This afternoon, OK and Possum Trot hosted an orienteering session for the third annual Women's Outdoor Weekend (WOW). WOW is a weekend of varied outdoor activites and is arranged by the Clay County Parks Department. Orienteering was offerred as an activity for the second year.

There were 11 women who learned about orienteering and then completed a short score-O' course. Mary, Dan, Dick L., Kevin S., and I provided instruction. We used a map of the Sailboat Cove area (near Paradise, Missouri) on the east side of Smithville Lake. The map covers a small peninsula. It is not a great map (I think I spent about 90 minutes doing the field checking) or area, but it is adequate for teaching orienteering.

Mary began the instruction with a short description of orienteering and topographic maps. We then broke into small groups and "map walked" a three control course. Next, Kevin gave a 20-minute presentation on using an orienteering compass. After a short break, the particpants all did a score course. Nearly everyone completed the entire course and seemed to enjoy the experience.

Several of the women who participated expressed some interest in attending local events. We hope to see some of them at upcoming meets.

Did we learn any lessons for next year's WOW?

I can think of a couple: (1) we ought to have name tags for the instructors; (2) a short excercise to test compass skills might help people understand how the compass bearings can be used (on the other hand, you could probably skip the use of the compass entirely); (3) high salary for the instructors (Dan suggested that one).

-- Michael Eglinski (meglin@juno.com), September 11, 1999

Answers

It's been my experience that beginners often want to learn how to 'take a bearing'. Instead, I've found that it's better to teach just to orient the map initially by using the simple compass skill of knowing that the red end of the needle point north... and later on teach the more complex skill of 'taking a bearing'.

-- Fritz Menninger (fpmenninger@hotmail.com), September 12, 1999.

Some of the rest of us have expressed an interest in purchasing a Women's Outdoor Weekend T-shirt. How does one go about acquiring such an item?

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), September 13, 1999.

Some of the rest of us have expressed an interest in purchasing a Women's Outdoor Weekend T-shirt. How does one go about acquiring such an item?

-- Mook (everett@psi.edu), September 13, 1999.

There are two options -- find someone who already has one and "make them an offer they can't refuse," or come to next year's WOW and help.

-- Michael Eglinski (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), September 13, 1999.