Occassional thoughts about orienteering
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| okansas.blogspot.com Occassional thoughts about orienteering |
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Sunday, October 10, 2004 One week to goA week from now we'll know who won the U.S. champs.Time to speculate a bit (though I'm not going to speculate about who will win). The terrain at Telemark is neutral. By that I mean it isn't anyone's home terrain. Everyone will be in the same position, having to figure the terrain out at the model event and during the race. I don't think there is anything physically special about the terrain. It isn't at altitude. The terrain isn't rocky. I think, just a guess really, that neutral terrain tends to favor experience. Orienteers who've got lots of experience in lots of different places have an advantage. Brain May, who would probably be considered the favorite in M21, set the courses. Getting to Telemark isn't so easy. All of the top competitors will have to travel. People from both coasts will have about equal amounts of travel. Travel is a hassle, but it'll be a hassle that all the top competitors have to deal with. This year's U.S. Champs is relatively soon after the WOC. I don't know if that matters or not. I might be a bit tough for the runners who went to the WOC to stay motivated and sharp since they spent so much energy preparing for the WOC. The WOC team members should probably be considered the favorites, but the timing might help others close the gap. In 1983, when Telemark hosted the U.S. Champs, we had surprise winners. Eric Weyman and Sharon Crawford were the favorites. But they didn't win. Instead, Peter Gagarin and Virginia Lehman won. Maybe we'll see an upset this year. We'll know in a week. posted by Michael | 5:02 PM 
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