(C)(3) organization, so if there is any way you think you can help, just make the offer. I assure you we haven't said no to anyone yet. I mention the 501(c)(3) status both because your contributions beyond map fees and memberships are tax deductable (simply ask for a receipt) and because some companies (such as Siemens) will support your donations of volunteer hours with cash grants to the organization.
I want to remind all reading this that we are in the process of installing a Permanent Course at FAM so that, soon, you will be able to go there anytime to hone your O-skills, but you will also be able to refer newcomers to FAM's Permanent Course if they are in the area and you pique their interest in any way. Since FAM is not in a position to fund the printing of the Permanent Course Brochure, we are currently looking for Artists who will help us design the Brochure and Supporters who will help fund the Printing. Just give us a call/email. The Orange County Permanent Course brochures at Moss Park and (soon) at Kelly are funded by Orange County, as funds permit.
Back to the FAM Courses: The very-nearly-clear-cutting of the old pine plantations will someday pay off with a native-species forest over those areas of the FAM grounds that are now open. But in the meantime, there are good and bad aspects to this. On the negative side, the visibility is so good, the challenges of typical orienteering are somewhat reduced, although if you noticed, not all that much. On the plus side, the visibility is so good that orienteers are almost never out of sight of the main Museum buildings, so one can really never get (too) lost. All this is true as long as you are orienteering on Museum grounds, but as soon as we route the courses across I-95, to the east portion of the map, things change. Across I-95, within the Saint Johns River Water Management District lands, the pine plantations remain and they are quite varied. Some areas have virtual avenues of open running down the rows of trees: some are jeep-wide boulevards while some are only shoulder wide, but still runnable. Then again, lots of the ground cover is dense enough to warrant the green and dark green map colors. In the plantations some trees are fully mature while some are so young their lower branches reach out and grab (or poke) you. In the future, when we map more extensively toward Princess Place Preserve property, you will see more varied terrain and vegetation, but for now the variety seems adequate for a few more interesting courses over there. FLO Congratulates our Mapper Tatyana Svistun for the high quality of the map, especially since we were unable to procure a true O-Base map for her, meaning she started with the proverbial 'blank piece of paper'.
According to all the feedback, everyone had fun and they're looking forward to the next event there......the very definition of a successful event. Thanks for coming and we hope to see everyone at next month's Florida Orienteering Championships at Kelly Park in Apopka, FL, where we will access the wide open forests of Wekiwa Springs State Park.
Bob Putnam
| Name | Time |
| Emily Mitchell | 26:15 |
| Mt. Dora HS | 45: 19 |
| Melvin Valentin | 78:00 |
| Name | Time |
| Mt. Dora HS | 49:23 |
| Kelly Maggi | 53:07 |
| 3 Amigos | 54:04 |
| TCHS #2 | 55:30 |
| TCHS #3 | 56:47 |
| William Krechowski | 62:38 |
| Jax Bucks | 64:14 |
| Pine Ridge HS #3 | 71:58 |
| PMHS SS Honor Soc | 72:48 |
| Jaguar 7 | 73:32 |
| Knowles Family | 75:44 |
| Pine Ridge HS #1 | 77:59 |
| TCHS Yellow #1 | 78:21 |
| Pine Ridge HS #2 | 78:53 |
| Whitcombe | 79:24 |
| Jaguars 8 | 84:28 |
| Spartan Dolphins | 97:10 |
| Holly Family | 118:35 |
| Jerry Robinson | DNF |
| Bohres | DNF |
| Crittenden | DQ |
| Jeff Prewitt | DQ |
| Name | Time |
| Jaguar 5 | 39:54 |
| Ruben Pagan | 46:22 |
| Cindy Young | 52:56 |
| Posse | 56:05 |
| Edward Spiezio | 56:44 |
| Moira Roberts | 61:01 |
| Cougars | 62:22 |
| Jaguar 2 | 69:04 |
| Jaguar 6 | 74:45 |
| GIRLZGO | 78:28 |
| Springhetti | 84:18 |
| Dave Dispennette | 86:39 |
| Sheppard | 90:18 |
| Brian Koser | 90:55 |
| Mt. Dora HS | 99:14 |
| Jaguar 3 | 102:19 |
| Jaguar 4 | 105:23 |
| Kayla/Chelsea/Nicole | 106:25 |
| Renee Roberts | 113:36 |
| Alpha Bravo | 113:42 |
| Fitzgerald’s | DNF |
| Name | Time |
| Toby Henson | 67:16 |
| Andrea Canelos | 69:36 |
| Jaguar 1 | 80:54 |
| Cameron Ogletrie | 83:32 |
| DIRT | 137:00 |
| Dennis and Carolyn | 139:11 |
| BJ Esmailbese | DQ |
| Name | Time |
| D. Gottschalk | 64:36 |
| Team Awesome | 98:54 |
| Kris Mante | 113:47 |
| John Griffin | 114:10 |
| JAX | DQ |
| Name | Time |
| Artur Intsons | 69:43 |
| Ray Brunneau | 75:19 |
| Slap and Tickle | 101:46 |
| Wicked Poison Ivy | 128:08 |
| Terry Allen | 188:30 |
| Will Pirnasch | DNF |
| DNF | Did Not Finish |
| DQ | Disqualified (Missed Controls) |
| OT | Over 3 Hour Time Limit |