The 2022-23 Suncoast Orienteering First Event is coming up Saturday November 5th at Eagle Lake Park in Largo. That’s not Key Largo or Port Largo but just Largo, the city that is part of the St Petersburg/ Clearwater complex in Pinellas County.
Sign up and be there. You will not regret it. It is a gem of a park, wet and wild in parts, interlaced with trails and fields and boardwalks, fenced dog parks and kiddie parks. Enjoy a navigating run in the park and then stay for a picnic afterwards.
And you will have a chance to meet Nick Barrable and Sarah Jane Gaffney, two of the best known and most travelled orienteers in the world. Nick is the managing editor of CompassSport, the leading English language orienteering publication in the world. They were at the very first orienteering event I staged in Florida, the 2012 state championships and a long-distance orienteering race called the Bubba Goat, held the next day, both at Lake Louisa State Park. I’m particularly encouraged that they have decided to come back this way. They say it is not just because 5-year-old daughter Lara is insisting on some Disney castle time.
Back to Eagle Lake. The thing I like about this park is that with all the trails, fence lines and other features to use as ‘handrails’ you can almost put the compass aside and navigate just by reading the map and relating it to the terrain. I think you will like it, too.
Remember to sign up in advance so you can take advantage of the lower price and have your map there ready and waiting for you. Sign up at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X1SF0ccd4SoFq3SwMkAxQ409YE45IZSuLkzS9wR-tv0/edit#gid=0
I’ll look forward to seeing you on Saturday.
Gord Hunter
Sarah-Jane Gaffney and Nick Barrable display their medals at the 2012 FLO orienteering championships (Lake Louisa State Park)
An advance look at the orienteering map of Eagle Lake Park.