Winter League #2

WINTER LEAGUE

Saturday, November 17 at Hamlin Park in Shoreline, WA

Meet Director: Jud Kelley

Winter League is the Pacific Northwest’s premier competitive orienteering series for all ages. Elementary, Middle School, and High School students compete under the banner of the Washington Interscholastic Orienteering League (WIOL). Cascade Orienteering Club also offers a competitive league for college students and adults, as well as non-competitive beginner-friendly categories at every event!

Warm up with a Micro O’ course!
As a training exercise or a short physical and mental warm up, two short Micro O’ will be set up near Registration. This will be a self-service activity and you will need to print your own maps [2018 Hamlin Micro O] and description sheets [2018 Hamlin Micro O_descriptions]. There is also a brief write up on how to use Micro O’ to practice “flow” [Micro-O-How-To 20180214]. The course wasn’t field checked so there might be minor discrepancies. Also, the codes on the pin flags will not match the codes on the control descriptions (for reasons that Mike finds too embarrassing to reveal). Be very careful around moving people and vehicles! If you have questions (or suggestions), please see Mike Schuh – he’ll be working the first shift of Beginner Instruction somewhere near Registration.

COURSES

Course designer(s): Dave Dummeyer and Brett Buchholz

Course
Controls
Length
Climb
Beginner / Elementary
15
1.6 km
15 m
Middle School
18
2.7 km
30 m
Intermediate / JV Girls
14
3.1 km
50 m
JV Boys North
10
3.0 km
50 m
JV Boys South
10
3.0 km
50 m
Varsity
11
3.8 km
100 m
Short Advanced
12
4.0 km
110 m
Long Advanced
19
6.8 km
150 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

**IMPORTANT MAP INFO **

On the Hamlin map North is not orientated to the top of the sheet of paper.  We could not fit the map on the paper if we did this.  The thick red line is North on the map as usual and the blue North lines point to the red line.  Participants will have to turn the map to the left to have it actually oriented North.

 

Winter League #2 is a wonderful blend of hilly terrain in Hamlin Park, the campus areas of Kellogg Middle School and Shorecrest High School and the trails of South Woods Park. Hamlin Park and South Woods Park are patches of urban forest with a varied history. Named for the Hamlin family who homesteaded the area in the 1800s, the land was logged, developed as a naval hospital, and later transferred to the state. The schools and community rallied to save the property from development in the ‘90s, and Shoreline purchased the land for the parks in 2007. 


The forest is mature and mixed, with varied terrain and both native and invasive undergrowth. 

There is an out of bounds restoration area in Hamlin Park west of the baseball fields. There will be a restoration work crew in the north of the park on Saturday. Please do not interfere with their work. 

The high school track is also out of bounds so plan your routes accordingly. 

The South Woods has a large number of controls, so be sure to check the control number before you punch. 

The Beginner/Elementary course has more controls than usual, however, they are spaced closely and designed to ensure our newest orienteers know they are headed in the right direction. 

Middle and JV level courses are an exciting mix of sprint terrain and forest running, making route choice around buildings and fences important. 

Varsity includes longer forested legs which create route choice challenges in complex trail networks. Thumbing is critical here. 

Long advanced includes a map flip. 

As always, come prepared, enjoy your run and remember to download.

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

Elementary, Middle School, Junior Varsity, and Varsity Students

Pre-Registration: $45 for all 8 events
Day of Event: $10 (cash or check only)

WIOL Admin Fee (once per season): $5 before October 13, $15 after.

Subtract $10 from the season pass if you own your own e-punch.

Intercollegiate Students, Adults, and non-competitive courses

Pre-registration: $17 (until Thursday 9pm)
Day of event: $20 (cash or check only)

Subtract $5 for Cascade OC members
Subtract $5 for using your own epunch

Get one event free if you pre-register for the entire season.

Become a Cascade OC member for $5-20

What’s an e-punch?

Orienteering uses RFID-like technology known as e-punch to record your race. At the start, finish, and each control, you’ll dip the e-punch into an electronic box, which will beep and flash as confirmation.

At the finish tent, download your e-punch to get your results (and let us know you’ve returned safely), then compare your splits and discuss your routes with other finishers!

You can rent an e-punch from Cascade OC , or buy your own from Wildwood Adventure Outfitters.

SIGN UP

Students with a season pass, use the button above to RSVP for this meet by Tuesday November 13 at Noon.

Online pre-registration closes Thursday November 15 at 9pm. Day-of-event registration is by cash or check only.

Learn more about volunteering

Volunteers make these events happen! You can volunteer and participate on the same day, plus earn volunteer points to earn a free meet.

LOCATION

Parking:

Please park at Shorecrest High School.  Parking is free.

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.

Read more on the map page

Navigational Challenge: 5/10

Physical Challenge: 3/10

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.