Orienteering Clinic with Art Livingston Thursday, April 14, 2005 6:30 PM (before GBF Meeting)

ORIENTEERING A Map and Compass Sport or Another Excuse to Be Outdoors by Art Livingston By now, many of you have a GPS to guide you through the woods to your favorite fishing spot.  Wouldn’t it be nice to learn how to read a map so you don’t walk over a cliff while blindly following this technological wizard?  Enter: ORIENTEERING. Orienteering is a map and compass sport. It originated in the Nordic countries as a means of training their military troops how to navigate. The US Military Academy at West Point introduced it to this country in the 1930’s. It is now a nationwide sport with thousands of enthusiasts. In a nutshell, an orienteer navigates, over a specified area, using only a map and compass, to find “Controls”. In a way, it’s like a treasure hunt without the monetary reward. Anyone can participate. At a recent National Championship Meet at Spooner Lake, the age categories started at “Under 10” and went all the way up to “Over 65”. The youngest competitor was a 6-year old girl. The oldest competitor was a 93-year old woman. You do not have to be a “Competitor” to participate in Orienteering. Many people, myself included, only participate so they can have another excuse to be outdoors. With my eyesight, I prefer to walk, not run through the forests and fields. I stop to look at the bugs, smell the flowers, and listen to the birds. I’m thrilled when I find the “Controls” and figure out the best way to get through the course. The competitors prefer to run from point to point, navigating using their internal “GPS” system, referring to their maps and compasses only briefly. Everyone is timed from the start to the finish. However, only the competitors really care about their times. Courses are designed by skill level, from “Beginner” (first timers) to “Advanced” (Half Billy Goat, Half Antelope). The courses are color coded for easy reference. A beginner course, ‘White’, will follow paths and trails, and is usually less than 3k in length. An Intermediate level course, ‘Orange’, will require more off trail navigation skills and is usually around 4-5k in length. ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ Courses are for the fanatics who love to sprint over mountains for about 7-10 kilometers. There are a few levels in between those I mentioned. I hope I’ve interested you in learning more about this fun, outdoor sport. I’ll explain a little more about it when we meet on Thursday, April 14th, at 6:30 in the Club House. If you want more information before the meeting, visit this web site (www.goldcountryorienteers.org). The next orienteering meet is on Saturday, April 16th, at Goethe Park. Tight Lines! Art Livingston Also see:  National Orienteering Day, Orangevale Park, Saturday, September 17, 2005

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