Winter Series / WIOL #4
WINTER SERIESWINTER LEAGUE
Saturday, December 17 at Shorecrest-Hamlin Park in Shoreline, WA
Welcome to the Winter and School League (WIOL) Series!
ABOUT THE SERIES
These concurrent and popular series run from November through February. The Winter Series is open to all, while WIOL (Winter Interscholastic Orienteering League) is designed for students from Elementary-age through High School.
Events in the first half of the season are held in beginner-friendly venues, some of which are trails-only, while events in the second half move to more forested and challenging venues. The season is capped off with a championship event and an awards ceremony to recognize top participants and school teams in both the series overall and championship event.
As with all of CascadeOC’s series events, while it is fun to participate in the entire series, it is not required. Each event is a stand-alone event and open to all!
- Registration for the SCHOOL LEAGUE is done through paper forms. For more information, visit the School League (WIOL) page.
- Registration for WINTER SERIES (open to both kids and adults), can be done at the link below or at the event!
COURSES
Course designer(s): Nancy Devine
WINTER SERIES
| Course | Distance | Controls | Climb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 1.6 km | 13 | 30 m |
| Intermediate | 3.1 km | 13 | 90 m |
| Short Advanced | 3.7 km | 18 | 80 m |
| Long Advanced | 4.8 km | 22 | 150 m |
SCHOOL LEAGUE (WIOL)
| Course | Distance | Controls | Climb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | 1.6 km | 13 | 30 m |
| Middle School | 2.2 km | 12 | 30 m |
| Junior Varsity | 3.0 km | 11-13 | 75-90 m |
| Varsity | 3.6 km | 17 | 85 m |
How are courses measured?
Courses are measured as the crow flies, in a direct line from control to control. Unless you have wings, you will travel farther than this distance! Courses are measured in kilometers, so a good rule of thumb is to simply round up to miles to estimate how far you will go. So in a 5 kilometer race, you’ll likely travel up to 5 miles.
COURSE NOTES
Get ready for a fun day of orienteering in a mix of open forest, athletic fields, and two school campuses. A lot of the features of the advanced courses will feel like a sprint. Be prepared for quick decisions, a mix of short and long legs, and lots of changes of direction.
- Check control codes carefully! There are a lot of controls in a small area.
- There is a mandatory crossing point to be used by every participant. It is clearly flagged.
- This will be a great course for the intermediate and advanced orienteers to try some off trail navigation. There are a lot of areas that are very runnable!
- HOWEVER, there are areas around the two school campuses that are mapped as olive green. These are clearly landscaped areas and are OFF LIMITS! Don’t go through the landscaping. This is very important to being able to continue to use the venue!
- Map scale is 1:7,500 and contour interval is 3 meters.
- Most of the map is drawn according to ISOM.
- Some of the map features were drawn with ISSOM symbols.
- Not all areas of the map were updated.
- Don’t rely on point features as a primary navigation aid.
- Some high fences are drawn with a slightly modified version of the ISSOM “Impassable fence” symbol, the main difference (with respect to the ISOM “High fence”) is a thicker line. All high fences should be treated as “impassable”; the thicker line makes these fences more apparent where needed.
- The Shorecrest HS campus includes two “Impassable walls” (ISSOM); both campuses have short segments of “High fence” drawn with the “Impassable wall” symbol.
- Stairs/steps are not shown anywhere, neither on the forest trails nor within either school campus.
- The olive green ISSOM symbol “Area with forbidden access” is used for flower beds and other landscaping. Competitors must stay out of these areas.
- Buildings within the two school campuses are drawn with the ISSOM “Building” and “Canopy” symbols.
- There are several areas of open forest (white) where many paths come together or cross. Not all of these paths have readily visible treads that continue into or through the open area.
- The venue contains numerous point features (boulder, knolls, stumps, root stocks, shallow depressions, pits). Many of these do not meet ISOM criteria of 1 meter high or deep. Some of the features have deteriorated over the years to the point they are no longer visible. The map has inconsistent usage of these features. That is, identical features in different areas might be shown on the map in one case but not the other. Point features are not reliable for navigation.
SCHEDULE
9:30am – Registration opens & Newcomer instruction available
10:00am – Start opens
11:00am – Newcomer instruction ends
11:30am – Registration closes
Noon – Start closes
3:00pm – Course closes
Why is there a start window?
This event uses an interval start, which means that participants are started in waves instead of all at once. When you arrive at the start tent, find the chute for your course and follow the start volunteer’s instructions.
Those participating in School League (WIOL) will be provided a specific start time, and should show up at the tent several minutes before their designated time.
PRICES
PRE-REGISTRATION PRICES
$17 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch
DAY-OF-EVENT REGISTRATION
$20 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch
SCHOOL LEAGUE (WIOL)
Registration for the School League is done through paper forms. For more information, visit the School League (WIOL) page.
What’s an e-punch?
An e-punch records your race. At each control, you’ll dip the e-punch into an electronic box, which will beep and flash as confirmation. After you finish, you’ll download the e-punch at the download tent and get a receipt that show which controls you visited and how long you took between each; these are your “splits.”
Part of the fun of orienteering is comparing your splits with people who completed the same course, and discussing the routes you took!
SIGN UP
Online pre-registration closes: 9pm, Thursday, December 15
Day-of-event registration is available by cash or check, made payable to Cascade Orienteering Club
Registration for School League (WIOL) is done via paper forms. See the School League page for more information.
LOCATION
PARKING
Parking is in the South lot of Shorecrest High School
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the Yahoo listserv and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
With its combination of varied contours and runnable forest, Hamlin Park was one of our favorite training maps for years. The contours remain, but the park has increasingly focused on planting new forest undergrowth–perhaps necessary in a popular city park that gets constant foot traffic. So today most contour recognition happens from the trails. There have also been some building changes since this map was last used for an event and the map updated.
Read more on the map pageSAFETY & ETIQUETTE
Return to the Finish
All participants MUST return to the finish and download their e-punch or turn in their punch card.
Even if you have not finished your course, you must still return to the the finish and confirm with event staff that you have returned safely.
Out of Bounds
Some areas may be marked out of bounds. It is imperative to respect these boundaries to maintain our relationships with land managers. Participants MUST NOT go out of bounds. Any participant caught going out of bounds will be disqualified.
Course Closure
All participants MUST return to the finish by course closure time. If a participant does not return by course closure, event volunteers will begin coordinating a search party.
If you need a long time on the course, start as early in the start window as possible, wear a watch, and be prepared to cut your course short to make it back by the course closure time.
Whistle
All participants MUST carry a whistle on the course. Complimentary whistles are available at the start tent (please only take one).
If you are injured on the course and need assistance, blow three long blasts to call for help.
If you hear a call for help, abandon your course to find the person in distress.
Voices
Part of the fun and fairness of orienteering is navigating your own course, so please be polite when you find a checkpoint and don’t holler that you’ve found it.
