Pawtuckaway 2004 Canoe-O

Your co-canoe-o meet director (Sep 11, 2004, 08:18am)

Darrell Scott (Sep 11, 2004, 09:05am) It has become the tradition at the Pawtuckaway Canoe-O to take a picture of each individual or group just before they start their course. The results then have links back to these pictures. Therefore, you will see lots of pictures of canoers wearing life jackets, holding paddles and looking optimistic.

Darrell Scott leaves the canoe launch (Sep 11, 2004, 09:09am)

Darrell at control number 1 (Sep 11, 2004, 09:09am) The canoe launch was only a quick one minute run from the start, and control number 1 was only about 100 feet from the canoe launch. When a new contestant started (and we were not that busy), I would run down to the canoe launch to take pictures of the contestant leaving the canoe launch and punching the first control. Here you see Darrell at control number 1. Darrell punched this control right away. Many contentants paddled right past control 1 (intentionally or by accident) and had to punch that control when they returned to the canoe launch.

Darrell checks his time as he finishes (Sep 11, 2004, 10:07am)

Terry Meyers (Sep 11, 2004, 10:26am)

Terry overshoots control 1 and has to back-up (Sep 11, 2004, 10:30am) In years past, some groups could not even find the first control. So this year, we decided to place control number 1 in plane sight of the canoe launch, only 100 yards away. However, the control was so close, that some groups past right by it before even looking at their maps. This is Terry at the beginning of her course. Sterry went past control number 1 by a canoe length before she noticed her mistake. This picture captures Terry backing up to punch control number 1, right after she noticed her mistake.

Charlie DeWeese copies his course (Sep 11, 2004, 10:49am) Although we like to think that the canoe orienteering is the main attraction, most of the people who come to Pawtuckaway for the second weekend in September are their for the foot orienteering. Here is the first of a number of shots of people participating in the foot orienteering. You can easily tell the difference; foot-O racers do not bother to wear life jackets.

Maureen Knepp copies her course (Sep 11, 2004, 10:50am)

The foot-O start and finish area (Sep 11, 2004, 10:50am)

The registration desk (Sep 11, 2004, 11:00am) Saturday morning was a busy time at the registration desk. This is registration for the entire meet, foot-O, canoe-O, vampire-O and dinner. That's Eva on the right doing most of the registration work (as was the case the entire weekend).

The boy scouts review the canoe-O rules (Sep 11, 2004, 11:27am)

Troup 21 B (Sep 11, 2004, 11:30am) Boy Scout Troup 21, from Hudson, NH, split up into two groups of four people each. This group, self named "B", used two canoes. The other group, self named "Dibble" and shown in the next picture, used four single person kayaks. The two groups started at a few minutes apart and split up once they reached the lake.

Troup 21 Dibble (Sep 11, 2004, 11:30am)

Boy Scouts Dibble team launch their canoes (Sep 11, 2004, 11:34am)

Boy Scouts launch their boats (Sep 11, 2004, 11:34am) Even though the kayaking scouts started first, it took so long for the four boys to get their kayaks launched that the canoe-using scouts left the canoe launch at the same time.

Boy Scouts race past the first control (Sep 11, 2004, 11:34am) I took great pleasure in watching group after group paddle right past control number 1 without even noticing. Control number 1 is that red flagging on the left side of the picture.

Boy Scouts in kayaks (Sep 11, 2004, 11:35am)

A little pushing and shoving amount the scouts (Sep 11, 2004, 11:35am)

Boy Scouts paddle past control number 1 (Sep 11, 2004, 11:35am)

The Boy Scouts race for control number 2 (Sep 11, 2004, 11:35am)

Lex, weekend co-meet director (Sep 11, 2004, 11:40am) Lex Bundschuh (shown here) and Eva Ruutopold (her picture comes later) were responsible for the entire weekend. Daphne and I only had to deal with the canoe-O part of the weekend events.

