Choose Your Adventure #3: Skeleton Bones
CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE
Saturday, October 30 at Robinswood Park in Bellevue, WA
Meet Director: Patrick Nuss
For 2021, we’re keeping with a Halloween theme, but we’re swapping out our annual Vampire-O at night for a Skeleton Bones event during the day. Due to the continued presence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that Vampire-O usually draws a lot of kids (too young to be vaccinated), we felt that the mass start and punchcard-swapping format wasn’t an ideal event this year. We hope to have Vampire-O back for October 2022.
The Choose Your Adventure Series is meant to be fun, social, friendly for beginners, yet interesting for seasoned veterans. Who will visit the most “skeleton bone” checkpoints within the time limit? Who will run the fastest?
This format is great for beginners! With many checkpoints along trails and open areas, you’ll be sure to visit a lot! And if there’s one that’s hard to find, don’t worry, you can skip it and keep going. For the advanced navigators, the races will be a challenging exercise in figuring out the most efficient and optimal route to try to get them all
If you need a waiver to print and sign for a youth attending without parent/guardian, download here.
COURSES
Course designer(s): Patrick Nuss
Like most Choose Your Adventure events, there are 24 checkpoints to find in the park, split in half so that 12 are on Map #1 and 12 are on Map #2. You have 75 minutes, and you can start anytime between 10:15am and 12:15pm.
But here’s the Skeleton Bones twist!
The 12 checkpoints on each map are actually 6 pairs of 2 checkpoints (each pair resembles the shape of a dog bone). Once you visit 1 of the 2 checkpoints of a “bone”, you then must go next to its pair checkpoint, completing the “bone”. After completing a bone, you may go visit any other bone. You can visit the 6 bones in whatever order that you like. You can start each bone from either checkpoint, as long as you go to the other one next.
Once you complete the 6 bones (12 checkpoints total) from the first map, come back to the start/finish area and we’ll give you another 6 bones to visit!
For reference, the minimum distance to visit all 12 bones (24 checkpoints) is approximately 5km.
Here’s an example of the format from our 2019 “Dog Bones” event at Edmonds College.
BASIC RULES: (these will be printed on the maps, too!)
- There are 12 Skeleton Bones on the entire course: 6 bones on Map #1 and 6 bones on Map #2.
- Each Skeleton Bone is a pair of checkpoints, which must be punched consecutively in order to be completed and scored. It doesn’t matter which end of the bone you start with, but once you start a bone, you need to complete it before moving to the next bone.
- Of the 6 Skeleton Bones on each map, you may collect the bones in whatever order that you want, as long as you follow Rule #2.
- At any point during Map #1, you may come back to the start/finish to get Map #2. Once you start Map #2, you will no longer be able to collect bones from Map #1 that you haven’t completed, if any.
- Each completed Skeleton Bone is worth 2 points, with a maximum score of 24 points. There are no single points awarded for uncompleted bones. Ties in points will be broken by elapsed time.
- Time limit is 75 minutes, with each minute late resulting in a loss of 1 point.
“OOPS” RULES: (these will be printed on the maps, too!)
- If you accidentally punch another checkpoint while you are within a bone, you may choose to:
- Finish the bone you accidentally started (if it’s a bone on your map that you haven’t yet collected)
- Re-start the bone you were attempting (either by going back and re-punching one end of the bone again, or re-starting from the other end of the bone)
- Move along to another bone entirely, disregarding both the accidental punch and the bone you were previously attempting.
- If you accidentally punch another checkpoint while you are between the end of one bone and the start of another, you may choose to:
- Finish the bone you accidentally started (if it’s a bone on your map that you haven’t yet collected)
- Disregard the accidental punch and continue with your plan.
SCHEDULE
10:00am – Registration & Instruction Opens
10:15am – Start Window Opens
12:00pm – Registration & Instruction Closes
12:15pm – Start Window Closes
01:30 pm – Finish & Course Closure
You can start any time between 10:15am and 12:15pm. Before you start, you will be allowed up to 5 minutes to study Map #1 and plan your strategy!
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: Thursday, October 28, 9:00PM
Day-of-event registration is available by cash or check, made payable to Cascade Orienteering Club
LOCATION
The closest lot to registration & check-in is the one entering from 148th Ave SE, directly across from SE 24th Street.
If that lot is full, there is additional parking north of the soccer fields, entering from SE 22nd Street, directly across from 150th Ave SE.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the CascadeOC Google Group and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
Robinswood Park is a fantastic venue for beginners, thanks to distinct features in the landscape, such as well-groomed trails, a well-defined pond, buildings, open grassy areas, and paved paths.
Ch. 3.43 Parks and Recreation Facilities Code | Bellevue City Code (municipal.codes)
A. It shall be unlawful for any person to clear, cut, damage or remove any tree or vegetation located on property owned or leased by the city without the express written permission of the city manager or his or her designee.
B. Violation of this section is a civil violation under Chapter 1.18 BCC, subject to penalties set forth in BCC 1.18.045. (Ord. 5452 § 1, 2003; Ord. 4480 § 22, 1993; Ord. 4071 § 1, 1989.)
Read more on the map page
SAFETY & 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.
