how to select an orienteering course

How to Select an Orienteering Course

• Course List
• White Course—for the beginner. Choose this novice course if you are just beginning to orienteer and have had little or no experience.
• Yellow Course—for the experienced beginner. ...
• Orange Course—for the intermediate level orienteer. ...
• Green Course—short course for the advanced orienteer. ...

Full Answer

How to start orienteering and learn to love it?

Orienteering Clubs. Orienteering clubs, which put on meets and provide training, are your best place to start. For a state-by-state list of clubs, visit the website of the national organization: Orienteering USA, which also has several articles to help newcomers learn about the sport.

How to start orienteering?

Part 2 Part 2 of 3: Participating in a Basic Orienteering Course Download Article

1. Study your map. When you start your race, take a moment to look at the topographical map which will consist of a start, a series of control sites connected ...
2. Orient your compass with your map. Your map will have an arrow indicating north. ...
3. Look for your first control site. ...
4. Punch your card or electronic dibber. ...

How to design an orienteering course?

Things You'll Need

• A whistle
• Water - bring more if you'll be running a more advanced course or running in hot weather.
• Course map and control card from registration
• Compass (preferably a proper orienteering compass or thumb compass)
• A SI or EMIT card (they are usually available to hire if you don't have your own)
• You may want a control holder but they are not necessary. ...

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What are the basic skills in orienteering?

• Fold your map so that you can comfortably hold it in one hand.
• Align the long edge of the compass with the direction that you need to go.
• Rotate your whole body until the compass needle and the north lines on the map are lined up.
• The long edge of the compass and the direction of travel arrow now point in the direction you need to go.

How do I set up a simple orienteering course?

Set up a 100-foot course near your meeting place. As Scouts arrive, have them walk the course and calculate their pace (how far they travel every two steps). Draw a large chalk circle on the parking lot. Place an index card marked “North” at the northernmost point.

How do I get started with orienteering?

No special equipment is required to start orienteering. You can borrow a compass, electronic punch, and emergency whistle (if required) at the event. You'll receive a map at the start. Typical equipment includes running/hiking shoes, comfortable clothing, compass, electronic punch, and emergency whistle.

How do you navigate an orienteering course?

To use Plan, Picture, Direction, as a minimum you need to do the following for each leg of the course:Make a Plan including a route and Attack point,Picture what you will see on route and at the control,Use map and compass to maintain accurate Direction,Keep matching the terrain you are Seeing to the map as you go.

What are the four basic orienteering skills?

SkillsNOTE: The content here is for those who are ready to build their skills and are seeking guidance. You do not need to know any of this in order to show up at and enjoy an orienteering event! ... Basic Skills. Orienting the Map. ... Basic Skills. ... Thumbing the Map. ... Line Features. ... Catching Features. ... Reading the Map. ... Contours.More items...

What should I do before orienteering?

Consider getting basic first aid training. You may be the first person to make contact with an injured orienteer. In case of an overdue person, the organizers will initiate a search. You can help by listening to and following the direction of the organizers.

Do you need a compass for orienteering?

Compass. A compass is the main gadget (after map), that you need for orienteering. It's important for a correct navigation. Some people participate in orienteering events without a compass, but likelihood of going in the wrong direction is high, especially for the beginner, who does not have a good map reading skills.

What is the difference between navigating and orienteering?

Shepherds or Stumpy Creek.) Land navigation is making your way across the land, using various tools (map, compass, sun). Orienteering is a cross-country race in which participants navigate between checkpoints along a specified course (unfamiliar course, generally) using map and compass.

How do I use orienteering map?

Orienteers often run with a map in hand, keeping a thumb planted on the map near their current location. The technique is simple: As you hike or run through the landscape, move your thumb to the new place on the page to represent your current position.

What type of map is most commonly used in orienteering?

Nowadays, most orienteering events are held on five-color maps that have 5 meter contour intervals (16.5 feet) and have a scale of 1:15,000 (preferred) or 1:10,000 (1 cm = 100 meters). Most of the characteristics of orienteering maps are related to those found on hiking and general use maps produced by the government.

What are the rules of orienteering?

Orienteers shall not damage, hide, or remove any controls during an event. Orienteers may only use a compass plus the map provided by the organizer during the event. Orienteers must visit the controls in the specified order in a point-to-point orienteering event.

What is the challenge of course setting?

The challenge for the course setter is to keep the course interesting, but never beyond the individual's or group's ability. General guidance is to select locations that are easily identifiable on the map and terrain, and accessible from several routes.

Is time a factor in a master map?

