Orienteering works out the body and the mind


Orienteering lingo

From Orienteering USA:

Aiming off: To deliberately aim to one side of a control or feature so that you know which way to turn upon hitting the feature before seeing the control.

Attack point: An obvious feature near the control point from which the control can be located by navigating carefully with map and compass.

Bearing: The direction of travel as indicated by the compass.

Catching feature (also called collecting feature or backstop): An obvious feature on the map and ground located beyond a control or other sought-after feature that indicates that the target feature has been overshot (passed by).

Control: A checkpoint on an orienteering course that a competitor must visit to complete the course

Control marker (also called a control, marker, bag or flag): A three-sided marker (usually orange and white) placed at features on an orienteering course. It usually has a punch or other marking device attached to mark a control card as proof that you visited the control.

Control circle: A circle drawn around a feature on the map to indicate the location of a control marker. The feature should be in the exact center of the circle.

Control descriptions (sometimes referred to as "clues"): A list given to each participant that briefly describes each control features in order.

Control feature: A natural or man-made feature on or next to which the control is hung.

Course: A sequence of control points marked on the map that are to be visited by the orienteer.

Finish symbol: If it shares the same location as the start, it will be a circle with a triangle inside; if its location is separate from the start, it is shown as a double circle (circle within a circle).

Folding the map: Orienteers fold their maps along the line of travel to aid concentration on the leg being run, and to facilitate thumbing their position.

Leg: A section of a course between two control points.

Orienting the map: Matching the orientation of the map to the features on the ground. This is one of the fundamental skills in orienteering, and leads to successful navigation. The map can be oriented either by comparing the map directly with the terrain or by using a compass to orient to north.

Point feature: A feature in the terrain that only occupies a small area. Frequently mapped examples are boulders, pits and mounds, stumps, and root mounds. Point features are not suitable as control sites for novice courses unless they are on a handrail.

Punching: The act of marking the control card with the punch–in the case of electronic timing, inserting the e-punch into the slot in the control station or "e-box."

Thumbing: A technique for holding the map, using your thumb to indicate your present location. To do this properly, it is often necessary to fold the map, preferably along the line of travel.

Fred Dudding regularly ventures off the beaten path and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

The 72-year-old Oakwood resident has been orienteering for more than three decades. There have been a few wrong turns along the way, but that is to be expected.

“It’s easy to get turned around out there, but that’s part of the challenge,” Dudding said. “You have the physical challenge of being out in the woods and the even bigger challenge of selecting the best route.”

Dudding is a longtime member of the Miami Valley Orienteering Club, an organization that sponsors events at local parks year round. Five Rivers MetroParks also hosts a number of programs to get new orienteers started.

What is orienteering?

The physical and mental elements of orienteering are deeply intertwined. Thinking on your feet is a necessity.

“It’s sometimes referred to as the thinking sport,” said Matt Bond, president of the Miami Valley Orienteering Club. “That’s one of the reasons I like it, because I can be competitive without it being based solely on athletic performance. It’s also about making correct route choices.”

Orienteers proceed from a course start to finish by visiting a number of control points in a predetermined order with the help of a map and compass. In order to choose the best possible route, orienteers assess the characteristics of the terrain, and the winner is determined by the fastest time to complete the course. An orienteer must navigate and make quick decisions on the run – think “Amazing Race” meets MetroPark hike.

“It’s nice because you can be competitive without it being based solely on athletic performance,” Bond said.

The course

A standard orienteering course consists of a series of control sites that must be visited in order. The control site circles are centered around the feature that is to be found; this feature is also defined by control descriptions – sometimes called clues. A control flag marks the location that the orienteer must visit.

To verify a visit, the orienteer uses a punch hanging next to the flag to mark his or her control card. Different punches make different patterns of holes. Some clubs now use electronic “punching” instead, using a finger stick with a chip inside that records your time at each control.

The route between controls is entirely up to the orienteer. This element of route choice and the ability to navigate through the forest are the essence of orienteering.

“You need to decide how to get there based on your ability, so there is a definite thinking process,” Dudding said. “That’s what I enjoy most – getting to a control in the most efficient way possible.”

A novice course might include as few as six controls over 1.5-kilometers while an advanced course could include 25 controls over 10 kilometers. Most orienteering events use staggered starts to ensure that each orienteer has a chance to do his or her own navigating. There are also relay formats and events in which orienteers must find as many controls as possible within a specified time.

Getting started

From grade school scouts to senior citizens, orienteering is a low-cost sport suitable for all ages and ability levels.

“I usually walk the course now and, even then, I definitely get a workout,” Dudding said.

Can’t read a map? Poor sense of direction? Orienteering rookie? No problem.

“I’ve taken people with me so they could watch the process if they were orienteering for the first time,” Dudding said. “Anybody can do it, just ask for some guidance if it’s your first time.”

You don’t even need to have your own compass as you can rent one from the Miami Valley Orienteering Club for their events.

And if you aren’t sure you want to go the solo route, you don’t have to.

“It’s usually thought of as an individual sport but families or groups could definitely do this together,” Bond said.

Try orienteering

In addition to the Miami Valley Orienteering Club (www.mvoclub.org), there are other Ohio clubs including Orienteering Cincinnati (www.ocin.org) and the Central Ohio Orienteers (www.centralohioorienteers.org) that host events. The MetroParks also offer orienteering programs (www.metroparks.org) throughout the year.

The next MVOC event is the Valentine Hunt at Possum Creek MetroPark on Feb. 8 from noon-2 p.m. For information, visit www.mvoclub.org.

Orienteering is about more than winning or, even, learning how to use a compass.

“It really empowers people and enables them to have greater confidence when they are outdoors,” Dudding said.

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