A few brave souls weathered severe conditions at McFarlan Woods on Saturday,
the 10th of May.  Monsoon-like rains on Friday Night caused the planned
White and Yellow courses to become slippery and treacherous.  Matthew
Robbins, the meet director, slipped on a rocky trail while placing controls
on Saturday morning (minor injuries only), and decided that placing more
Green controls wasn’t a good idea.  Trail conditions were so bad that the
White and Yellow courses would have to change.

Since a school group was expected to compete, a White course was quickly set
on the safer, but still wet, hilltop area near the parking lot.

When competitors started to arrive, tales of mud and gore and guts were
ignored.  These people wanted some orienteering, NO MATTER WHAT.  Since many
of the Green controls were placed on Friday, before the rain started, score
course maps were drawn up with all the available controls.  Competitors had
to use both the Green and Yellow cluesheets to identify all the controls.
(There was no white cluesheet.)

After five of the seven score course competitors had finished, two of the
later starting competitors, still in the woods, heard the Hamilton County
Emergency Alert Sirens.  These usually go off for Severe Weather like
Tornados and when things like clouds of Hazardous Chemicals are released by
local factories, so these two competitors had no idea what might be
happening.

Back at the start area, the meet director was able to use a car radio to
learn that the sirens were activated due to a Severe Thunderstorm Warning.
Both competitors returned during the severe thunderstorm that followed.

In summary, despite rain, rain, and more rain, the most hardcore of
orienteers made the meet a success.

White  (7 controls)

David and Drew Crane OCIN 17:00
Petr, Parker, and Sam OCIN 17:45
Morgan and Jameson OCIN 26:20

Score (19 Controls—10 Green plus 2 Yellow plus 7 White)

Steve Barnhart MVOC 59:19
Steve Vaughan OCIN 74:20
Vince Hand OCIN 93:50
Guy Lister OCIN 98:20
Gabe and Tom Svobodny MVOC 96:10 (all but white)
Alan and Ian Kallmeyer OCIN DNF-Severe Weather
Brandy Wright MVOC DNF-Severe Weather
 

results of previous event (Governor Bebb, April 19, 2003)

results of next event (Miami Univ Western Woods, May 31, 2003)

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