Winter yes but ...

Still orienteering!

Behind the scenes
TNTs are on!
Looking Forward: FWOC in 2021
Thanks Eduard; Welcome Charlotte!
Spelling Bee
On-Line Orienteering Games
2021 Membership Registration
Social Action Possibilities
Spelling bee solution

Behind the Scenes

The hard work of the Board of Directors is supported by FWOC volunteers working to bring you new maps, great events and a strong club. Of course many of the same people who sit on the Board of Directors help out on committees and in the field. Over the next few newsletters, we'll try to highlight some of our terrific volunteers.

Jean has played a huge role on the financial end helping both FWOC and the Junior Program fulfill their fiduciary obligations!

Don has been TH

E mover and shaker on the mapping front lines. Most of our newest maps have been created by Don, including the new map for the 2021 WCOCs and a new map in the Crowsnest Pass area we will get to enjoy between the WCOCs and COCs next year! He has also taken the lead on the Mapping Committee for more years than we can remember!

Tim took on the President position last year but also stepped up to improve the technology side of things for FWOC. He has become an expert on the timing system for major events.

Teresa W is always active behind the scenes and on three fronts: mapping, adult training and course planning. She has been a great resource for SOGO when they've needed some quite last minute

maps! She's a go-to person when you need someone to fill a vacancy in the calendar and willingly volunteers to help with major events course planning. She is the course planner for the Long event at the 2021 WCOCs. Finally she has been working hard to make adult training programs work.

Thank you! We appreciate all you've done!

TNTs 2020

North Haven, Hounsfield Heights, Triwood & Briar Hill

The TNT series has started with a bang! We have 50 members signed up, and four sessions completed. If you are registered but haven't run them yet, you still can. You can also still register and get the maps from the first sessions. The first two sessions are fire hydrant controls:) Session 3 was the first to use flagging (pin flags or clothespeg flagging). The fourth TNT was a Christmas Lights and Snowmen Tour! Thanks to our first four organizers: Marion, Christin, Don and Jane!

Andrew is leading the series with the fastest times; as a member of the high performance program, he may be hard to beat! One more regular session is planned before the new year as well as a bonus holiday session - a longer TNT score-o on December 27th!

FWOC in 2021

As usually happens in the winter, FWOC regroups and starts planning for next year. The Board is always looking for volunteers to serve on our Board of Directors and various committees. This year our Treasurer is stepping down so we need to replace her. If you have the skills for Treasurer, please contact Tim at president@orienteeringcalgary.ca or David at pastpresident@orienteeringcalgary.ca." You can also join the Board as a member-at-large which only requires a monthly time commitment and enthusiasm for orienteering! We have various committees that could use fresh insights from new members, too. If you'd like to participate in any of our committees (Adult Training, Communications & Promotions, Events or Participation & Competitive Development) talk to Tim or David.

A Huge Thanks to Eduard Spelier

Eduard Spelier has recently stepped down as the Chairperson of the Junior Development Committee, which administers SOGO Adventure Running. No longer being the Chair of the Jr Development Committee means that Eduard has also stepped away as the VP Jr Development on the Foothills Orienteering Board of Directors. Lucky for us, Eduard will remain a member of the Jr. Development Committee so we’ll continue to benefit from his experience and insight.

Eduard has been an instrumental volunteer with Foothills Orienteering since he first joined the Board in 2012 as VP Technical. A couple years later he became the Club’s President. As President, Eduard played an important role in the creation and development of FWOC's junior program, SOGO Adventure Running, in Calgary as well as the continued growth of FWOC. He continued to support the club as Past-President. And in 2018, Eduard stepped into the leadership of the Jr Development Committee after the sudden death of Adrian Zissos, to ensure consistent leadership and vision for SOGO Adventure Running.

Foothills Orienteering is a stronger organization because of Eduard’s skill and vision. We are most grateful for his years of leadership and we are so pleased that he will be staying on as a member of the Jr Development Committee.

Welcome Charlotte!

FWOC is happy to announce that Charlotte MacNaughton accepted an appointment to the FWOC Board as VP Junior Development, to fill Eduard’s position. She will continue the great work of Adrian and Eduard in the SOGO program. Charlotte brings a wealth of experience on so many levels in orienteering and in the sports world in general. We are fortunate to have such an knowledgeable orienteer on the Board.

On-Line Orienteering Games

It might be time to revisit some of those on-line activities that keep us on the top of our orienteering game!

For those who want to test their control description knowledge: MapRunner CD Quiz
For those who want to develop speed in making route choice (especially in sprint orienteering): Route Choice Game ( you have to register to play but it is free)
For those who want to improve their ability to read contours: Contour Training

Each of the links can be further explored to find other games. Let me know if you find one that is fun to play!

2021 FWOC Membership
The 2021 FWOC membership registration form will open on December 15. Please check the website on or after that time. Good news in tough times, though - the Board of Directors has decided to maintain the $10 / person membership fee for next year! There will be a maximum of $40 for a family. Stay tuned.

Social Action Possibilities

The Government of Alberta is looking for input from Albertans on outdoor recreation and trails. The survey opened yesterday and runs until mid January. You do have to register to fill out the survey. Please take a moment to let the Alberta Government know how important outdoor recreation is to you. The Government announced in March it would be closing or re-designating Parks and public lands. They have removed the list of parks to be closed or delisted from their website (but that information is in the previous link), and their messaging has since changed. It is not clear that their intent has. Check out the recent CBC article about underused parks which are the target of this input initiative.

Get a Defend Alberta Parks lawn sign.