The Rochester Orienteering Club is having its annual meeting, scrooge-o, and
potluck supper this Sunday December 4 at 5 pm. The location has changed from
what was originally on the schedule, and what may have appeared recently in
the paper. The place will be WADHAMS LODGE IN POWDER MILLS PARK.
(From 490, take Bushnell's Basin exit, go S on 96 to Park Rd. and follow signs.)
Bring flashlight, compass, a dish to pass, and place settings for your group. This will
be a good time to renew your membership (or join.)
November 14, 2005
Results from the November 12th Mendon Night-O are available on the results page.
November 11, 2005
This Saturday is our Night-orienteering meet at Mendon Ponds Park, starting at East Lodge. There will be a mass start at 5:30pm,
but maps will be handed out at 5:15, and registration starts at 4:30pm. This will be a score-o format: get as many controls as
possible, in any order, within 90 minutes, with big penalties for overtime. Controls 1-10 are white level (on trails or edges o
f open fields.) The remaining 20 would be yellow to orange difficulty in daylight, but everything gets harder at night.
Whistles are required. Bring a flashlight, or a headlamp if you have one. The controls will be fitted with reflectors that make
them show up clearly in a flashlight beam. The weatherman is predicting a nice evening so come to Mendon for some orienteering fun.
(Be prepared for a little mud here and there)
Following the meet there will be chili and hot dogs. (We have recently come into possession of more of these than we could ever eat.)
November 9, 2005
Results from the 2005 Mendon Trail Run are available on the results page.
November 8, 2005
Mendon Ponds Permanent Course
The revised Mendon Ponds Permanent Orienteering Course is finally in place and map-kits are available.
The course is printed on the new 1:15,000 map and utilizes areas "off trail" formally not permitted in this park.
Consequently, the course has many more interesting and technically challenging controls and features.
The controls on the old course will also remain in place for a few years. See "Permanent Courses" for general information.
This Saturday is the day of the Rochester Orienteering Club's annual trail run at Mendon Ponds Park.
Four distances are offered: 5K, 10K, 20K, and 50K.
The day-of-meet entry fees are $15 for the 5K, 10K,and 20K; and $20 for the 50K. It's still possible to
pre-register on-line, which will reduce the above fees to $10 and $15.
The deadline for on-line registration is midnight Thursday.
The 50K race starts at 8 a.m. The other distances start at 9:30 a.m. The meet headquarters
is the East Lodge in Mendon Ponds Park
October 25, 2005
Results from the Oatka Creek Park event are available on the results page.
October 20, 2005
The next meet of the Rochester Orienteering Club is this Sunday, Oct. 23, at Oatka Creek Park.
You can start any time between noon and 2 pm.
Three courses plus one "combo" course will be offered:
White (easiest): 3.15 km long
Yellow (advanced beginner): 3.3 km long
Orange (intermediate to advanced): 4.8 km long
Orange plus Yellow: 8.1 km long (do the Orange course first, obtain a time for the Orange
course, pick up a Yellow map, do the Yellow course, and obtain a total time; your time will
count for the Orange course, plus your combined time will count against any other similarly
motivated or foolish entrants)
NOTE ON YELLOW COURSE: Some of the legs on this course are a bit more difficult than on a
typical Yellow. They're certainly not "Orange" difficulty but they involve some off-trail
travel, generally along other (non-trail) handrails. If you do Yellow courses confidently
already, this course shouldn't be a major step up. But if you've only done White courses
and are thinking of making the move to a Yellow course, this meet is probably not the best time to make that step.
Directions to Oatka Creek Park:
1. Take I-490 to exit 4 (Rt. 259/Union Street); go south on 259 around 4.5 miles to
Rt 133 (at Garbutt) turn left, then take first right (still Union Street). Proceed
approximately 1 mile to park entrance on right (shortly past bridge over creek).
OR
2. Take I-390 to exit 11 (Rt. 15/Rt. 251). Go west on 251 (do NOT take Rt. 15).
Proceed approximately 6 miles, going straight at each intersection (do not follow
251 when it turns right). When you've gone as far as you can go, park your car
because you're there.
October 11, 2005
Results from the Powder Mill Park event are available on the results page.
October 1, 2005
The next regular ROC event is Saturday, October 8, at Powder Mills Park. From Park Road follow the
park and orienteering signs to Oak Tree Lodge. Note: this is a change from the original scheduled location.
Start will be open from 12 noon to 2P.M. and flags will be picked up at 3:30P.M. There will be 4 courses: White
(Beginner), Yellow (Advanced Beginner), Orange (Intermediate) and Orange Plus (longer with greater climb and
technically more difficult). As always there will be instruction for beginners as well as a string-O course for children.
