Buffalo Orienteering Festival

2009 BUFFALO ORIENTEERING FESTIVAL

May 16 - 17, 2009 Prepared by the Buffalo Orienteering Club

Updates ----------

Check this page on the BFLO web site @ http:\\www.buffalo-orienteering.org/festival for periodic updates and additional information. This page was originally posted on January 2, 2009.

January 8-Bluegrass band chosen. See the Picnic section.

January 24-SportIdent rentals reduced from $5.00 per day to $2.00 per day. See the Electronic Punching section.

February 16-Registration List link added. See directly below.

May 9-Distance and Climb Chart link added. See directly below.

May 12-Area Map link added. See directly below.

May 12-Competition Notes link added. See directly below.

May 12-Start Times are now posted on the Registration List link directly below. The time period for Start Time requests has now closed. Please email the Registrar festival@buffalo-orienteering.org with information about possible mistakes or emergency situations.

May 15-Competition Notes Addendum link added. See directly below.

May 17- All Results posted below.

May 18- Sprint Splits by Course link fixed.

May 18- Photos by Roland Brennan of Day 1 Middle.

May 18- Photos by Roland Brennan of Day 1 Sprint.

May 18- Photos by Roland Brennan of Day 1 Awards.

May 18- Photos by Alexis Rzewski of Day 1 .

May 18- Photos by Alexis Rzewski of Day 2 .

May 18- Really Cool 360-Degree Photos by Ken Vail of Day 1 Middle .

May 18- Really Cool 360-Degree Photos by Ken Vail of Day 2 Long .

Saturday Middle ----------By Class ----------By Course ----------Splits By Class ----------Splits By Course ----------RouteGadget

Saturday Sprint ------------By Class ---------By Course ----------Splits By Class ----------Splits By Course ----------RouteGadget

Sunday Long ---------------By Class ----------By Course ----------Splits By Class ----------Splits By Course ----------RouteGadget

Bon Appetit ------Registration List ---Distance and Climb Chart ---Area Map ---Competition Notes-& Addendum

The Buffalo Orienteering Club invites you to join us in savoring the 2009 Buffalo "O" Fest. Our dual entrees of Middle and Long events, at two new and unique venues, will sandwich an exciting Sprint and indoor-outdoor barbecue spiced with live music. We’re cooking up a wonderful spring “O” experience in upstate New York.

Friday May 15 – Registration packets will be available for pickup in Emery Park from 6:00pm to 9:00pm in the Stohrer Lodge on the south side of the park.

Saturday May 16 – Meet Headquarters location for Registration, Vendors, Sprint, Picnic and Bus Transportation is the Ski Lodge at Emery Park, 2084 Emery Road, South Wales, NY 14139. Shuttle buses will leave from the Ski Lodge to the morning Middle Distance event site at Hunters Creek Park every 20 minutes. Departure times will be 0, 20 and 40 minutes of each hour beginning at 9:00am and ending at 1:20pm. Travel time is approximately 15 minutes. Return trips will leave Hunters Creek Park on the same 0, 20 and 40-minute schedule beginning at 9:20am and continuing until the last competitor finishes.

Saturday morning May 16 – Middle Distance event with starts 10:00-11:30am at Hunters Creek Park, an undeveloped member of the Erie County Park System with a heavily-trailed runable forest and glaciated terrain affording a challenge of quick decisions and sharp elevation changes. This is a 2007 map drafted and field checked by Valentin Vladimirov of Bulgaria and has been used previously for one B-meet. Scale is 1:10,000 with 5-meter contour interval. The start will be a 200-meter walk from the bus drop off area. There will be no parking available at the meet site. Results will be posted at Meet Headquarters in Emery Park.

Saturday early afternoon May 16 – Sprint event with starts 2:00-3:30pm at Emery Park, a popular Erie County Park featuring picnic pavilions and ski hills. The Sprint event will be on the north side of the park in an area that includes predominantly open woods with a combination of gently rolling topography and the steeper ski hill areas immediately above the Ski Lodge. The start and finish will be within sight and short walking distance of the Ski Lodge. Old map updated in 2008 largely to ISSOM standards. Scale is 1:5000 with 5-meter contour interval.

Saturday late afternoon May 16 – There will be a catered picnic (tickets required) in the Emery Park Ski Lodge starting at 4:00pm. Awards for Middle Distance and Sprint events will be presented during the picnic at approximately 5:00pm. See Picnic and Awards sections below for details.

Sunday morning May 17 – Long Distance event with starts 9:00-10:30am at Sprague Brook Park (Glenwood), a gem of the Erie County Park system with an excellent mix of forested and open rolling terrain. This is a 2007 map drafted and field checked by Valentin Vladimirov of Bulgaria and has been used previously for one B-meet. It has a scale of 1:10,000 with 5-meter contour interval. Meet Headquarters will be in the Casino building a short distance left of the entrance driveway. The start will be a 400-meter walk from the Casino. Awards will be presented at approximately 1:00pm.

Electronic Punching ----------

SportIdent electronic punching will be used on all the competitive courses throughout the event. Competitors must either own an e-card or rent one for $2.00 per day of competition.

