Winter Series / WIOL #4
WINTER LEAGUEWINTER SERIES
Saturday, December 16 at Bridle Trails State Park in Kirkland, 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 (Washington 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 Cascade OC’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!
- Register for WINTER SERIES (open to both kids and adults) at the link below or at the event!
WIOL Rules note:
It has come to my attention that some WIOL participants haven’t been helped by folks running public courses when the kids are truly lost. If a WIOL competitor asks you where they are try this: “Show me where you think you are?” If they have lost positional awareness, it’s okay to point out where they are on their map and have them move on. Note their bib number and let me or Kathy Forgrave know so we can inform coaches and help these kids develop their skills. If you have a question about this please let me know. I’m in the big blue vest!! Thanks, Jud Kelley, WIOL Director
COURSES
Course designer(s): Dave Enger and Eric Jones
Welcome to Bridle Trails. Parking Note: Bridle Trails is a State Park. Parking requires a Discover Pass. Parking is tight so please car pool and follow the parking staff directions.
| Course | Controls | Length | Climb |
| Beginner/Elementary | 9 | 1.7 km | 40 m |
| Middle School | 8 | 2.5 km | 50 m |
| Intermediate/JV Girls | 9 | 2.9 km | 60 m |
| JV Boys North | 9 | 2.9 km | 60 m |
| JV Boys South | 8 | 3.0 km | 65 m |
| Varsity | 10 | 4.0 km | 110 m |
| Short Advanced | 10 | 4.0 km | 120 m |
| Long Advanced | 12 | 6.4 km | 160 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
This is our last *TRAILS ONLY* venue this season. Please only use trails that are marked on your map and which are obvious in the terrain! (Yes, even the indistinct trails are generally easy to find and follow.)
Bridle trails is a horse focused park so you may encounter horses during your course. If you see a horse, make your presence known by slowing down and talking to the horse and rider before passing.
Bridle trails is quite flat outside of the climb just east of the start/finish area, and running on trails means you can move quickly across this 1:10k map. Advanced orienteers will read ahead to know which direction to turn before reaching a junction and plan optimal routes through the maze of possible trails.
It’s highly likely that you’ll pass by controls for other courses while you’re out. Make sure you’re a the right spot and punching the control for your course!
Overall the map is good, and though forest vegetation can be inconsistent (and is generally all thicker than the white shown on most of the map), it shouldn’t affect trails-only navigation. A few special notes:
- This map uses a green O for a stump, and the control description sheets will use an “O” symbol for these to differentiate from a rootstock (which uses the normal brown x on the map and circle with x on control descriptions.)
- There are also two sizes of black X on the map. The larger black X are large signboards with a roof, while the smaller black x are either posts for trail marking or smaller interpretive signage.
- Settlement out of bounds areas are marked with grey lines rather than olive green fill. You may use mapped trails and roads to pass through these areas, though most courses shouldn’t need to go outside of the park.
We hope you enjoy Bridle Trails!
SCHEDULE
9:30am – Registration opens & Newcomer instruction available
10:00am – Start opens
11:00am – Newcomer instruction ends
11:30am – Registration closes
Noon – Start closes
2:30pm – 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.
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 at 9 pm, Thursday, December 14th:
Day-of-event registration is available by cash or check, made payable to Cascade Orienteering Club.
SCHOOL LEAGUE (WIOL)
For information on registration for the School League, visit the School League (WIOL) page.
LOCATION
PARKING
Discover Pass is Required
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the Yahoo listserv and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
Bridle trails is an on-trail-only venue, with chest-deep salal on both sides and rumors of some old wells and pits in the underbrush. But it makes up for this navigational limitation by having an intricate network of trails that make it a perfect place to practice a range of skills:
- Feature recognition (What is the shape of this trail?)
- Compass use (Which way does this trail go?)
- Pace counting (Should I be expecting an intersection soon?)
- Contours (Is this trail supposed to be going down or up?)
Navigationally, this is a 1:10,000 map of three levels of trail network and a wide power line strip through the center. It is bounded on the outer edge by a series of perimeter trails that border roads, with a center of activity on the west side.
NOTE: Bridle Trails is a horse-focused park. If a horse is on course and need to approach, slow down and make your presence known verbally to keep the horse from spooking. The animals may be bigger than you, but you’re a lot scarier than they are!
Read more on the map pageEMBARGO NOTICE
To ensure a fair competition among all student league participants, participants are not allowed to visit each event venue for the two weeks prior to the event being held there. In orienteering, this is known as an “embargo”.
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.
