OLOU Billy Goat, 2002

Billy Goat, Report and Results
by Louie Smith, Goat Master

Rich Mazzoli went to hang controls on Friday, but when he arrived at the park entrance, he found the gate closed and the road unplowed. He called me and we decided that we would hang controls and change the start and finish to reflect the new developments. I went out a few hours later and hung a few more controls, leaving only 4 or 5 for the morning. I then went home and moved start and finish from the shelter by the lake to the park gate just across the road from the Jefferson County Forest Welcome Center. I also decided to shorten the Goat by eliminating the controls west of Jefferson Hill Road (the middle of the course) and the Junior Goat by cutting out 3 controls. Unfortunately, moving the start ment that the Kid would be a little longer. Saturday morning Rich and I arrived and hung two controls, including a new last control for all the courses and a new first control for the Kid. When we got back to the welcome center, Jim Carter was waiting for us and told me that two orienteers from the Indianapolis Crossroads club were in the building. I gave Rich two controls that were in the middle of the course and near Jefferson Hill Road and the water for the water stop. Jim Carter drove him over near that location since the parking spot at that location was probably not usable.

I went in an introduced myself to Chris Greves and Michael Sapper from Indianapolis and told them that the Goat was going to be a little shorter due to the snow. They said that they had driven down from Indy to go on a long, tough course and would be pleased to tackle anything that we could throw at them. Mike Minium and Kyle Hertel arrived from Cincinnati a few minutes later. Mike was not afraid of a long course either so I scrapped my abreviated course and let them have a go at the full Billy.

Interestingly, the snow seemed to have supressed turnout only among the locals. We had competitors not only from Indianapolis and Cincinnati but also a few from Madisonville and Nancy Logan from Bowling Green.

We moved into the welcome center to copy maps. This was one bonus for the meet director, a warm place to start; better than the open shelter by the lake that was the usual camp. At a few minutes after 11, we moved to the starting gate and competitors were given the go.

They set off down the park road and quickly devided into two groups; a bunch of runners in the front with an almost equal sized group of walkers bringing up the rear.

The first control for both groups was about 300 meters down the road. The Kids had a control at a trail head while those on the Goat courses were looking for a reentrant. The Kid course followed a trail, mostly along a ridge line.

The Goat, however, took a roller coster ride in the snow; with a lot of brambles blocking their way. Those brambles in this section of the JCF can be quite thick.

White water canoeists name rapids. Well, we name bramble patches. There's the "Mother of all Brier Patches", "Dog Catcher" and "Course Setters Misery". Rich got stuck in a brier patch a few years ago and we had to get the jaws of life to get him out.

The hills, of course, are the real star of this Goat. The two biggest hills on the course were both west of Jefferson Hill Road. The first of these features over a 200' climb but offers a beautiful view of the city. After bagging that control, the competitors went down into a valley and along a creek After punching in at a control on a stream junction, the competitors turned east and up an angular, snow covered slope. The control, tauntingly visible 250' up the hill.

The first person back to the finish line was Dan Mattingly, who had chosen the Junior course. A short time later, Mary Hamilton came in after finishing the Kid. Next to finish was Kyle Hertel on the Junior, just a minute ahead of Mike Minium, who was first back on the Goat and, thus, the winner of the coveted Billy Goat - Grand Champion long sleeved t-shirt. Kyle Hertel took home a Billy Goat - Junior Grand Champion t-shirt while Mary Hamilton was awarded the Billy Goat - Novice Grand Champion shirt.

The second place finishers in the Goat and Junior Goat courses received a Reserve Champion t-shirt.

Results:

Thanks go out to the competitors for having the guts to go for the Goat and also to Rich Mazzoli for hanging controls as well as to Jim Carter, Paul Vice and Mike Moser for picking them up.