Submitted by Dick Neuburger
What great weather for running around in the woods all night! The temperature was 70 degrees Saturday
afternoon and it only cooled down to 50 degrees by Sunday morning. The only uncomfortable things were the
thick fog that developed early in the morning and the thick, scratchy woods.
71 orienteers began the Fleming Park Night Rogaine on November 1, 2008. They were about evenly divided into
groups and individuals and the 4-hour and 12-hour versions of the event. Mike Shifman, course setter, had
set 60 controls around both Blue Springs Lake and Lake Jacomo; it was a tough course given the thick
vegetation and rough terrain. The winners were the ones who got the highest score within the 4 or 12-hour
time limits. The competitors were given 1 hour to plan their most efficient routes.
The German and a Polack (620 points) mixed team won the 4-hour event, edging out the men's team Mini Coop and
Mantis (610 points), who in turn just beat the solo runner Jason Nielsen (600 points). In the 12-hour event,
Team Alpine Shop was the overall winner with 1760 points. There was a very close race between Eric Buckley
(1660 points) and Ryan Slebos (1640 points) for 2nd and 3rd. No one swept the course this year.
The finishers were treated to breakfast prepared by Reta Roe. Thank you to Susy Stephens, Connie Carpenter,
and Nick Hockman, who helped with the service. And thanks to Reta and Nick, registration; Dick Luckerman,
Kelly Sumner, Nancy Neuburger, and Paul Clatterbuck for vetting and control pickup.