ALTOS
The Ark-La-Tex Orienteering Society (ALTOS) is a non profit club dedicated to the promotion of Orienteering in the Ark-La-Tex Area. We attempt to accomplish this objective by sponsoring four meets each year, conducting clinics when requested, and preparing maps suitable for Orienteering. A quarterly newsletter, "The ALTOS Runner", is available.
Membership fees are due as of 30 September annually and are $10 per year for an individual and $15 for a family. Membership is not required in order to participate in any of our meets, but it is appreciated and helps defray the cost of postage and printing. Any profit realized is used to purchase equipment and help with map development and administrative cost.
History of ALTOS
1982 Lt. Col. James Huggins serving as the Parkway High School AFJROTC LA-71 Cadre was contacted by the Northwestern State University Army ROTC about bringing the units Survival Club to an Orienteering meet at Camp Beauregard, Alexander, Louisiana to learn about the "sport of orienteering".
Col. Huggins had no idea what Orienteering was at the time. When asked by the unit commander if he knew anything about map and compass he responded that he did, which put all JROTC Cadets and himself on the Orange course “Oops!!”. None of the Parkway AFJROTC Survival Club finished but Col. Huggins, the NSU ROTC Commander, members of the Houston O-Club, and an AFROTC Cadet from LA Tech O Club - Mark Wilkins.
Mark Wilkins, taught Col. Huggins how to make “O” maps from "modified" USGS maps - which was the beginning of the Barksdale AFB Flag Lake and Harmon Lake course maps ATLOS has used in the past. Mark was instrumental in setting up the initial Barksdale “O” meet run by LA Tech ROTC Orienteering Club that became well attended by many of the JROTC and Scout groups in the area.
1983 - 1995 Parkway High School AFJROTC established an Orienteering Club and began attending Orienteering clinics and meets conducted by the Houston Orienteering Club (HOC), North Texas Orienteering Association (NTOA) and local JROTC units competing with runners on white, yellow, orange, and red courses at Camp Beauregard, Barksdale, Huntsville (TX), Fort Worth. Col. Huggins and Bill Mackey with lots of field checking at Barksdale and put on O Meets using the locally generated maps with controls made by Col. Huggins lovely wife Lois. Often the meets were run using Parkway High School AFJROTC cadets from administration, registration, operations, and course placement.
1992 Allen Eubanks, a past cadet commander of the Parkway AFJROTC, returned to the South Bossier City after serving in the U.S. Army. While in the service Eubanks continued to run orienteering races near where he was stationed. Upon returning, Eubanks recognized the need for a local organizing group. With Huggins upcoming retirement from the school system for a need of a local orienteering club. The Ark-La-Tex Orienteering Club was formed and adopted the original "ALTOS Runner" logo.
After September 11, 2001 the use of courses located on Barksdale AFB became very restricted and there became a need explore and design new course. ALTOS field checked and developed courses in Walter B. Jacobs Park and Bodcau.
Col Huggins has since passed from this life and the club has continued to be ran by seasoned orienteerers including Jimmy Durham, Gary & Jenny Hackman, Doug Rainwater, Gary Pomraning, Keith Pitman & Justin Reneau. This group of volunteers has been able to successfully keep ALTOS running and still uses all the maps created by Col Huggins to this day.