Beth and Ben Gould (Sep 11, 2004, 11:51am)

The canoe-O rules and official clock (Sep 11, 2004, 11:51am)

Ben and Beth race for the canoe launch (Sep 11, 2004, 11:55am)

Putting the kayak into the water (Sep 11, 2004, 11:55am)

Ben and Beth race off (Sep 11, 2004, 11:56am)

Approaching control number 1 (Sep 11, 2004, 11:56am)

Ben and Beth punching control number 1 (Sep 11, 2004, 11:57am)

Girl scout troup staying at the group area (Sep 11, 2004, 11:58am) This year the orienteering meet was unable to use the group picnic area at Pawtuckaway because that area was being used for a wedding (more later). So we use the pavillion in the group camping area instead. However, the group camping area was begin used by at least two groups of girl scouts. I do not think the girl scouts participated in the orienteering events. Here is a picture of one of the groups, "hanging out" in the middle of a field next to the orienteering start/finish area. P.S. Over a hundred orienteers plus a couple of groups of girl scouts all relying on the small bathrooms at the group camping pavillion equaled long lines for the women.

Pete explains his route choices (Sep 11, 2004, 12:04pm)

The woods were filled with packs of wild girls (Sep 11, 2004, 12:04pm) You can tell that these girls are not orienteering. For one thing, they do not have a map. Then there is the fact that they are walking around in a large group (orienteering is usually done solo or in a very small group). But they are in the middle of one of the courses, slowly walking towards the finish area. Just one of the hazards that a runner must avoid (sort of like cliffs).

Studying the string-O course (Sep 11, 2004, 12:05pm) All orienteering meets feature a "string course", for the very young. A string course is a very short orienteering course, where the entire course is marked with a colored ribbon. Participants only have to follow the string, and collect stickers at each of the controls (one of the string course controls is shown in the next picture). There is a map for a string course, but the map tends to be very simple (after all, you only have to follow the string). But I had to keep this picture of a string course participant carefully studing the map before setting out.

Walking the string course (Sep 11, 2004, 12:07pm)

Mommy, can I help (Sep 11, 2004, 12:08pm) Katrin and Oliver Tennisberg

Setup for a wedding by the lake shore (Sep 11, 2004, 12:14pm) As I mentioned before, the group picnic area was not available to us this year because it was being used by a wedding. Yes, some happy couple decided to tie the knot at the edge of Pawtuckaway Lake, in the middle of a state park. While I was down at the water taking pictures of canoers, I took this shot of the wedding area a few hours before the blessed event.

Dave Dunham races along the trail (Sep 11, 2004, 12:16pm)

Here come the scouts racing back to the finish (Sep 11, 2004, 12:18pm)

Scout punching control number 1 (Sep 11, 2004, 12:17pm) What timing. I found myself back at the canoe launch at the same time that the boy scouts were returning. Was I psychic or what? Here is the lead kayak in the "Dibble" group of scouts. This was the same group that buzzed past the first control when they started the course. Here they are shown picking up that missed control on the way back.

And now on to the finish (Sep 11, 2004, 12:18pm)

And here comes the second group (Sep 11, 2004, 12:19pm)

Another shot of scout determination (Sep 11, 2004, 12:19pm)

Coming in for a landing (Sep 11, 2004, 12:19pm)

Both groups of Troup 21 pull in together (Sep 11, 2004, 12:19pm)

Last scout boat pulls into the beach (Sep 11, 2004, 12:19pm)

Troup 21 racing to the finish line (Sep 11, 2004, 12:22pm) Here is the scout Dibble team as they pull into the Canoe-O finish table (which is also the start table). Needless to say, I got quite a workout running back and forth between the start/finish and the canoe launch with camera in hand.

The faces of a happy canoe-o team (Sep 11, 2004, 12:22pm)

Jeff Saeger (Sep 11, 2004, 12:55pm)

Alan Kable studies the rules (Sep 11, 2004, 01:04pm)