PREOPENING IDEAS.
Apr 01, 2022 · The basics of orienteering are very simple. You need a compass, topographic maps, and ten or more control points. Once you have the controls set up, you can create the course. This article will help you make a great orienteering course. First, you’ll need a topographic map. You’ll need a topographic map of a place you’re familiar with.
Course Setup (1) Route Orienteering. This form can be used during the training phase and in advanced orienteering. In this type of... (2) Line Orienteering. At least five control points are used during this form of orienteering training. The competitor... (3) Cross-Country Orienteering. This is …
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. For example – I will follow a path to a junction and turn into the woodland from the open land on another path.
At the registration area you sign a waiver, choose a course, pay an event fee and, if you didn’t bring one, rent a compass. (You get the map for your course later.) People at the registration area can also direct you to the newcomer instruction area. The Start Get in line for the course you picked at registration.
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:
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.
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
When using an orienteering map you need to keep it lined up with north for the map to make sense of the terrain around you. 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. Silva – How to use a thumb compass
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.
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.
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.
An appealing aspect of orienteering is that you don’t have to buy a bunch of specialized gear and clothing to do it. At a minimum, you need: 1 Sturdy outdoor footwear: boots if you’re walking and trail runners if you’re starting to get a little competitive 2 Appropriate outdoor clothes and layers for the weather: Being able to stand up to brush, abrasion and mud is important when you start running more difficult courses, where controls are placed in trickier terrain 3 A simple baseplate compass: Lighter is better, so a model with a sighting mirror, or even declination adjustment, is more than you need. Note, too, that you won’t need to bring a map because those are provided at every event. 4 A safety whistle: in case you need to summon help
An orienteer might be described as part trail runner and part map-and-compass geek. Because it requires you to find pre-placed control markers, you experience multiple geocache-esque “I found it!” moments in a single event, though a GPS is not required and not allowed. Orienteers are also like obstacle-course runners, though the obstacles are au naturale and often avoidable through savvy route choices.
It includes many symbols unique to orienteering. Declination doesn’t come into play, because all orienteering maps align with magnetic north, not true north. That simplifies map reading when you have to navigate while moving quickly.
Because the sport predates the Global Positioning System by about a century, orienteering is strictly a map-and-compass endeavor. That old-school navigational ethos is part of the sports’ appeal—and affordability.
Get in line for the course you picked at registration. A local meet might have from three to seven courses set up. To avoid bunching up runners, start times are staggered, though orienteers on different courses often start in the same wave.
If you were born in Scandinavia, you’re probably already in the know about orienteering, where the biggest orienteering meets attract upward of 20,000 participants. In the U.S., though, far fewer of us have stumbled onto this delightfully addictive sport.
At the registration area you sign a waiver, choose a course, pay an event fee and, if you didn’t bring one, rent a compass. (You get the map for your course later.) People at the registration area can also direct you to the newcomer instruction area.
Orienteering training combines technical skills development to efficiently navigate unfamiliar terrain with confidence and the physical conditioning necessary for speed, agility and endurance.
Orienteering Development Model – provides a healthy, forward-thinking approach to the progression of orienteering development, both as individuals and as a living community. You can watch an overview of the ODM on our YouTube channel.
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…
Blended Basic Orienteering Class – designed for groups or clubs to work in conjunction with a Level 1 Coach (online or onsite) utilizing a mix of resources.
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.
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.
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
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.
As Scouts arrive, challenge them to sketch topographic maps of their neighborhoods or the area around your meeting place. Set up a display of items related to orienteering courses , including controls, punches, control cards, maps, bibs, etc.
Compass Triangle Game#N#– Materials: For each Scout, a compass and an index card with their name on it#N#– Method: Scouts start at various spots on a parking lot or other open area, marking their spots with index cards. They determine a bearing (say 30°) and walk 50 steps in that direction. They add 120° to the first bearing and walk another 50 steps. Finally, they add 120° to the second bearing and walk another 50 steps. (If a calculated bearing is more than 360°, subtract 360° to get the correct bearing.) Scouts should end up back where they started.#N#– Scoring: The winner is the player who gets closest to the starting point.#N#– Variation: Have players wear bags over their heads so they can read their compasses but not look ahead. (Assign each a guide for safety.) This challenge will test their ability to walk in a straight line and will prevent them from cheating as they approach the starting point on the final leg.
Introduce Scouts to the sport of orienteering.
As Scouts arrive, give them index cards marked with other compass points. Have them place their cards in the correct spots on the circle. As Scouts arrive, challenge them to sketch topographic maps of their neighborhoods or the area around your meeting place.
Continue the relay until all symbols have been named. – Scoring: Score 2 points for each symbol correctly named, and deduct 1 point for each symbol incorrectly named.
Research orienteering meets in your area that are open to the public.
While a regular map displays basic land features and elevation changes, the orienteering map provides much more detail.
To precisely read a compass in tandem with a map, follow this order of operations: 1. Imagine a line of travel between your position and the destination. 2. Place your compass on your map along this imagined line of travel. 3.
Not only is this skill a useful thing to have, but it is also a competitive sport. Usually referred to as orienteering, the sport takes place over a large area in which competitors compete to locate the flags, or "controls", in the quickest way possible.