The Bumble
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Saturday
It’s that time of year! Come out and celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Super Bowl Saturday Bumble AND enjoy QOC’s Winter Meeting and Pot Luck Party! Thanks to the hard work and mapping skills of Nadim Ahmed, head Bumble David Onkst has a new addition to the Lake Frank map to use for this fun and crazy race. In addition to a Mass Start event for advanced courses, there will also be White, Yellow and Orange level courses available. PLEASE read the notes below for important details about the courses and the party.
IMPORTANT: Please do NOT bring dogs to the park. The County has posted a Blue-Green Algae ALERT for Lake Frank and Lake Needwood, which can be very harmful to dogs if ingested (drinking or licking paws); the concern for humans only appears to be if ingested in large amounts. Bumble courses will cross Rock Creek (which feeds into the lakes) so be sure not to splash water on your face or fall in and take a big gulp! Also, be sure to wash your hands after touching any clothing or shoes that may have gotten wet.
Registration and the post-race party will be in the White Oak Hall at the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center.
- We have access to a full kitchen (fridge, stove, oven), but please bring any pots/utensils you may need for cooking. Also bring serving utensils for your dish.
- NO alcohol is allowed at this facility; QOC will provide non-alcoholic beverages and paper goods.
- NO dogs are allowed in the Smith EE Center.
Parking will be tight, so carpooling is highly encouraged and appreciated. There are a limited number of spaces at the Smith Center, but we have permission to parallel-park on both sides of Meadowside Lane (two wheels on grass; two wheels on road). PLEASE follow instructions from our parking assistants.
Because of the mass start we will open registration at 10:30am. Please be sure to arrive early to avoid a last minute rush.
Important notes:
- Beginners are welcome at this event (just like at 99% of our events!)
- Those participating on the Red or Blue-equivalent courses WILL need to have an SI-6 or newer e-punch to hold the high number of controls. These will be provided free-of-charge for those who own their own punch but need an upgrade and for the usual fee for those borrowing an epunch.
- Beginner (White, Yellow) and intermediate (Orange) courses will have regular starts from 11:00am to 1:30pm.
- The advanced (Beige, Brown, Mint, Green, Pink, Red, Blue) courses will have a MASS START at Noon.
- Please be ready for the PRE-RACE briefing near the start at 11:45am.
- Long pants/sleeves and gaiters are recommended as there are some "green" areas.
- Everyone must be out of the woods and back at the registration/finish area by 3:00pm, which is when we begin picking up the controls.
Looking forward to seeing you soon! Please feel free to contact the Event Director (link below) with questions.
| Location | Lake Frank, Lathrop Smith EEC, Rockville, MD (.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registration | No advance registration required. Just show up and have fun! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start Times | You may start your course at any time during the start window listed below for your event. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule | Saturday, February 4
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| Volunteers |
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| Location Details |
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| Course Details | .
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| Course Notes | . In addition to the regular beginning and intermediate courses, this event will also have one, single, very unique, “mass start” advanced course. Like last year, all of the advanced courses – Beige through Blue – will be rolled-up into one course/event. If you fear you won’t be able to keep up with the speedsters, don’t worry, there will be several twists to level the playing field. In addition to containing regular orienteering course legs, the advanced course will also have 5 windows that contain a number of controls. The windows will vary in size and control density, and each competitor, depending on his or her gender and orienteering level will have a handicap that will determine how many windows he or she must run. The level is based on the normal course he/she runs at local QOC Meets. As per normal window rules, you must visit every control in the window, but the controls inside each window may be taken in any order the runner decides. Adding another twist, each competitor, depending on his or her handicap, will be able to determine which of the windows he or she wants to run. For example, if the handicap is 3 windows, the competitor can decide which 3 of the 5 windows he or she wants to include. Suffice it to say that some windows are very small and only have a few bags, while others are much larger and contain multiple controls.
Wondering what a "window" on an orienteering course map is? See the diagram below. The key point is that after a mandatory numbered control (in this case, control 2), you can go to the three letter controls (A, B, C) in the boxed area in any order you like, before continuing on to control 6. Part of the fun is figuring out which way will be the quickest.
The handicaps are as follows: The advanced course length for each runner will vary based on his or her handicap and what windows he or she decides to run. Those with the most generous handicap should only have to travel approximately 5-6K, while those with the least favorable handicap might have to run upward of 10K. The rest will fall somewhere in between those distances depending on the choices they make. If racers select the course appropriate for their skill/fitness level, then everyone should conceivably finish at roughly the same time. If you can’t make the 12:00pm mass start for some reason you can run the advanced course (according to your handicap) on your own just as long as you are finished by 3:00pm. Mass start races provide orienteers with several different and exciting challenges than they normally encounter during regular individual courses (such as following other orienteers). So, we hope you’ll join us at this fun and unique event.
Lengths for non-advanced courses: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Entry Fees | Individual Entries
Note: juniors = under 21
Team or Group Entries Participants are welcome to compete together as a single team entry. Teams containing one or more nonmembers are charged the nonmember individual rate. Teams containing one or more adults are charged the adult individual rate. For teams to receive member or junior rates, all members of the team must be members or juniors, respectively. Each extra team map beyond the first is an additional $2. Individuals or teams desiring to compete on a second course can do so for a reduced fee of $2/map. Important Notes
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