Over 200 scouts had pre-registered for the event. I had three different 2k (two kilometers) White (beginner) courses, each with 6 controls; and an additional three Yellow (advanced beginner) courses that were almost 3k, each with 8 controls. Colonie Town Park, with its varied terrain and moderate size, is excellent for this type of activity. The weather remained cloudy, with the sun peeking through on occasion, and temperatures became unusually warm for early November. Out on the trails, a couple of them were soggy and wet from recent rains, and the new-fallen leaves made them even more slippery for running, or even just walking.

Other than a screw-up with one control code, the Meet came off without a hitch. The single $3 registration fee for all, combined with the requirement of pre-registration, made on-site sign-in straightforward.

We discovered that Empire Orienteering Club's first aid kit is not prepared for bee stings. Yellow jackets were also enjoying the last of the warm weather, as well as the apple cider supplied by the Hudson Valley Girl Scout Council. The result was three bee stings, which were the only unfortunate encounters with wildlife for the day.

Following are the Results. Perhaps because they did not understand the process yet, or because we slipped up, there were a half dozen groups that started their course without getting a start time. They are not tallied in the Course results, but their Finish times are listed below.

Thanks to all of those who helped make this meet such a big success. These include Reid Smalley (publicity - early and often, start, timing, and results), Steve Sweet (vetting and fun instruction), Beth Gurzler (vetting, registration, and control pickup), Geoffrey Gurzler (search and rescue mission and control pickup), Bob Lange (registration), Steve Gurzler (instruction and control pickup), and all the scout leaders and parents who organized the troops and other participants and got them to the Park on time.

-Eric Hamilton

No Start Time