Classes & Courses ----------

Complete USOF class structure will be offered for all three races. The Middle Distance and Long Distance events will have white, yellow, orange, brown, green, red and blue courses. There will be three Sprint courses. Course 1 is for classes that compete on white and yellow courses. Course 2 is for classes that compete on orange, brown and green courses. Course 3 is for classes that compete on red and blue courses. There will also be open classes on each Sprint course. Winning times on Course 1 are expected to be 10 - 12 minutes. On Courses 2 and 3, winning times are expected to be 12 - 15 minutes and the course lengths will be 2 - 3 km.

Non-timed recreational participants may register on Saturday for that afternoon's Sprint and on Sunday morning for White and Yellow courses only. All recreational participants will start after all competitors on those courses and will use pin punching. Recreational registrations are $8 per course per individual or group.

Directions ----------

Friday night May 15 – The location for pre-meet pickup of Registration packets from 6:00pm to 9:00pm: Stohrer Lodge at Emery Park, 2084 Emery Road, South Wales, NY 14139. Located approximately 27 miles / 32 minutes southeast of the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. From the Buffalo Metropolitan area, take I-90 West, exiting onto Exit 54-Route 400 South towards West Seneca/East Aurora until it ends in approximately 17 miles and becomes Route 16 South. Approximately one-half mile later, turn right at Emery Road (intersection has red light and gas station). Travel approximately one mile on Emery Road (reduce speed through school area) to find entrances to the park on both sides of the road. Use entrance on your LEFT. Inside the park, follow the signs. Hint: the next turn is a quick left.

Saturday May 16 – Meet Headquarters location for Registration, Sprint, Picnic, Results and Bus Transportation: Ski Lodge at Emery County Park, 2084 Emery Road, South Wales, NY 14139. Located approximately 27 miles / 32 minutes southeast of the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. From the Buffalo Metropolitan area, take I-90 West, exiting onto Exit 54-Route 400 South towards West Seneca/East Aurora until it ends in approximately 17 miles and becomes Route 16 South. Approximately one-half mile later, turn right at Emery Road (intersection has red light and gas station). Travel approximately one mile on Emery Road (reduce speed through school area) to find entrances to the park on both sides of the road. Use entrance on your RIGHT. Inside the park, keep right at each intersection until you circle around the Ski Lodge to arrive at the large parking lot. Choose a parking spot and come into the Ski Lodge meet headquarters. "O" signs will be posted from the Route 16/Emery Road intersection. Here's the Google Earth map.

Saturday May 16 – There will be no parking at the Middle Distance meet site at Hunters Creek Park. Transportation to the venue will be via chartered buses leaving just outside the Emery Park Ski Lodge. Competitors will return to Emery via bus for the afternoon Sprint and the picnic.

Sunday May 17 – Sprague Brook Park is located on Foote Road a short distance off of Route 240 in the town of Glenwood, NY 14069. It is approximately 2.5 miles north of Genesee Road in East Concord and approximately 4.5 miles south of the town of Colden. The simplest approach to the park from the Buffalo area is to proceed on I-90 West, exiting onto Exit 55-Route 219 south to the Genesee Road exit. Turn left at the stop sign in order to proceed east on Genesee. In approximately 3.7 miles, turn left onto Route 240 north, then in 2.4 miles right onto Foote Road. The park entrance will be on your left. After entering, turn left and follow the signs to one of several parking lots. Headquarters is in the recently-built Casino building. "O" signs will be posted from the Route 240/Foote Road intersection. Mapquest map.

Preview Maps ----------

Preview maps of Hunters Creek Park, Emery Park and Sprague Brook Park, all at 1:10,000, are available for $5.00 each, postage paid. The Hunters Creek Park and Sprague Brook Park preview maps will be identical to the competition maps. Since the Sprint map will debut at the event, the Emery Park preview map is a 12-year old 1:10,000 version. If we receive your request by May 3rd, your maps will be mailed to you. Otherwise, they will be included in your packet.

Accommodations ----------

Numerous hotels/motels in every price range in the Buffalo metropolitan area are within 30 minutes of the Day 1 sites and 45 minutes of the Day 2 site. Clusters include the town of Hamburg at I-90 exit 57 with a Red Roof Inn ($68), Holiday Inn ($142), Comfort Inns & Suites ($149) and Econo Lodge ($72), the village of East Aurora at Route 400 exit Maple Street with a Hampton Inn ($189) and the historic Roycroft Inn ($130-$195), and the town of Springville at Routes 219 and 39 with a Microtel ($74). The Bryncliff Golf Resort (20 miles east of Emery Park) also has rooms available. Rates are approximate based upon Orbitz circa September 2008.

Camping: The Erie County Parks Department operates a campground at Sprague Brook Park, the Day 2 meet site. Reservations may be made after January 6 by calling (716) 592-2804. If you camp here, restrict your pre-competition activities to the roads and the campground.

Distances ----------

To assist competitors on deciding where to stay or how long a drive it is between specific venues, the following are given as an estimate of driving distances and approximate times with normal traffic.

