Missouri Orienteering Champs

February 6, 2005

SLOC hosted Missouri Champs this year at Hawn State Park. David Welsh set courses. Although the Men�s open course was listed as Blue, the woods at Hawn are so fast in the winter that it was actually Red distance.

Competition map

We had been concerned that attendance would be low since it was Super Bowl Sunday. Turnout was actually pretty good, although some of the top runners from Kansas City did not make it.

I started quite fast, hitting the third control in 15 minutes (just over 6:00/Km). Small bobbles at 4 and 5 should have given me pause, but I kept pushing and boomed 7 badly, loosing about 5 minutes. Another mistake at 9 put the run firmly in the �sloppy� column.

David Frei had no such difficulties, as he scorched the 8.7K course in 54:20. David clearly has Hawn figured out � he won the 3-hour there last fall as well (against a stronger field). Gary Thompson finished just behind me in third.

Anna Shafer-Skelton won the Women�s title on the Green course. Posting open wins as a 16-year-old makes her the heir apparent to Suzanne Armstrong. A trip to Junior Worlds seems to be in her future.