Advanced Pairs Event, Sunday April 19, Schenck Forest
On Sunday, April 19, we will hold a special pairs event at Schenck Forest for orienteers at the ‘advanced’ or ‘expert’ level (i,e., able to complete an orange course on your own). You and your partner can start together any time between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM, but be sure to be done by 2:30 when control pickup will begin. Note that Schenck Forest does not allow dogs, even if leashed.
Orienteering is typically a solitary sport. Relay events are ostensibly team events; however, they still involve an individual making and executing navigation decisions on their own. Similarly, even when a group of people orienteer together, it’s rare for one person to explicitly take directions from another. As a result of the sport’s focus on individual navigation, orienteers tend to have little practice with communicating spatial information in real time. This event will exercise these skills, forcing competitors to communicate navigational information with each other. Here are the basic rules:
1. You must compete in a team of two. The team member in the field who punches controls will be called ‘the runner’. The other team member instructs the runner where to go and is called ‘the instructor’. (We will allow instructors who are not advanced orienteers to participate; however, all runners must be advanced orienteers.) Although you will be competing in pairs, each team member must register separately. If you do not have a partner, please go ahead and register! Indicate that you’re a solo in your registration, and you will be paired with another solo on or before meet day.
2. There are four loops to the course that must be done in order. The first loop is 1km, the second 2km, the third 3km, and the fourth 4km. For pairs who prefer to not do point-to-point courses, there will be an ‘Explorer’ option in which you and your partner can acquire any or all controls in any order you choose.
3. All maps will be at a scale of 1:7500. The runner’s map for loop one will not show any vegetation, control circles or leg lines. The runner’s map for loop two will only show contour lines and foot trails (N.B., no vehicle tracks or roads). The runner’s map for loop three will only show contour lines. The runner will not have a map for loop four. (The runner for the Explorer course will not have a map.) The runner may carry a compass.
4. The instructor will have a map with all symbols and control descriptions for each loop that they instruct, but is not allowed to leave the clearing around the shelter. The instructor may use a compass.
5. The runner and the instructor can communicate in real time via cell phone or walkie talkie (not provided). Only voice and/or text is allowed (e.g., no GPS tracking, LiveLox, etc.)
6. Teams may decide to stop any time after the second loop. Stopping earlier will result in an ‘mp’.
7. The runner and the instructor may switch roles at the end of any loop, but they are not required to. Teams doing the Explorer course may switch roles at most once. Notes about how to execute the role switch will be provided at the start.
Please note that this is a brand new format for us, and questions are likely to arise that are not answered by these rules. Please send note for clarification to the event director (dw.orienteer@gmail.com). Here are some of the questions (and answers) that have come up so far:
Will the runner’s map show the start triangle?
No. The start shelter (with no triangle) will appear on the runner’s map for loop 1. For Loops 2-4, the instructor would need to describe the start location to the runner.
Will the runner’s map show meridian lines and/or out of bounds areas?
Yes. The runner’s maps for the first three loops will show meridian lines (spaced at 300m) and out of bounds areas.
Will the runner’s and the instructor’s maps be formatted the same on their pages.
Yes. Runner’s and instructor’s maps will be formatted identically. Thus, for example, if it’s helpful, the instructor could describe a feature as being, say, 1 cm west of the rightmost meridian on the page and the runner could apply this information to their map.
How will the transition work between loops?
When an instructor sees their partner coming in, they will give their map to the event director. As the runner comes into the transition area they can either punch finish to end the team’s race, or punch the transition control to continue with the next loop. If continuing with the next loop, the next runner (who can be the previos runner) will take the appropriate map from the clothesline labeled ‘Runner Maps’ and the next instructor will take the appropriate map from the line labeled ‘Instructor Maps’. Once either team member has his or her map, they cannot communicate face to face with their partner.
Will there be time for teammates to plan how to execute each loop.
Not really. Any face-to-face communication between teammates could happen only between loops and without a map. During this time, you would also be on the clock.
Note the upper bridge symbol where there isn’t any trail or bridge. This indicates an area that may be easier to cross especially during low water.