                        Buffalo-Niagara International Airport to Emery Park – 27 miles, 32 minutes
                        Buffalo-Niagara International Airport to Hamburg – 18 miles, 22 minutes
                        Buffalo-Niagara International Airport to East Aurora – 21 miles, 28 minutes
                        Buffalo-Niagara International Airport to Springville – 32 miles, 40 minutes
                        Buffalo-Niagara International Airport to Sprague Brook Park – 38 miles, 44 minutes
                        Hamburg to Emery Park– 16 miles, 28 minutes
                        East Aurora to Emery Park – 6 miles, 9 minutes
                        Springville to Emery Park – 19 miles, 30 minutes
                        Sprague Brook Park to Emery Park – 13 miles, 20 minutes
                        Hamburg to Sprague Brook Park – 16 miles, 26 minutes
                        East Aurora to Sprague Brook Park – 18 miles, 26 minutes
                        Springville to Sprague Brook Park – 7 miles, 11 minutes

Baby Sitting ----------

Baby Sitting will be available for a $5.00 per hour fee (2 hour minimum) during the competition only. Reserve space when registering.

Picnic with Live Music ----------

A catered picnic will be offered in the Emery Park Ski Lodge on Saturday starting at 4:00pm. It will be a buffet-style dinner of barbecued chicken, potato salad, dessert, beverages, etc. at rectangular tables that seat 10 people. There will be several choices for vegetarians. A large lawn area will also be available for those who wish to bring lawn chairs, blankets, etc. When purchased during registration, tickets are $15 per person for ages 13 and older, $10 for ages 2-12, and free for younger than 2. When purchased after May 10th, ticket cost is $3 higher, subject to availability. A local bluegrass band: The Blue Mule Band will provide live music. Awards for the Middle Distance and Sprint events will be presented during the picnic at approximately 5:00pm.

Souvenir T-Shirt ----------

A limited-edition T-shirt will be the perfect remembrance of your weekend. Pre-order for $12 to guarantee availability of your size. On-site purchases are priced at $15.

Awards ----------

Each race will be treated separately in the determination of awards to the top three eligible individuals in each class. Awards for Middle Distance and Sprint races will be presented during the Saturday picnic. Long Distance awards will be presented at the end of competition on Sunday.

REGISTER EARLY

Meet Fees ----------Register Now ---------- Online ----------By Mail

Fees are set on a staggered scale to encourage early entries but we understand that some individuals may be uncertain far in advance. Register early anyway. Complete refunds of entry fees for any cancellation will be given up to April 19th! Cancel by email to festival@buffalo-orienteering.org. Below are entry fees for adults (21 yrs & up on Dec. 31, 2009) and juniors (20 yrs & below on Dec. 31, 2009) for each race individually when postmarked or registered online by each deadline. Net fees for USOF/COF/IOF members after standard discounts are in parentheses. Register by mail: print the standard USOF form, fill out, sign the waiver portion and mail to Gregory Hyatt, 86 Darwin Dr, Amherst NY 14226 with a check in US Funds made out to the Buffalo Orienteering Club. Or register online: complete the online forms, print the waiver, sign and mail with check or execute an online payment using a credit card or a PayPal account. Individuals not residing in the United States must also register by mail or online, but may choose to bring the waiver and pay on-site (US funds only).

Regular rates shown first (USOF /COF/IOF member discount rates are in parentheses)

Early: Postmark by April 13th or Online by April 19th

Adults $23 ($20) Middle Distance $11 ($8) Sprint $23 ($20) Long Distance

Juniors $15.50 ($14) Middle Distance $7.50 ($6) Sprint $15.50 ($14) Long Distance

Standard: Postmark by April 27th or Online by May 3rd

Adults $33 ($30) Middle Distance $15 ($12) Sprint $33 ($30) Long Distance

Juniors $22.50 ($21) Middle Distance $11.50 ($10) Sprint $22.50 ($21) Long Distance

Late: Postmark by May 4th or Online by May 10th

Adults $43 ($40) Middle Distance $19 ($16) Sprint $43 ($40) Long Distance

Juniors $29.50 ($28) Middle Distance $13.50 ($12) Sprint $29.50 ($28) Long Distance

USOF /COF/IOF member discount – An active Membership ID # must be supplied or the regular rate will be charged. If paying by check, make payable to Buffalo Orienteering Club and mail with a completed USOF or COF standard entry form to: Gregory Hyatt, 86 Darwin Drive, Amherst, NY 14226.

Questions? Email: festival@buffalo-orienteering.org or phone: 716-480-1713. Please limit calls to reasonable times.

Schedule ----------

Packet pickup / Recreational registration:

Friday 5/15/09

6:00pm – 9:00pm at Emery Park Stohrer Lodge (south side of park, follow signs from park entrance)

Saturday 5/16/09

7:30am – 2:00pm inside Emery Park Ski Lodge (north side of park, follow signs from park entrance)

Sunday 5/17/09

8:00am– 11:00am inside Sprague Brook Park Casino

Start times:

Saturday 5/16/09

Middle Distance First start – 10:00am