Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Meet the 2014 USA Trail Orienteering Team

The 2014 World Trail Orienteering Championships are being held from July 6th to July 11th in Italy. The United States will be sending a team of three competitors in the Open Class.


Name: Steve Beuerman
Birthyear: 1959
Occupation: System Engineering
Club: Bay Area Orienteering Club
How long have you been orienteering? Since 1986
How long have you been doing Trail-O? Since 2000
What are your biggest Trail-O accomplishments? 2nd place at the USOF convention in 2000, and at the 2010 US Champs
What are your goals for WTOC this year?  Not embarrassing myself.  Making the TempO final.  Finishing in the top third
Describe the most interesting trail-O control you've seen? There was one control at Vasquez Rocks that was late in the course, but the best way to solve it was to look at it from a different angle when you passed by earlier in the course, and then remember what you saw an hour or so later.  I also like the controls where there is only one bag, and you have to decide A or Z. 
If you weren't an orienteer, what sport would you do? Not a sport, but I'd probably be outside just hiking and photographing.


Name: Sharon Crawford
Birthyear: 1944
Occupation: Retired Software Engineer
Club: Rocky Mountain Orienteering Club 
How long have you been orienteering? Since December 1973
How long have you been doing Trail-O? Maybe 10 years.
What is your international experience in Trail-O? Six times US Team WTOC.
What are your biggest orienteering accomplishments? USA - many times open and age group champ; WMOC - 11 medals (6 gold); WRC - 7 medals.
What are your biggest Trail-O accomplishments? Great second day at WTOC 2013 - only missed two, and none of the timed controls.
What has been your biggest Trail-O disappointment? Missing controls I should have had, especially timed controls.
How do you train for Trail-O? Read all the documents available, think about it, and review past controls.
What are your goals for WTOC this year? Win! Or at least improve on top 30 of last year.
Describe the most interesting Trail-O control you've seen? There was one at WTOC in Scotland, in a reentrant on the backside of a little ridge above the ocean. The top of a flag appeared right where the reentrant was. But, in reality, if the flag was down in the reentrant, it would not have been visible. I missed it.
I also loved that second control at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, set by David and Karen. Just after the first control near the start, you walked down the trail and encountered on your left, practically touching the trail, a set of intricate little ditches with all kinds of junctions and five flags. Which was at the correct junction? In reality, further down the trail on your left were a second set of intricate little ditches and junctions, and no flags, but that was where the circle on the map was centered.
Fun fact about you? Have been to more than half the US State highpoints in connection with an orienteering meet. Have orienteered in 28 countries (and visited 45).


Name: Clare Durand
Birthyear: 1962
Occupation: Math Teacher
Club: Los Angeles Orienteering Club
How long have you been orienteering? Since 1985
How long have you been doing Trail-O? Since sometime early this century
What is your international experience in Trail-O? Twice previously competed at WTOC and once attended as an official
What are your biggest Trail-O accomplishments? I had a great result first day at WTOC in 2008.
What has been your biggest Trail-O disappointment? Didn't keep it up the second day.
How do you train for Trail-O? There aren't a lot of events to practice at. This year I've been doing a lot of online TempO and visualizing potential control sites on runs, including sketch mapping a site quickly. In addition, putting out occasional Trail-O controls at local meets keeps my head in the game. 
What are your goals for WTOC this year? Improve on last year's dismal TempO performance
Describe the most interesting trail-O control you've seen? At my first WTOC in Czech Republic, there was a control with three trees. One was toward the trail and the other two were right next to each other further away. The clue was between the trees and one control was in between the close tree and the two further trees. But if you lined them up, you discovered that the control lined up with the tree on the right and the circle was centered between the near tree and the left. So even though the control was only inches away from the correct spot, you could clearly call it a Z.

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