When they finish, the maps are analyzed and compared. During training, time is not a factor. Another variation is when a course is laid out on the ground with markers for the competitor to follow. There is no master map, as the course is traced for the competitor by flags or markers.

What is orienteering skills?

The Orienteering Skills Program is a sequential, four-step program for improving navigation from beginner to advanced orienteer. Each level features concepts, learning, and demonstration of skills that build on each other, as well as a completion patch. This is intended for use by coaches and beginner orienteers to ensure a proper progression of skills and may be integrated with the three programs above.

What is the goal of the Orienteering Program?

The program’s goal is to have athletes train so that they keep their bodies healthy, learn to be self-aware, and develop skills that will help them become strong orienteers and to be successful in life.

What is Discovering Orienteering?

An excellent resource for physical educators, recreation and youth leaders, orienteering coaches as well as individuals, Discovering Orienteering distills the sport into teachable components relating to various academic disciplines , provides an array of learning activities, and includes an introduction to physical training and activities for coaching beginning to intermediate orienteers. Guidelines take eager beginners beyond the basics and prepare them to participate in orienteering events. More than 60 ready-to-use activities assist educators in applying the benefits of orienteering across the curriculum.#N#Developed in conjunction with Orienteering USA (OUSA), Discovering Orienteering addresses the methods, techniques, and types of orienteering commonly found throughout the United States and Canada.#N#Available at Amazon & Google Play

How to become a navigator?

Becoming a proficient navigator involves learning a number of basic concepts and techniques and practicing these skills on a regular basis. Realize that as a beginner you will make mistakes and some will likely cost you a lot of time on the course. Learn to recognize what leads to these mistakes and be able to correct yourself before they become big errors. Even elite orienteers make mistakes, the difference is that they can more quickly catch themselves, adjust accordingly and minimize their time lost to errors. Practice, practice, practice…

How to build endurance and speed?

Intensity: If you want to improve your speed, you need to train harder. Consider intervals, hill repeats, and tempo runs to push you outside of your comfort zone.

How long does it take to complete an orange course?

As a general guideline, a competitive beginner has mastered the basics when they can complete an Orange (Intermediate) Course at a rate of 10 minutes per kilometer for men or 12 minutes per kilometer for women. For example, a male runner who completes a 3.5km Orange course in 35:00 minutes has met the 10 min/km standard.

What does yellow mean in orienteering?

Yellow: slow down, cautious movement and orienteering. Green: full speed, rough direction. Contouring: practice staying at the same elevation along a hillside (imagine following a contour); a useful skill to use when faced with a leg that crosses a very steep hill or valley.

What are the steps to successful orienteering?

Plan, Picture, Direction – 3 steps to successful orienteering. To help you put these ideas into practice, Better Orienteering uses a simple model of 3 steps to think about when navigating – Plan, Picture, Direction. To get round an orienteering course successfully, for each leg of the course you should:

What are the different types of orienteering?

Orienteering competitions are divided into the following types: Foot orienteering There are races at different distances – Sprint, Middle, Long and Ultra-long – and on different types of terrain – urban, forest, moorland.

What scale is a race in Orienteering?

Orienteering races take place in many types of terrain including woodland, moorland and urban areas. Urban maps are usually at 1:4000 scale (every centimetre on the map is 40 metres on the ground), or sometimes 1:5000, showing lots of detail around buildings. Woodland and moorland maps are usually at 1:10,000 (1 cm on map = 100 metres on the ground) or 1:15,000 scale (1 cm om map = 150 m on ground), giving a slightly less detailed view of a bigger area of terrain.

What is the most popular compasse for orienteering?

Thumb compasses are the most popular compasses for orienteering. Most of the time you won’t need to do more than use the red compass needle to keep the map lined up to north, however, this explanation from Silva shows how you can get more from it if you need to, by taking a bearing between points on the map.

How to get around a course?

To get round an orienteering course successfully, for each leg of the course you should: 1 Plan – Make a Plan before you set off. Try to follow hand rails such as paths. 2 Picture – identify what you will see on the way.

What does it mean when you register for a course?

When you register for a course they will help you pick a course that is suitable for your fitness, experience and age group. The major competitions are split into age classes instead where you will be competing against people of similar age to ensure a fair race.

What is Trail O?

Trail Orienteering (Trail-O Trail-O is for all physical ability levels, even those with significant physical mobility impairments and focuses on accurate map reading rather than running speed. This summary Trail O by David Jukes of BKO gives more detail

White Course—For The Beginner

See more on neooc.com

Yellow Course—For The Experienced Beginner

Orange Course—For The Intermediate Level Orienteer