Orienteering Championship

We are pleased to announce the twenty-eighth annual Bay Area Scout Orienteering Championship.   Who will be champions this year?   Everyone stands a chance!!  Some practice, some fitness, and some thinking will get you a long way.  So come on out – bring your compasses, running shoes and your brains – and have fun!

The format for this year’s championships is described below.  Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of all ages are welcome, and the competition is arranged to accommodate any skill level.  In addition, the courses are arranged to meet the map and compass requirements for First Class, Second Class or the Orienteering Merit Badge.

There will be patches.  Anyone who has not yet received a patch for a prior year’s event can get it at this year’s, or by contacting the meet director.  The patches are “progressive”, so that a scout can participate in multiple scout-o’s and add to his or her patch sequence.

We will have electronic punching.

Competitive Categories:  Scouts will compete against other scouts with the same orienteering experience.  Four courses will be offered.

Course 1:                    Daisies, Brownies, Cub scout dens, Webelo dens, Tenderfoot and Junior scouts – or scouts with very little (less than 2) prior orienteering experiences:  Dens and younger scouts run in groups of 2-6 with an adult advisor who should follow his or her group, not lead it; Tenderfoot scouts will run in pairs.

Course 2:                    Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, second Class and/or first-class scouts – or scouts with minimal (2 to 5) orienteering experiences:  Compete in pairs.

Course 3:                    Seniors, Ambassadors, Star, Life and/or Eagle scouts – or scouts with substantial (more than 5) orienteering experiences:  Compete in pairs.

Course 4:                    Advanced, experienced orienteers of any rank:  Run alone on a typical Orienteering USA orange level course.

Adult course:            All leaders and parents are invited to compete on a course similar to but separate from course 3.  They may run in groups or alone.  Leaders/parents should also pre-register.  Leader results are for bragging rights only and will not affect troop scoring.

NOTE:  Choose your courses carefully – there are more points available for doing the harder courses (we are encouraging scouts to “move up” a notch), but don’t get on a course you can’t finish, because then you will likely lose points.  As a rule of thumb, the points available for course 2 are about 10% more than course 1.  Course 3 is about 20% more, and course 4 is about 30% more than course 1.

Afternoon meet:  All scouts may compete in a troop event in the afternoon.  Both morning and afternoon events will contribute to the troop total score to determine the troop championship.

Hint:  The more scouts that attend from a given troop, the better the troop usually does.  We combine the top N scouts’ scores from the morning and afternoon events to get the troop score.  The value N is set by the meet director on the day of the meet, based on conditions and attendance.

All troops participating in Scout-O must be pre-registered and prepaid.  Registration will close on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. The cost of the event is $10.00 per scout or participating leader.  Choose your teams carefully, because they must remain together all day.  Mixed category teams are possible, but will compete on the course of the higher-ranking scout.  Each troop may have one 3-person team to allow for odd numbers.

Registration forms and information will also be available at the registration desk at other scheduled BAOC meets through September.  A registration spread sheet will be available on the club web site (www.BAOC.org).

Start times:  The meet will be held on Saturday, September 24, 2022.  Instruction will begin at 9:00 am.  The start time of each individual team will be determined by the entry date of their troop.  In general, start times will begin at 10:00 am and go until about noon.  The Afternoon event will run from 1:00 to 2:30 pm.  The awards ceremony will begin at 3:15 pm and the meet will be closed at 3:40 pm.  It is advisable to arrive at the meet by 9:00 am.  We will stick to the pre-assigned start times – it’s less confusing that way.  The Start and Finish will be close to the assembly area and Parking. Start times will be posted on the internet at BAOC.ORG on Friday, September 23rd.  Bring compasses, and remember, we go – rain or shine!

Prizes:  Awards will be made to the best teams on each course.  The champion troops will be determined by the results in all categories including the afternoon event.  As before, there will be medals, certificates, and a Troop trophy. There will be awards for the top “Junior” Scout troop (cubs, Webelos, daisies, brownies, etc) as well as the top Girl Scout troop if a Boy Scout troop wins, or the top Boy Scout troop if a Girl Scout troop wins. Each participant will receive a progressive (by course) participation patch.  There will be other awards for answering some puzzle questions.

Equipment:  You will each need strong trail shoes, long pants (Briones has stickers!), a pen or pencil, a watch, and a compass.  You may want a water bottle, hat, sunscreen, etc. if it’s hot, or rain gear if it’s rainy.  Bring your own lunch.

Directions:   Registration will be at the West entrance to the park, off Bear Creek Road.  To get there, take Route 24 West from 680 or East from 80.  Exit at Orinda heading North on Camino Pablo.  After about 2 miles, turn right on Bear Creek Road.  After about 3.5 miles, the park entrance will be on your right (don’t be fooled by the parking area on the left – that’s not it), and is well signposted.  There is a charge of approximately $4.00 for parking.  Please carpool if possible.

Web Site:  The latest information and electronic registration information can be found on the Bay Area Orienteering Club Internet website at www.BAOC.org   Prior years’ results are also available there.