Getting Oriented at The Park

Chris Gkikas (Left) and Jim Hall (Center)

Chris Gkikas knows a thing or two about navigating difficult circumstances. He is an ultra-marathon runner, a husband and father of four, a casualty of corporate layoffs, and he has a last name that no one can spell without assistance. Chris has faced all of these challenges and still seems to keep moving forward with a smile. You might say he has a gift for finding his way.

Chris and the Western NC Orienteering Club recently held an event at The Park at Flat Rock called Grid-O Endur-O. About 28 competitors showed up and spent a couple of hours one Saturday afternoon working their way through a diabolic navigational challenge that left Chris grinning and runners discombobulated. Chris is a founding member of WNCOC and travels the region organizing and promoting orienteering events.

Two events, in particular, led Chris to his current role with WNCOC. The first, a spot in the infamous Barkley Marathons, taught him the importance of being able to navigate unknown terrain with just a map and a compass to guide you. The second, being laid off from his company after 15 years allowed him the time and freedom to pursue and share his new-found passion for orienteering with the world.

When he first started with orienteering competitions, Chris realized that he could still compete and enjoy the physical challenges of running, but without the enormous time commitment of being an ultra-marathoner. “With four young children, orienteering provides a challenge but is less time-consuming than ultra-marathon training.”

After the layoff, Chris decided to get really serious about orienteering. “I saw a great opportunity to change my avocation into my vocation,” he explained. “I incorporated my business and I started making maps for other clubs. I also started teaching land navigation to anyone who wants to learn. I especially enjoy working with children.”

With the help of a 30-year orienteering veteran Jim Hall, Chris threw his time into WNCOC. He now organizes several orienteering events each year, offers training classes for beginners, and works with school children to help them learn the basics of land navigation. “The life lessons here are plentiful. Not giving up. Teamwork, Planning ahead. Rolling with the punches. Making mistakes and recovering from those mistakes. So this is all kinds of life skills wrapped up into a fun activity that teaches without being an instruction.”

One of the maps used in the Grid-O Endur-O competition.

Chris exudes a laid back manner and a broad smile - both of which he brought in abundance to the event he organized at The Park. Grid orienteering involves successfully navigating a course of 16 control points arranged in a 4x4 grid with each control point spaced 10 meters apart. For this particular grid challenge, Chris created 22 “maps” or patterns that competitors had to navigate in a very exact sequence. Each map was successively more complicated than the last, and Chris entitled the 22nd map “Grid-diculous”. As a participant myself, I can attest to the fiendish accuracy of that name.

Competitors ranged in age from 8 to mid-’70s. The first few minutes were a jumble of competitors jostling for access to the same control points. But after a short time, the pack began to spread out and the real challenge began as the maps got more complicated and fatigue started to hinder clear thinking and accurate decision making. Chris points to the many lessons provided by the Grid Challenge and orienteering in general. “I think orienteering provides great lessons for people of any age. Critical thinking. How to orient a map. Performance and focus under pressure because the clock is running.”

The competition’s winner was Brandon Smith, an ultra-marathoner who also enjoys the challenge of orienteering. His secret? “Visual acuity. Being able to look real quick at the map and orient yourself as fast as possible.” The youngest competitor, Alaric Aronson, age 8, likes running that involves a mental challenge as well as a physical one. “I like running where you have to go somewhere. Somewhere you have to use a map. I’m definitely not the fastest runner, but I don’t make a lot of mistakes.” For Val Hardin, 58, of Black Mountain, the grid race helps hone her orienteering skills to help improve her results in the adventure races in which she participates. “The physical aspect of this race is just fun for me and the mental part helps me. I’m challenged navigationally, so I’m trying to up my game.”

At the end of the competition, runners and spectators alike were impressed with the physical and mental challenge of grid orienteering. If you’d like to learn more about the sport, there are two upcoming “Orienteering for Beginners” classes that Chris will be offering at The Park on Wednesday, April 15th and Sunday, April 19th. Link here for more information or contact Chris at chris@wncoc.org.

Grid-O Endur-O participants at The Park at Flat Rock