The Fall 2013 Orienteering Season is upon us! NEOC's calendar is a rich one with a mix of usual suspects and some new challenges. The national calendar in the Northeast also has a number of great events which should be attractive for NEOC members. Most importantly, there are events in the area on every weekend. No events are scheduled on September 7-8 and October 19-20 in Massachusetts because our neighbors to the north, New Hampshire's Up North Orienteering Club, are hosting two major events: the annual Pawtuckaway Camping Weekend in September and Boulderdash, a biennial national meet at Bear Brook State Forest. I highly encourage all NEOC members to attend one or both of these events.
The calendar kicks off on August 25, with a race at Horn Pond. The event will feature beginner instruction and a set of courses suitable for all levels of experience. It is especially worthwhile if you're new to orienteering. The schedule includes 13 NEOC events with two introductory events at Horn Pond and Elm Park, a suburban adventure race in Belmont, a Night-O, and nine typical orienteering meets at parks throughout the Boston area. One event is being held at Hurd Park, near Hartford, Connecticut. Our season finishes in late November with the Blue Hills Traverse, and there will be an event at Mt. Tom the weekend after Thanksgiving pending permission from DCR.
Novelty is an important part of the challenge with orienteering, and we are using two maps this Fall that have not been used in several years: Elm Park/Newton Hill in Worcester, MA and Brooksby Farm in Peabody. NEOC is currently remapping Townsend State Forest for an A-meet some time in 2014.
Fall 2013 marks the end of my term as Vice President of Events and scheduler for the club. I have really enjoyed my time as part of the NEOC leadership; while it certainly has been challenging to try to realize my ambitions, orienteering is vibrant in New England. Among all the places in the United States, there are very few that can compete with our density of events and participants. It's been a great pleasure to be a part of that. Tim Parson has stepped up to be my successor for 2014. Please write to me with any feedback or thoughts about the schedule over the past three years or the general trajectory of the club.
Finally: NEOC is a volunteer organization. All that the club does depends on people stepping up to make these activities happen. Each of the meets on the calendar needs meet workers - to help with registration, to work results, to explain what orienteering is to newcomers, or to pick up equipment and refreshments. Please contact a meet director if you are interested in helping out. Even an hour of your time can advance an event. Tim is also looking for event directors for 2014: if you have the motivation to direct an event, we can teach you how! Contact me if you're interested.
See you in the woods,
Ian Smith
NEOC VP Events