There will something for everyone, young and old, families and friends, competitive or a leisurely stroll in the woods.
September 19, 2005
Results from the National Orienteering Day event at Highland Park are available on the results page.
September 15, 2005
This Saturday, September 17, we are celebrating National Orienteering Day with a meet in Highland Park,
starting at the Recreation Center, behind School #12 on Highland Avenue. The main goal is to introduce
newcomers to orienteering, so if you know someone you think would like to try it, bring them out! Starts
will be from 12 to 2, as usual. We will offer white and yellow courses, in fact the same ones as last year.
So plan to do a harder couse, if you came last year.
There will also be a sprint course. This is a course 3 or 4 kilometers in length, but with many controls
(about 20). The idea is to go as fast as possible, making quick decisions about each leg. There is no
underbrush to slow you down, just grass and paths, but on almost every leg the straight line route is
either impossible or not optimal. For people who don't want to run, it should still be a fun course.
Nothing will be hard to find; you just have to choose a way to get there. A SPECIAL RULE: DO NOT GO
THROUGH ANY GARDENS. They will never let us come back if we trample the plants! Those plantings that
are big enough to be a significant barrier have been marked as green areas.
September 14, 2005
Results from the Rattlesnake Hill Rogaine event are available on the results page.
August 24, 2005
Rattlesnake Hill Rogaine
Start time: 10 am, Saturday, Sept. 10
Categories offered:
3, 6, and 12 hour
plus 3 and 6 hour mountain bike division
Entry fees:
3 hour: $10 pre, $15 post
6 hour: $15 pre, $20 post
12 hour: $20 pre, $25 post
To qualify for the "pre" fee you need to mail your registration by September 5th or register on-line by September 8th.
Policy on 1-person teams:
1-person teams allowed freely in 3 hour category.
1-person teams allowed with special permission in 6 hour category (where we make a judgment based on the person's experience,
apparent fitness, etc.)
1-person teams not allowed in 12 hour category
August 19, 2005
Results from the Black Creek event are available on the results page.
August 11, 2005
Mark your calendars for First ROC Summer picnic!
Rochester Orienteering Club invites you and all your family members to the First ROC Summer picnic that will
be held after Black Creek Score-O, Saturday, August 13th. Bring a dish to pass and bring your favorite picnic
gear. Can't make up your mind what to bring to the picnic? Don't worry - you are still invited. Donate $3,- per
person to the ROC hot dog fund and you can participate at the picnic even if you don't bring anything.
August 8, 2005
WEDNESDAY NIGHT TRAINING. August 10th. Webster Park.
Look for Webster Park Campground entrance from Lake Road, follow Campground road till you see O-signs. Actual training session will start at 6:30PM but be there couple minutes earlier to get ready for it. We'll try following format for the training session to see if it works or not. By 6:30 all participants get assignment to set up flag or two. Once done with set-up assignment participants come back to the starting point. By 6:45 all participants go out second time to run through training course and come back to the starting point when done. By 7:45 participants get assignment for flag pick-up (one or two) and go back in wood for third time. Controls will be placed around the starting point within couple hundred yards, so, 15 minutes should be plenty enough to set up/pick up flag even for someone who have not done any serious course setting yet.
Cost for the training session will be $2,- Please Email Gil Robs at Egils.Robs@gmail.com is you plan to participate so I could figure out
set-up/pickup assignments ahead of the time considering overall skill level.
August 5, 2005
BLACK CREEK 2-hour SCORE-O & WHITE COURSE, Saturday August 13th
Score-O registration closes @ 9:50, maps handed out @ 9:59, mass Score-O start @ 10:00am.
White course: start anytime between 10:15-11:15.
Black Creek Park, west side parking lot. From I-490 E Or W take exit #4 (Rt. 259),
head south to Union Street junction (0.3km) and turn right to head W on Rt. 33A.
Turn left on Betteridge Road (2.5km), then left on Green Road (0.5km) and follow until the parking lot (0.5km).
The park is currently relatively dry with areas that are still very marshy/boggy. Controls are dispersed throughout the
whole park and areas of elevated horse fly, black fly & mosquito activity will be experienced. Long pants, long sleeves
over T-shirt, gaiters & bug spray highly recommended.
Rochester Orienteering Club picnic after the Score-O finish. Picnic information to follow.
July 28, 2005
WEDNESDAY NIGHT TRAINING: August 3rd, 6:30pm, Mendon Ponds Park
Meeting at Devils Bathtub (S. on Clover [RT. 65], L @ 3rd entrance [Pond
Road], east the nature center, down the hill, shelter is at bottom on the
left, if occupied we will be at the shelter on top of the hill, O-signs
will indicate where).
