NORSA goes Federal...and International?

Yes that's right folks Team NORSA member and chair of the NORSA Western Region, Michael, has gotten federal funding for what promises to be a new level of NORSAdom. He will be cruising across the Drake Passage not only for recreation, but also for making great leaps in the understanding of Narwhal - Giant Squid behavioral interactions.

Narwhals are known for their unicorn-like tusks and for that reason can be dangerous to interact with, but for the most part they are friendly creatures of the sea. Giant Squid on the other hand are fierce creatures that will leave no food source left alone. Michael and crew will be putting their lives on the line while attempting to study both creatures in close proximity. It's all in the name of science!

The mighty vessel that will support this duty is the National Science Foundation's LM Gould as illustrated above.


Well here's the real story. Michael is not going to be heroically fending off Narwhals and giant Squid at the same time! Rather he'll be working on better understanding of the Southern Ocean interaction with the atmosphere. As any armchair sailor knows the Drake Passage is an unforgiving stretch of water and the task at hand will not be easy. As cool as battling ocean creatures would be the pictures and stories that will come out of this voyage will be worthy of NORSAs time and interest. So with that being said stay tuned to clockworko.blogspot.com and teamnorsa.blogspot.com for updates on how the journey unfolds.

Thumbs up!

Luray Sprint Triathlon

On Sunday, August 16, veteran NORSA members Matt W., Russ M., Jon S., and Leo W. joined newly minted NORSA members Brian B. and Mike L. to compete in the Luray Sprint Triathlon in Luray, VA. This was a challenging race consisting of a 750 meter swim in Arrowhead Lake, a 16 mile bike through the rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley, and a 5K run.

Shotgun Fun at Bull Run + Crabs at Quarterdeck

Today, NORSA members visited the Bull Run Shooting Center in Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville, VA. Four new shooters including NORSA members Justin Kahrl, Megan Sands, and Nora Hoffman, and NORSA initiate, Eddie Diaz, enrolled and fulfilled the required new shooters' course at the Park. The course, which typically lasts a couple of hours, covers not only everything from safety and firearm functionality but also how to shoot clays well and even includes some time on the range. After the lecture portion of the class concluded, the NVRPA shooting instructor took the four students to the skeet range to get a little hands on experience with the shotguns.

While the new shooters were in class, returning NORSA Shooting Sports Team veterans Matt White and Tom S joined up with darkhorse ringer Fred Kukelhaus to shoot some rounds of trap together. It was a beautiful for a shootout, with just a few clouds and plenty of sunshine. Fred took the first round in a blowout with a 50% accuracy rating hitting 12 of 25 clays, but really only out of 24 due to a gun jam. Tom took round two with 16 out of 25 after switching back to his old gun that he had to share with Matt since his new Mossberg 500 malfunctioned and needs tools to get fixed. Watch a short clip of Fred taking the final shot of the day below:

Altogether, great fun was had by all, but the fun was by no means over yet ... as the class let out and the trap shooters wrapped up, there was not enough time for an all-comers' shoot because Fred had reserved a table at the Quarterdeck for the whole gang. Forty-two fresh Maryland blue crabs were steamed with copious quantities of Old Bay seasoning and brought to the hungry shooters, along with some frosty pitchers of beer. Not a single crab was left uneaten and everyone needed a good, long shower afterward - a huge success by crab feast standards!

NORSA has not been back to the Bull Run Shooting Center since April of 2008, so stay on top of the NORSA Upcoming Events section as a new trip will be posted soon for late August or sometime in September because there's no reason something as fun as clay-shooting should only be done once a year!

Rockville Rotary Twilight Runfest 8K Recap

On Saturday, July 18th, 2009, many NORSA members ran in the 24th annual Rockville Twilight Runfest in Maryland. Returning NORSA members Matt White, Russ, Leo , Nora, and Tom S joined new and aspiring members Laura, Laurel, Jared, Mike, and Vic. This race brings Laura on board as a full-fledged NORSA member, too. The Twilighter, a race sponsored by the Rockville Rotary Club, has been a race in which NORSA has had solid representation for several years now, and this year was clearly no exception.











Race-day conditions were fair, with the heat dying off a little as the night approached. The official start time was 8:46 PM, and night was creeping in swiftly as the runners left the start line. The course winds through downtown Rockville, its surrounding neighborhoods and schools, and Montgomery College's campus before popping the runners out on to Rockville's main drag of 355. After crossing the finish and removing their timing chips, all runners were invited to head over to the Michelob Ultra beer tent and enjoy four frosty beverages.

Results are available here: http://mcrrc.org/racing/2009/09twilighter.htm

Old Rag Mountain Hike

Sunday, July 19, 2009 - The NORSA summer hiking series is a sampler of local hikes in the Washington, DC area, this year including outings in the Monongahela National Forest, Shenanadoah National Park, Rock Creek Park, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Catoctin Mountain Park. In July the series kicked into full gear as Team NORSA members Matt, Nora, Leo, Laura, Steven S, and Emily headed to Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park.  Old Rag is a staple hike in the Blue Ridge in northern Virginia.  This moderate, approximately 7 mile loop winds through switchbacks, boulders, and crags to reach a summit of 3291 feet (1003m) and near 360-degree vistas.  The event accidentally, but fortuitously, coincided with one of this summer's fee free weekends in the National Parks.   The mountain was surprisingly not crowded on a clear day during the free weekend.

Although arguably already a NORSA member, this event marks Laura's debut in a NORSA article.  Congratulations, Laura!

The Old Rag features a notorious section of rock scrambling, requiring upper body strength, teamwork, guts, and glory.  Tactical pants are recommended to allow for sliding on one's butt and to avoid scraping one's legs in the tough spots.

Overall the best advice for conquering the mountain was given by another group of hikers; "remember to breathe, it is good for your lungs."

The group made it to the top with only a slight hiccup which required some bushwacking.  Leo's beefy Hawaiian arm allowed the group to make up some time.  No doubt previous NORSA outings on the Billy Goat Trail and Duncan Knob ensured that all were prepared to "rock it out".
 

After enjoying lunch at the summit, the trip down to the parking area was relatively uneventful.  The trip back to DC was more eventful in that it involved a meal at Cracker Barrel.  Many hungry Americans were doing what hungry Americans do best.

Stay tuned for future NORSA summer hiking series action!