????? Frequently asked questions ?????
Do I run the course by myself or with my team?
You run the course by yourself. Each entrant
has an individual start time. None of your other team members will
start wuithin 6 minutes of your time. If you are not capable of running
a course by yourself and finishing within the time limit, you should not
be entering the interscholastic championship. You CAN run with a
partner on easier courses in the "A" meet, but you would not be eligible
for interscholastic awards.
This will be our first orienteering event. Can we come?
You are welcome. However, we strongly recommend
that you do all of the following:
If at all possible, get
to a local event between now and the championships. Go to http://www.us.orienteering.org,
click on "clubs" and look at the schedules for clubs in your part of the
country.
Buy the preview maps.
Study the legend, colors and symbols that are used.
Come to the "A" meet Friday
afternoon at Woodland Trails.
If you are entering a championship
course and have never orienteered before, the courses will be very difficult for you. You probably
will not finish. There is a 3 hour time limit, and you must leave
the course and check in at the finish after 3 hours, even if you have not
found all of your control points.
What does "safety whistle and weather appropriate attire required"
mean?
All competitors are required to carry a whistle,
for emergency use. If you are injured or incapable of getting out
of the woods, the emergency signal is 3 blasts, pause, repeat until help
arrives. Whistles are not to be used for entertainment or because
you simply can't find a control (under penalty of disqualification).
We will have whistles for sale at registration.
Two years ago, at the interscholastic championships
in Georgia, heavy rain and falling temperatures caused several under-dressed
competitors to become hypothermic. This could have been a catastrophic
situation, as even many experienced orienteers were too cold & wet
to assist with search and rescue. So, if similar conditions exist,
you should wear at least a light jacket or carry a trash bag that can be
used for emergency protection. If it is 45 degrees and raining, we're
not going to let you start out wearing only shorts & a t-shirt. And
by the way, there are lots of low brambles... anyone who wears shorts on
these courses will come back looking and feeling like he/she has encountered
a mad slasher.
The packet pick-up on Saturday is listed at 7 am Indiana time. Do
I have to pick up my packet at that time, or can I pick it up anytime between
7am and my start time?
You may pick up your packet any time between 7 am
and your start time. You'll want to allow a half hour or so to read
it, etc...
read course & meet notes.
find race number and pin it on.
many people cut out a copy of the control descriptions and pin it to their
sleeve or number. Since e-punching is used, you don't have a paper
card on which to write your control codes & descriptions. A copy
of descriptions is attached to the map, but having another copy pinned to your
lower sleeve or number eliminates the need to unfold/refold the map to
look at codes & descriptions.
Keep in mind that there may be a line and wait at
check-in on Saturday morning. Pick up packets Friday afternoon or
evening if possible.
What are the contents of the packet?
number & pins
meet packet, includes
mappers and course setters notes
(may have some useful information about terrain and conditions, special
symbols used on the map, etc.)
e-punch card if rented
sometimes coupons,
sponsor ads, announcements of future O' events, etc...
If I buy preview maps, are those sent to me before the event?
Yes. Keep in mind
that these are maps that were made for events in 1996 and 1998, and are
printed at a 1:15,000 scale. The new maps have been heavily updated
and will be at 1:10,000 scale. But, studying preview maps is great
training, and the general shape of the land, road layout, hydrography,
etc hasn't changed much.
The Saturday note says "Allow 30 minutes for bus to start." Does
this time include waiting to get on the bus in the first place?
We expect busses to run about every 10 minutes.
The ride is under 10 minutes and the walk from the drop-off point is well
under 10 minutes. So 30 minutes should be plenty. You want
to be at the start area at least 4 or 5 minutes before your start time,
to allow time to clear & check your e-card and be called up to the
line 1 to 3 minutes before your start. More details on start procedures
will be in your packet, and may be on the website closer to the event dates.
Can I drop off warm-up clothing at the start?
If it is a cool or wet day, we will have provision
to return warm-up clothing to the finish. On both days, there will
be a place to drop off extra clothing just before the start area.
On Sunday, it will be a couple hundred yards from the clothing drop (at
a service road) to the actual start area. Please, if you leave any
drinks or food with your clothing, make sure it is tightly sealed... we
don't want crumbs and drips on everyone else's clothing. Do not forget
to pick up clothing when you finish. It is a very good idea to have
a name marked on clothing or put a small card with your name, school &
contact info in a pocket.
If you have more questions about:
registration and fees, Registrar: Vince
Hand
courses, terrain, eligibility, or general info,
Event Director: Mike Minium
Flying Pig VIII - U.S. Interscholastic Championship 2004 Page