Controls will be placed throughout the area behind
Devils Bathtub to practice route choice, attack points & catch
features. Cost will be $2 for maps. Please e-mail tgorbold@drydendesigns.com
to guarantee a pre-marked map.
July 28, 2005
Results from the Ellison Park Score-O are available on the results page.
July 24, 2005
The next local event will be an one hour Score-O at Ellison
Park this Wednesday, July 27 with mass start at 6:30PM from Roadside shelter.
In addition to the Score-O a white course will be offered for more relaxed orienteers.
Directions: I-590 to exit 6, then Blossom Rd East to the park entrance on the left hand side.
July 14, 2005
Results from the Cobbs Hill Score-O are available on the results page.
July 12, 2005
The Summer issue of the ROC newsletter, The Wild Times, is available.
July 11, 2005
The next local event will be one hour Score-O at Cobbs
Hill Park this Wednesday, July 13 with mass start at
6:30PM.
Evening's main event will be 24-flag Score-O course.
There will be White course at the meet for more
relaxed orienteers.
The start and finish are at Tay House, up the hill
from School #1 on Hillside Ave, which is just south of
490 and runs west from Winton Rd., merges with Norris
Drive that runs west to Culver Rd.
June 21, 2005
Results from the Camp Pinewood meet posted on the results page.
June 17, 2005
This Sunday we will have a meet on one of our best maps. Camp
Pinewood has been used in the past for national level competitions. It is a
good combination of woods, trails and interesting orienteering features that
combined with produce interesting and challenging courses for all.
We will offer white, yellow, orange and red courses. A string
course will be available for our young orienteers. Starts will be from 12-2.
Remember that it is Father's Day and that any father who comes with
another family member orienteers for free. If you have any questions about
the meet or the directions please contact Rick Worner at 581-2979.
June 5, 2005
Results from the Webster Park meet and Mendon Ponds Adventure-O have been posted
on the results page.
June 3, 2005
The weather is looking great for the Rochester Orienteering Club meet in Webster Park this Saturday (June 4)!
Starts will be from noon to 2 pm from the tennis court area of the park. (Off of Holt Road, just south of Lake Road.)
We will have a variety of courses to choose from: white, yellow, orange, and red. (Given the inability to ever get
too far from trails, roads, or clearings in Webster Park, the red course might more properly be classified as a
long orange course. But, it should provide you with a nice tour of nearly the whole park.)
The most dramatic thing that those of you who have orienteered in Webster Park several times before may notice will
be a revised Webster Park map. While the revision has been somewhat haphazard, it is quite extensive. In particular,
we hope that most of the trails on the map now actually exist in the park and, conversely, that most of the distinct
trails in the park are now on the map. There are also many new added rootstocks (and a few removed), and some updates
to vegetation and other features.
Anyone interested in using their GPS can do so on the orange course. The location of all of the orange controls have
been recorded and can be downloaded to your GPS - if you have a cable (we will have a GPSMAP76 cable and an e-Trex cable).
You will also get a map (without controls) and a clue sheet together with the coordinates.
We could use a few more volunteers, to help with registration and with control pick-up. Volunteers will all have an opportunity
to do a course, and the club policy is that volunteers can participate at no charge. If you're interested in volunteering,
please contact Dick Detwiler at RLShadow@aol.com
May 18, 2005
Mendon Ponds Bike, Run and Paddle Event on May 22
FORMAT: There will be 24 points on the map. Participants will have up to three
hours to get any 20 of the points in any order. Four of the points will require
a canoe or kayak. The remaining 20 points can be reached by foot and/or a bike.
This means that you can do the event without a bike or a boat if you wish.
There will be supervised areas for people to leave bikes and boats. There will
be a mass start at 1:00 PM to allow people with church commitments to participate.
Controls will be picked up starting at 4PM. Canoes and kayaks can be rented at
Oak Orchard Canoe 288-5550 or Bay Creek Paddling 288-2830. Both are now located on Empire Blvd.
A separate beginner and string course will also be available from 12-2 PM
Please contact Rick or Linda at 581-2979 if you have any questions.
May 16, 2005
Results from the Durand Eastman Park meet are available.
