Please come out to Panola Mountain State Park on Sunday, December 8th for our Holiday Sprint and Relay. In the morning we will be offering the usual White and Yellow beginner courses as well as Short Sprint and Long Sprint advanced level courses. You are never too far from a path in this part of the park and the Sprints should be suitable for Orange level runners as well. At 1 pm we will be having a Mass Start Relay competition.
Teams of three runners will run consecutively, handing over an epunch stick as the baton. The Relay courses are Yellow level and most of the Relay course controls will have been seen by the White and Yellow runners in the morning. Individuals that want to do so can run all three legs as a single runner. Teams can be any group of three people - school teams, family teams, teams of friends, or ad hoc teams. If you want us to assign you to a team, just say so in your online registration. If you have a team, pick a team name and list that along with your team members in your online registration. The idea is to have as many people participate as possible to make for a fun event.
Georgia DNR Parking Passes are required and may be purchased from the self-serve boxes in the parking lots, or the park office. Rates are charged based on vehicle capacity, not the number of actual passengers. Cars and vans with 1-12 passenger capacity are $5/day. School Buses and 13+ passenger vehicles MUST stop by the Nature Center to pick up their Park Pass. Yellow School Buses will be able to park at no charge. Office hours are 8:30am to 5:00pm.
From the Georgia State Park website regarding exceptions: "Organized school groups, diners in lodge restaurants and attendees of day-long lodge meetings are exempt. Golfer parking is included in greens fees. Large vans with a capacity of 13 to 30 passengers pay $30 per day or may purchase an Annual ParkPass for $75. Buses or motorcoaches with a capacity of more than 30 passengers pay $70 per day or may purchase an annual pass for $250. However, those vehicles carrying overnight guests pay only the regular daily parking fees."
From Atlanta, go east on I-20 and take exit 71 (Panola Rd), turn right. Turn left onto Snapfinger Rd (GA Hwy 155) and head south. Turn left on Alexanders Lake Rd just past the Panola Mtn State Park entrance and head east. Continue 1.9 miles to parking area at Flat Bridge Rd.
| Course | E-punch | Length | Climb | Controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Sprint | Yes | 3.0 km | 45 m | 11 |
| Short Sprint | Yes | 2.4 km | 30 m | 8 |
| White | Yes | 2.0 km | 30 m | 10 |
| Yellow | Yes | 2.4 km | 30 m | 11 |
| Relay A | Yes | 1.6 km | 15 m | 6 |
| Relay B | Yes | 1.6 km | 20 m | 5 |
| Relay C | Yes | 1.6 km | 20 m | 6 |
There will be only one entry fee for the entire day ($7 for GAOC members, $10 for non-members). Extra maps for extra runs in the morning will be $3, as usual. Those who have run in the morning can run in the Relay at no additional cost. Those who will only be running in the Relay will have to pay the regular $7 or $10 entry fee. If you do not have your own epunch stick, rental is $3 as usual for the morning races. No additional rental is required for the afternoon Relay.
Please use Online Registration. REMEMBER TO PRINT OUT AND BRING THE REGISTRATION FORMS!
Orienteering USA has a new waiver policy that started this Fall. All runners under 18 years old must have a waiver signed by a PARENT or LEGAL GUARDIAN. School and Scout waivers are NOT acceptable. School teachers, Scout leaders, and parents of friends of the minor may have permission to have a kid at the meet, but that doesn’t make them a legal guardian. Please ensure that you have a properly signed waiver for all runners under 18. We have had to turn down several large groups of kids recently since the start of the new waiver policy. The waiver forms are available here: http://www.gaorienteering.org/Resources/Forms.htm.
If in any doubt about the new waiver policy or if you want to check if you or a minor has a valid Annual Waiver on file, please contact the GAOC Secretary Stephen Shannonhouse.
For current forecast click here.
We hope that you will bring your lunch and hang around during the break between the morning and afternoon races.
See you Sunday!
Charlie & Chun Bleau
(404)276-6558