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Orienteering club brings novice, experienced map readers to Kearney

Experienced orienteers and newcomers trekked across Jesse James Park on Saturday, July 10.

The Possum Trot Orienteering Club of Kansas City, which includes members from Kearney, brought nearly 40 people to Jesse James Park to practice map skills.

Among them was the Friedl family of Holt.

“This is a great event for a family to do together,” said Amie Friedl, mother of five.

She said it was a good opportunity for the entire family to enjoy the outdoors, adding that there’s not many activities a clan of five children and two parents can do together.

Orienteering is using a detailed map to navigate an area while finding markers from the map. There were 16 points to find in a specific sequence in Saturday’s event. Each marker had a hole punch with a unique design. The participants used the hole punch on a card to show they had found that specific marker.

The Friedls, whose children range from 7 weeks to 12 years old, had never done this before.

Andrew, the father, had taken

a course like this in JROTC in

high school.

“But that has been many, many years ago,” Andrew said.

After finding the first marker, Andrew and his son Michael, 12, took a moment to figure out the map together. Once they figured out where they were on the map — orienting themselves — the family took off toward the next marker.

“There it is — I can spy it from here, Michael,” Andrew said to his son.

After the second maker, they hit a crossroads. They could cross the creek through trees or take the high road around to the next marker.

“I vote we go through it,” said Michael, the oldest and only boy among the children.

They decided to split up. Amie took the three youngest children around the tree line and creek, while Andrew, Michael and Rachel, 8, headed through the tree line.

“It looks like others have tried before us,” Andrew said as they trekked downhill through trodden-down grass.

After getting through the creek bed, the family reunited and found the next marker. Andrew reviewed map-reading techniques with his children.

“If you hold the map properly to the north, we won’t get lost,” Andrew explained.

Michael studied maps and how to read them last year in his home-schooling studies, Amie said, but this was his first time to put those lessons into practice.

“That way,” Michael said while running from one marker to the next.

Later, the map took the family back to the creek bed.

“Another adventure through the forest,” Michael said as he continued on the course. “I like that.”

The Friedls were nearly half way through the course, but as the distance added up and the sun quickly warmed the morning, Amie decided to take the three youngest children back to shade.

The map took the three remaining family members through the ruins of the pirate-themed Halloween Hallows — an annual event for children on the trail near the creek. After having a little trouble, Rachel found the marker on a pirate ship. Soon they started finding each marker quicker.

While the Friedls came to learn orienteering, others participants had more experience. Often, as the Friedls navigated their way through the park, a more experienced orienteer ran past them.

Mike Eglinski of Lawrence, Kan., participates in activities with this club and another in Lawrence. He has been orienteering for about 30 years and finished first Saturday.

“Every course is different, even if it’s in the park you’ve run in before,” Eglinski said. “It’s sort of like exploring a new course every time.”

The Jesse James Park course, mapped by Angie Barrett of Kearney and her sons, was considered a novice and recreational course.

“You have some short legs and some long legs,” Barrett said about the space between markers and noted she tried to alternate.

Barrett recently competed in a national event to receive a ranking. Many consider orienteering a competitive sport and run from marker to maker.

“It’s just a good way to get exercise,” Barrett said. “You use your mind as well.”

While the Friedl family finished 23 out of 24 teams, Amie Friedl said she doesn’t think it will be long before Michael and Rachel do it on their own.

For more information on orienteering, visit www.ptoc.org.

Kearney Editor Kevin M. Smith can be reached at 628-6010.

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