Choose Your Adventure #2: Founders’ Day
CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE
Sunday, October 10 at Fort Steilacoom – main entrance in Lakewood, WA
Meet Director: Patrick Nuss
Founders’ Day is back again! Those of you who’ve been around the club for a while may remember that Founders’ Day (which started out as the Bo Powell & Mac MacDonald Memorials), has had a history of being an October tradition. Many of the first Founders’ Days were at Fort Casey, and this year we’re sticking with the “fort” theme and going to Fort Steilacoom!
The Choose Your Adventure series is designed to be extra fun, social, and friendly for beginners, yet interesting for seasoned veterans.
At Choose Your Adventure events, everyone gets the same map with checkpoints marked all over it. Then, after a mass start, you can find as many checkpoints as you want! Just be sure to mind the time, since there’s also a time limit. Return to the finish on-time, or lose precious points for every minute you’re late. (Wear a watch!)
Thanks to the excitement-inducing time limit, everyone finishes around the same time, making post-event socializing a core feature of Choose Your Adventure events.
Come join the fun!
Is this your first event or do you want to improve your skills? Meet us from 10:00am – 11:00am for up to an hour of free skills instruction!
COURSES
Course designer(s): Patrick Nuss
There is just a one-size-fits-all course for beginners through advanced runners. We’ll have a mass start. 24 checkpoints will be marked on the map, and your goal is to visit as many checkpoints as you can (in any order you want). The total time limit is 75 minutes!
How does the scoring work?
All 24 checkpoints are worth the same amount: 1 point per checkpoint. The maximum score is 24 points. The first person or team returning with 24 points wins!
There’s a time limit of 75 minutes, and for every minute late, there’s a 1 point penalty.
For reference, a relatively efficient route that visits all 24 checkpoints is about 7k, as the crow flies.
SCHEDULE
10:00am – Registration & Instruction Open
11:00am – Registration & Instruction Close
11:10am – Map Handout
11:15am – MASS START!
12:30pm – Finish & Course Closure
How does a mass start work?
After everyone registers and checks in, we go over the basic race rules and then hand out maps. Everyone has 5 minutes to plan routes before we yell GO!
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
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: Friday, October 8, 9:00PM
Day-of-event registration is available by cash or check, made payable to Cascade Orienteering Club
LOCATION
PARKING
The event center is Shelter #1, which is just west of the large playground. You can either park in the playground’s parking lot, or the parking lot just to the west of Shelter #1.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the CascadeOC Google Group and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
While Fort Steilacoom is not rugged or remote, it can be fairly challenging for a city park. There are many criss-crossing trails here, both in open grass and in forest. However, there are also many distinct features such as buildings, roads, ballfields, and a small lake, that are great navigational aids.
Part of the park is very flat, while part of the park is quite steep. How steep your course is depends on which course you choose and how nice the course designer decided to be.
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.
