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Orienteering struggles in forest on rainy day

by Rachel Benedict on September 9, 2009

The U.S. Orienteering Team’s debut at the Deaflympics was a learning experience as American orienteers faced international competition on terrain to which they were not well accustomed. In the sprint-distance competition Tuesday at Yang-Ming Park, Patti Mace finished 15th in a 16-woman field, and Tracy Acuff was disqualified after missing a few control points. Tom Wells came in 22nd of 26 in the men’s sprint. “There were people in the park, and that was new to me,” Patti Mace said. Mace said she had to run around people on the trail, making her sprint more difficult. The middle-distance event took place Wednesday in forest terrain at Chin-Tiang-Gang, where rain and fog hampered orienteers. “I like it when it is rainy because it is cooler, but not this rainy!” Patti Mace said. “It was a filthy race. We all got dirty!” Patti Mace finished 13th, and Acuff placed 16th. Wells came in 24th. An area along the course Wednesday was filled with tall, thick, sharp-bladed grass, which cut into Tom Wells’ arms. “It was completely a new experience for me,” he said. Wells is in his second year of orienteering. Most Europeans and competitors in this Deaflympics have participated in orienteering all their lives. However, Wells said he is improving. For Acuff, the competitions Tuesday and Wednesday were not her best, she said, as opposed to training camp last week in Chia-Yi, Taiwan, when she thought she was at her best. “The orienteers improved from Tuesday’s competition,” Coach Mark Mace said optimistically. “I’m hoping it will get better on Friday.” The long-distance event takes place Friday in the same area as Wednesday’s middle-distance event.
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