Getting Started
To get started there are a couple things you must do.
Join TROL
To take part in the season's activities you must be a member of TROL. To join TROL you just have to fill out the application and mail it in with the fee. Before you do that, look at the schedule of events, and check it with your family's schedule. Make sure that you will be able to come to about 6 or more of the competitions, a few practice events, and maybe some mid-week meetings. That way you will become a good orienteer and best enjoy the season.
You may download the application and information flier here:
Tristate Regional Orienteering League
c/o Pat Meehan
1306 Southern Hills Blvd.,
Hamilton, OH 45013-3738
Form a team at school
Tell your friends about Orienteering. Talk to your parents, teachers and coaches. Tell them about the opportunities of forming a team, training, competing and meeting a challenge, all in the name of your school.
Organize a team. Remind each of your members to send in their applications. Ask a parent, teacher, or coach to take the lead - At least one adult should serve as a team moderator that oversees communication and transportation efforts for your team.
Plan your teams schedule - training and competition. Remember, it takes at least three team members competing on the same course on the same day to get a team score.
You do not have to have a full team to compete. Every TROL member also competes individually.
Learn how to Orienteer
Go through all of the learning exercises on this website. Most of the concepts in Orienteering will be new to you. Some you will get quickly. Others may take longer to learn.
Try to master a concept or a course level before you move on to the next one. Trying too much all at once will usually just make you feel bad. When you become good at a certain level or activity and feel comfortable, then try something harder. But remember, when you are trying something new, you will make mistakes. That is how you will learn.
Orienteering offers many different challenges. And there are many methods to overcome them. There are techniques. There are strategies. There are skills. In addition there are levels of difficulty. Each of us is different. And so we me each find a different way to complete an Orienteering course. Yet we will all have the same goal: finish correctly and quickly.
Ask Questions
Not everything about Orienteering will be on this website. You will not learn every technique, strategy and skill at events. So how do you learn all you need?
Ask questions.
When you think of something that you do not know or do not understand - Ask. When you wonder how something is done - Ask. When you see someone do something, and you do not know why or how - Ask. When you see a map or description symbol you do not recognize - Ask. If you are not sure if you should try a harder course or use a new technique - Just ask.
No matter what it is, don't be afraid to ask. The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked. When at an Orienteering event, ask the coaches, ask the other adults, ask your fellow TROL's. When you are at home, send an email to the TROL officials.
Try to learn all that you can.
Meet others; make friends
There will be kids from many different schools all trying to learn how to Orienteer. You will see them on the courses and in the woods. At first you will just see them as a stranger; a competitor. Then you may wonder, "What's he doing? How'd she do that?" Eventually you will feel compelled to strike up a conversation. Soon you will go to events and look for 'that guy' or noticed 'there's that one girl'.
Comparing route choices, confessing mistakes, and boasting of your skill when you nail a control; these are part of Orienteering. Take time to share stories. Develop friendships with others that have experienced what you have experienced.
Give advice. Learn from others. Let them be your challenge, your competitor, your friend.
Questions or comments?