what to do at an orienteering event

This page gives you information on how orienteering events work, and what you need to compete:

What do I do when I arrive?

As a beginner, you can just turn up and enter on the day of the competition. For major events, entry must be in advance, by post, and such events will normally have a closing date for entries of around two weeks before the event.

First, you need to decide which course to enter:

Most smaller competitions (local events or colour-coded events) have a range of courses which differ in length and difficulty. These are colour-coded from white (short and easy) through to black (long and difficult), hence the name.
The major competitions (Badge events and major championships) on the other hand have courses based on age-groups.
We would suggest that beginners start by going to a local or colour coded event, although the bigger events do usually have one or two colour coded courses.
For beginners and colour-coded events, you will pay an entry fee of around £3-£4 for adults, and about £1-£2 for for students and juniors. For this you get:
- a map of the competition area
- a description sheet which gives you details about the controls you have to visit on your course
- a control card - a card with numbered boxes, which you stamp or punch when you visit each control
- You are also given your start-time - as might be expected, the time when you start your course.

What next?

Once you have entered, you can get changed, and then proceed to the start:

Your start time is called up (there may be other people starting at the same time as you, but they won't be on the same course!)
You then have one or two minutes to make sure you are ready to go
Then, a whistle blows and you can start
The first thing you must do is to copy down your course accurately from a master map - then you navigate to each control in the correct order before returning to the finish.
If you are unfortunate enough to have to give up, you must still return to the finish so that the competition organisers know that you are not still in the forest.

In major competitions, the entry fee is slightly higher, but for this you get a map with your course pre-marked on it. Unfortunately, you don't get to see this until just before you start!

What do I wear, and what do I need to bring to an event?

Wear any outdoor clothes you don't mind getting dirty or torn! (You must have full leg cover, but T-shirts are OK.)
Footwear - trainers are OK, but something with a moulded or studded sole would be ideal (such as hiking shoes, but not boots). It depends if you'll be trying to run as much as you can!

Bring:

a compass, if you have one (Silva-type base plate compasses are best)
a whistle (for emergencies!)
a clear plastic bag (map case) for your map and control card

As a beginner, the above items are the essentials. However, if you go to an event, you'll realise that there's a lot of specialist orienteering kit used in the sport:

orienteering suits - lightweight nylon clothing, sometimes in club colours, sometimes in quite dubious patterns!
orienteering shoes - lightweight, reinforced and durable trainer-type shoes, with plastic moulded studded soles.
sweatbands and safety pins are used in abundance.

These items are sold by orienteering traders who attend major competitions, and are also available by mail order and at a few specialist outdoor shops.

Find out about where and when events take place.

Back to a Brief Introduction to Orienteering.

If you have any problems or queries regarding this page or its contents, contact David Sloan - email: dsloan @computing.dundee.ac.uk