Discussion: 2012 Highlander / Lowlander

One entry each to this year's Hudson Highlander and Lowlander will also be among the biddable items at the Junior Team Silent Auction this Saturday.

The Highlander for 2012 is near to a tipping point. There is a course setter and there are some other key people willing to fill roles that they have in the past, but there is no overall meet director, and we don't have a person willing to deal with getting permission from the park. If people step up to take on these tasks, we can probably still make the event happen, but if not, it will probably be a victim of abundance -- the NAOC, WCOC meet, Central Park, Ward Pound Ridge, etc. taking up too much in the way of volunteer resources. If it is cancelled, it wouldn't be unprecedented, as there was not a Highlander in 2002. (In fact, there has never been a Highlander in a year that ends with a 2.)

Anybody want to raise their hand and keep this year's event alive?

So you need one person to get permits. Is it possible to specify which permits are needed and who the relevant authorities are? The HVO/OUSA insurance certs are easy to get.

And then a meet director, who just has to make sure everyone else does their job?

Quoting someone at the weekend, "I just booked my flights, they can't cancel".

Dealing with Harriman apparently is a difficult process these days...

7 Lakes Drive has been repaved! Drove the whole length of it yesterday - smooth as silk.

Incredible! It needed it badly.

oooh. who wants to go rollerskiing??

Careful Alex, half of it is downhill.

Getting the Harriman permits is straight forward. Depending on the map it's the Sebago or Tiorati office. Check which ranger is in charge this year. Get the course outline and the insurance certificate, file the permit.
The most time consuming thing is the logistics of setting/hanging controls and having enough helpers willing to spend a day feeding & refueling the racers. The logistics can be reduced by using a looping pattern with most of the transitions and feeding stations at the same place.
As every experienced Highlander knows, the race being canceled can be translated into regular English as 'let's get things done'.

yeah I've been riding on 7 lakes a few times since they re-paved it. It worth noting that only the southern half was recently paved. The central and northern ends had been done some time ago.
Three bummers:
1- the heavy rains lately have washed debris in the form of dirt and pebbles onto the road.
2- They have already had to dig up and patch some areas
3- Watch for transitions over bridges they have not done a great job on them. Maybe they will fix.

Note we have so far:
- epunch coordinator
- course setter
- cooks
- vetters

we need a registrar and a Meet director.

We also have a rec course setter (Nadya P).

We still need a park liason (permit-getter), or is that presumed to be the ED? (wasn't last year)

I nominate guy to the the ED

Guy respectfully declines.

One entry each to this year's Hudson Highlander and Lowlander ...

Of course, these will be honored in 2013, if the 2012 HH does not take place.

come on Guy. All you have to do is wave your arms around a lot and say important sounding things. :-)

I nominate Aleck, Anna and Elina. Then they'd get to boss Bernie around.

Guy, look how easy it is. Aleck, Anna, and Elina could do but they are already vetters and on control hanging.

Volunteering somebody else doesn't seem to be especially productive.

We would also need somebody to take on the task of ordering prizes.

I am course setter but have yet to finalize the course. It seems like nobody is willing to take on a few key roles. Given the option I would vote to skip the Highlander this year. I have plenty to keep me busy without the added effort of course design. Can we get a final vote from the remaining members of the fab five? Peggy, JJ, Bernie and Bob?

Five? Uh... don't forget Charlie!

(I could probably do registrar again if the other roles were filled. But I also have no problem with the event taking a sort of sabbatical.)

If the Highlander is cancelled, maybe a few people can get together in Harriman that weekend and hang streamers for the NAOC training week?

Sorry charlie.

Each year I think may be the last, but you had me worried that the last might already have come and I missed it.

So, we need permission and a meet director? Can I call up the park and get us permission? Who has done this in the past that I can talk to about who I should ask to speak with etc? It would be a shame to have the event canceled if we already have a course setter. Does the meet director have to be local?

I'm down for some training/streamer hanging/course vetting that weekend if the Highlander is canceled. Obviously that's second best to running the Highlander.

For his Eagle project, Aleck will be working on building a trail and creating an O map Just 2 miles from Harriman the weekend if the highlander is cancelled.

http://goo.gl/maps/NnPSm

If anyone wants to come and field check the map or build trail, you get to stay at our place (also next to Harriman)! He already has a nice LIDAR based base map.

Alex, I'd talk to piutepro... I'll forward you his mail.

Spoke to Travey Love in the permitting office today and it looks like someone beat me to the enquiry and picked up an application on Saturday.

Looks like it is going to happen!

Super woo!

Woo²!

World of O!

I wish it was not up against the ON Champs and Boggs Mtn A-event, but there was significant sentiment that it should not be one week before NAOC. And tradition always has it in early October.

More information now available...

Online registration is now OPEN!

List of Registrants

Nice!

Please note: In order to be "confirmed", we must have BOTH your payment AND waiver.

And if you see a guy with a shotgun, don't bother him.

Jokes aside, a similar situation caused the cancellation of a long-anticipated, inaugural race last year in Mendocino County, so make sure there is understanding between HVO and the park that you'd at least get the permit fees back if this happens. Also keep the entrants updated; the guy in Mendocino survived in the woods for a long time, a couple of weeks perhaps, and was strong enough to get into a fireright the day he was discovered (a couple days after the scheduled race if I recall correctly). And, make sure there is understanding between the club and the entrants as to what the entry fee refund policy is should the race be cancelled in a case like this.

If I can't get in the woods to put out controls this weekend then I will need help next saturday to pull this off.

I'm not planning on racing Joe, I could help out. Providing the guy with the gun has gone by then!

Joe, I can help next Sat. if you need it.

I wonder if any of these are control locations? Scroll down for Map Hope the drama ends by next week!

Not control locations, but too close to HH course to be running in the woods.

Good thing this did not happen last year...

...or next weekend.

So how close is the Highlander course from using the map or assembly area where the guy is rumored to be or the police are using for their HQ ?

at what distance do you feel safe Sam? 1, 2, 5 miles? nearest control is less than 2 miles from the Irish Potato.

It's not the guy you worry about. It's the armed deputies and vigilantes in the woods looking for people on the run.

UPDATE: I spoke to the park office this afternoon. As of right now, we have the permit for the Highlander. They would understand if we cancel the event and refund the permit fee. The park ranger will check with her superior and get back to me if needed.

Nobody knows what is. Meaning the many theories, ideas and speculations don't mean much. Palmer might be hiding (pretty miserably), might not be alive or might sit at a friend's house and have lunch. We don't know.

I will suggest a what-if plan to the HH/LL organizers/course setter. As of now, I assume the event will happen.

Check this thread for updates.

Extra points or a time bonus for bringing in the fugitive?

You got it Kadley, trigger-happy deputies scare me a lot more than one lone fugitive.

I'm sure they learnt their lesson after 8 out of 9 shot outside the empire state building were hit by police...

learnt their lesson

For now; until they forget and get trigger happy again.

UPDATE Wednesday noon: The race is canceled. The park office withdrew the permit. The course setter and the organizers had already decided to cancel Sunday's race.

We are discussing a postponed event early in November.

Registered runners can choose either a refund or remain registered for a postponed Highlander.

We are disappointed and sorry. For the safety and the peace of mind of everyone, this is the right decision.

We runners are also disappointed and sorry, but given the sad circumstances, this is clearly the correct decision.

Nicely handled. I'm happy to carry over my entry to a future HH.

Darn, well this means that I may have to run it after all.

Thanks for making a hard decision.