May 6, 2005
The ROC will be holding it's next regularly scheduled Orienteering meet
this Saturday, May 7th, at Durand Eastman Park. We will be starting from one of
the Pavilions at the end of Log Cabin Road. Four courses will be
offered for all ability levels. Starts at the normal time - 12:00 - 2:00
Courses offered:
White 1.6 km
Yellow - 2.5 km
Orange - 4km
Long Orange - 5.1 km (While longer than a standard orange length
course the controls will be no more difficult than a standard ornage
level course)
Additionally Karl Kolva has offered to lead a 45 min "map walk"
starting at 12:30. This will be an excellent learning opportunity for
beginner or advanced beginner orienteers hoping to gain a little more
"field time" with the company of an expert orienteerer. As you walk
several of the trails around the starting area Karl will show you what
some of those cryptic terms such as re-entrant, spur, attack point, or
saddle, that you hear others throwing about actually mean! Look for
additional info and meeting place near the registration table!
Finally one last reminder: Our second wednesday training session will
take place at Irondequit Bay Park East this upcoming Wednesday May
11th. Start anytime between 6:15 and 6:4 . It will be a score-o
format, meaning people of all levels can come and enjoy the night in
one of Monroe counties best and most undeveloped parks! We will also
be offering a 45 min map hike again, for those who might be interested
at around 7:00..... Parking will be in the small lot at the end of
Smith Road of Empire Boulevard (according to the parks department
website, but I think the sign at the end of the road may say East bay
park rd). There will be a flag at the intersection with Empire
boulevard. Please park on the right side of the road when you arrive.
More info to follow....
April 26, 2005
Results from the Badgerow Park meet are available.
April 20, 2005
This Sunday we will be offering a selection of two White and Yellow
courses and a Memory-O at Badgerow Park in Greece. Badgerow is the perfect
location for first time orienteers and for those who had their first
orienteering experience at our Icebreaker. It is surprsing that such a
small park offers an extensive trail system with all the wonderful
features of a larger park; marshes, streams, wooded areas, and some
MUD! Be sure to dress accordingly.
Experienced orienteers will enjoy the challenge of Memory-O. Three sets
of controls will be marked on maps posted at the Start. Participants
will be given punch cards and get a clue sheet and find the controls on
the first map. When that is successfully completed they will return to
start to memorize the controls on the second map and get a new clue
sheet (and once again with the third map).
In the spirit of Earth Week, extra points and prizes will be given for
the retrieval of trash found on the trail.
Badgerow Park is located on Latta Road, east of Dewey Ave.
Take 390 N to the Latta Road exit. Turn right (east). Cross Mt. Read
Blvd. and Dewey Ave. Lakeshore School is on the left. The entrance to
Badgerow Park is on the left, just beyond the school entrance.
See you on the trail this Sunday!
April 14, 2005
Results from the 2005 Icebreaker event at Mendon Ponds Park are available.
April 7, 2005
ROC will have our first meet of the season on Saturday April 9 at
Mendon Ponds Park - Calvary lodge. The snow is gone and the woods
are as open as they ever will be.
There will be 5 courses plus some special items for you this week.
Course Length climb # controls
White 2.39 km 80 m 9
Yellow 3.70 km 160 m 8
Orange 4.81 km 180 m 11
Green 5.54 km 235 m 15
Red 7.14 km 275 m 18
For those who really want a challenge there will be Red, Green and
Orange maps WITHOUT TRAILS. So even if you think you know Mendon,
this will be a different orienteering experience.
Please note that the number of special maps is limited - so come early
and ask for one!
Hope to see you on Saturday
March 25, 2005
New issue of the ROC newsletter, The Wild Times, is available.
January 24, 2005
Results from the Mendon Ponds Park Ski-O are available.
January 20, 2005
There will be a ski-orienteering meet this Sunday at Cavalry Lodge in Mendon Ponds Park. This is a
qualifier for the Empire State Games in Lake Placid. (If you complete this one and one other in your
age class (for that you would have to travel to another club's meet) you qualify for the games. There
will also be a short snowshoe course (same one as last year.)
Starts are 12:00 to 1:30 from Calvary lodge. As you have probably heard already, there is a warning about the
expected winter storm coming this way Saturday night. Expectations are for 8-14 inches of new snow
over Saturday night. That means all the skied in trails and groomed trails may no longer be groomed
or skied in....so get there early and give yourself plenty of time :) It's going to be cold, with lots
of new snow, meaning times will be slow....
Courses:
Men's Open - 16km
Women's Open/Men’s master - 12.5km
Scholastic/Women's master's 8 km
White/Beginners - 3km
Our meet is part of Winterfest, a celebration of winter at various locations in the park. We will
be distributing information about orienteering at Stewart Lodge, where most of the activities will be
taking place. We could use some help with this starting at 1:30 from someone who isn't planning to do the ski-o.
January 7, 2005
January 8 Ski-O at the Letchworth State Park has been cancelled due to poor snow conditions.
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