Discussion: ONA cover photo

For ONA subscribers, the recent Summer 2019 edition-
Sorry, I don't know how to link the photo, and it is a beautiful photo, but is that an acceptable control placement?

Scan and post the photo somewhere else such s a Facebook page or some photo share service (Flikr?) and then post the link here.

It appears to be a crop of this photo (linked from the actual photographer's flickr)

It's a little hard to say based on a single point of perspective.

Sadly I've seen such and even eviler control placements out in the desert sometimes... Here I think the rock that blocks part of it only does so only when looked at from this angle though.

It still appears to require climbing "into" the rock which I am not in favor of for safety considerations. Being in a hurry invites fall, twisted ankle etc.

Here's my classic "Boulder cluster, under" control:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/NZVAM3rZMoMmpkBy6

Any 127 hour splits on that control?

@slow-twitch: This is part of a summer swim/splash O race, it is very intentional that multi-time attendees have advantages vs the virgins. This is certainly the _only_ way Svabergsprinten resembles Barkley.

Split times within the control circle varies between 10 seconds and 3-4 minutes...

I took that photo. :-)

It was control 135 (Red #11) on GPHXO's First Water map -- link.

bbrooke, where were you standing, related to features on the map?
Any comments about how the photo depicts the O situation, access to, and visibility of the control?

and again, good eye, congratulations.

Hi Eric, I don't specifically remember...but I assume I was standing just east of the boulder pile, looking west.

And, thank you; that was just one of zillions of photos I took with my phone (because I love the scenery out there!). I really like this one from Catalina State Park since the sky is more blue and that saguaro is HUGE!

Anyone have a nomination for best ONA cover of all time?
Or best to break into categories?

PG Wheeties box

Responding to the original question ... for the level of event in question, I would think that is fine control placement. Control description says east side of rock feature. If you navigate to the east side of the rock feature (which is presumably where the photo is taken), the control is relatively easily visible.

That said, if it were a nationally sanctioned event or WRE, then I would expect a couple things ...
1) Control description should match mapped control feature (i.e., boulder cluster 207 rather than boulder 204/205).
2) Control should actually be placed on the eastern side of the feature (not in the eastern portion), i.e., so that the control flag is fully visible and not half-hidden by the rock in front of it.

Looks like fun orienteering from the photos. Have to add it to my (retirement) bucket list.

Anyone have a guess as to who has been the most frequent cover girl and cover boy on ONA over the years?

On a Red or Blue course, I don't think this is a problem. I would hesitate to put it in the middle of a rock pile on a Brown course. I've seen too many controls on Brown courses where the last five meters to the punch were almost straight up or down.

I just went thru all the issues I've published since the end of 1999. Not counting when someone might have shown up in a large group shot, here are the top cover girls/boys...Two people in the O community graced the cover of ONA 4 times - Ali Crocker and Ross Smith. Sam Saeger came in second with 3 cover shots. With two covers, we had Eric Bone, Viktoria Brautigam, Boris G., Marie Cat Bruno, and Charlie Shabazian. I hope I did not miss anyone in my review....

In the pre 1999 issues posted to the O-USA website Sharon Crawford was the clear favorite cover girl.
Donna, you have been publishing ONA since 1999? Wow! That makes 20 years. Time to put you on the cover and award you one of those O-USA trophies.
Thanks for all you do!!!!

The Donna era has lasted considerably longer than the Berman era.

(Donna and Steve, that is. Not to be confused with the earlier, unrelated, Donna and Keith era.)

Thank you ;-)

How long was the Berman era?

And before that (they offered the combined magazine for the US and Canadian O federations) the half-size magazine was called ... Orienteering USA.

For years I had the preview edition of Orienteering North America. It was distributed by the Bermans at the US Champs held in 1984 at Hawn State Park in Missouri where I was the event controller as well as every issue up to the end of the last century. Sadly, somewhere along the line my subscription lapsed and then the collection got recycled. Now thanks to Greg Lennon and O-USA I can read any and all of those issues any time I wish.

I still have the preview, but it was a couple of years before I subscribed.