Mason Neck

RouteGadget and WinSplits are now online for this event.

It would be hard to have a more perfect meet; great weather and a brand new park, the map courtesy of Quantico’s own, Tom Strat. There were 117 starts. I guess the rest of you had Mother’s Day duties. Otherwise, I don’t understand why you weren’t out here. The Mason Neck staff was fantastic. I’d heard from Tom how pleasant they were to work with, but the courtesy and flexibility they showed us on meet day was something that we don’t always see from park staff.

The park is beautiful. Marmie and I regularly kayak and hike there, and the map suggested that most of the woods were open. But many orienteers struggled with the lack of relief. Face it, we’re spoiled here in Quantico land, with all those steep ridges and reentrants. This will be great practice. Many thanks, Tom, for making this happen.

We weren’t the only people in the park that day, and we set up next to the playground and picnic area, so we were pretty visible. At least two couples dropped by to see what all the fuss was about, and both loved the idea. One couple left with literature while the other went off on the Yellow course with a baby in a carriage. Tom’s Yellow course involved a fair hike off trail, yet they were quite enthusiastic when they finished. Hopefully we’ll see both couples again.

These meets don’t work without lots of support. Jim Chapman and Bill Vienna helped Marmie at registration. Valerie Meyer, with the assistance of Amy Louden and Dan Do, worked her magic at the e-punch table. And what some people don’t realize is that at the end of the day, when everybody is hungry and tired, and can see only a meal and shower in their future, there are still bags in the woods that have to come in. Thanks to Jon Torrance, Ted Good, Greg Lennon, and Sam Listwak for going back into the woods to collect the controls.

- Van Anthony (Event Director)