Discussion: Hickory Run Rocks!

The next deadline for Hickory Run Rocks is coming up soon - Monday, Oct. 25. Get those registrations in soon!

All courses - sprint, middle and long - finish in a large field in the campground area of Hickory Run. There will be music and commentary and lots of opportunities for socializing.

Details posted on the event website.

Well that's interesting. Do you mind divulging which part of the campground, so those of us staying there can choose how close (or not) we want to be from the action?

All orienteering that takes place in the campground, including the finish area, is in the part of the campground that is now closed for the season. The park keeps one campground section open into November; it is mostly for hunters and has primitive facilities so if you are camping that's where you'll be. That part of the campground is off a bit to the EAST (oops - originally had west) of the main campground and the orienteering will not go into that area. There is a separate entrance for that part of the campground that is used after the main area closes and the road connecting the two parts will have a locked gate across it.

You can walk to the orienteering arena from the part of the campground that will be open - it's not that far - but if you do, you should take care to stay on the main camp road that the cars will be using to access the orienteering parking; areas off to the sides including all the camping loops and buildings and other fields are out of bounds.

Is there a description of the sprint terrain, beyond that there are no uncrossable features?

A few more details of the sprint terrain may be forthcoming, but anything competitors need to know has already been disclosed.

You're not exactly talking it up here, j-man...

Thank you, Sandy. That's very helpful.

Neil, I suspect you can find some hints at your question's answer in Sandy's answer to mine.

A final reminder that Monday Oct. 25 is the last day to register before another increase in fees.

Note that registrations after Monday Oct. 25 may be restricted by map availability.
Event Website.

Online registration to Hickory Run Rocks will be closed beginning Wednesday, 10/27. You must email the Registrar, Dave Urban (urband88 at hotmail dot com), to arrange offline registration. There will be no walk up registration except for recreational White and Yellow courses.

>>There will be no walk up registration except for recreational White and Yellow courses.<<

I constantly remind Event Directors & Registrars that the first O' event I ever attended was an "A" meet I read about in the newspaper. I drove 150+ miles and showed up, and at first they tried to tell me that I could not run a competitive course. I was turned off by the attitude and almost walked away before a friendlier registration person intervened. I ran a competitive orange open, had a great time, and have been around ever since. Orienteering in the US is not so large that we can afford to turn away potential orienteers who might turn into lifetime advocates and volunteers.

Having been a Director and Registrar, I fully sympathize with the desire to have no last-minute registrations. I know they create a painful amount of extra work. But...

The issue may be lack of maps for the competitive courses, if there were only a set few printed above registration levels.

If a club has extra blank maps printed (which we didn't have at the Classic Champs, to my knowledge), then I see no reason to turn people away as long as they are not starting at the end of the window which could potentially impact course setting team activities.

But if there aren't enough extra maps how can a registrar let someone sign up? Perhaps there should be a requirement that a club have a certain number of blank maps available for walk-ups; those folks should be required to copy their course at the start from one of the remaining course maps.

I know that Ed brought a printer and the map files in case we ran out at the CSU/NEOC meet. This works if your printer can successfully print the map (that is to say is of a good enough quality and the map is small enough to fit on whatever paper you've brought along),

I agree with Mike that we should put the customer first whenever possible. But I also think that for DVOA should advertise on AP that there will be no day-of registrations on advanced courses. I say this hoping that it will encourage the readers on AP, experienced orienteers, to communicate with the registrar as far in advance as they can. I suspect that DVOA might be quite lenient at the event, especially with new comers.

DVOA prides themselves on being a friendly, welcoming O-club, so I would expect Rosstopher's suspicion to be accurate. Also, assuming that the White and Yellow rec courses are equivalent to the competitive ones, there should be sufficient maps to at least allow day-of registration on M/F-10, -12, -14, etc.

I couldn't find directions to the meet site at http://www.dvoa.org/events/aevents/2010/
Am I blind?

An oversight. Directions are available on the DVOA website through a different set of links but I'll get it posted on the event website.
Directions

Start times have been posted.

Directions are now also on the event website.

...and let's not forget the Wine & Cheese Social! There will also be cider, crackers and lots of good socializing. Bring your map with your course drawn on it and discuss your routes with one of the members of the Team, they may even be able to give you some little bit of advice that will help you out on Sunday.