Queen Elizabeth Park Wednesday Evening Training
January 29th 2014 6:30pm
Organizer: Hilary Anderson (Event Director)
Map: Queen Elizabeth Park
Reminder it is a NEW YEAR! Bring 10$ for your membership - new year! new membership! (if possible come 5 minutes early to complete membership paperwork if you haven't already done so for 2014)
General GVOC Call for Volunteers to Organize WETs throughout 2014 and to help with Canadian Orienteering Championships in Whistler August 2014. Talk to a WET organizer or use "Contact" link above for information about ways you can help.
Description for this WET
Primary Organizers:
Hilary Anderson (Event Director/Course Planner), Stan Woods (Trainer), Michel Roberge (Organizer and Timekeeper)
Description
Queen Elizabeth Park is perfect for orienteering with open running areas, hills, a maze of winding trails and lovely views. This week's WET will emphasize the "T" in Wednesday Evening Training - the Training will also be Tricky, especially for the Experts who MUST HAVE A COMPASS! Headlamps will be essential for everyone.
Schedule
6:15 pm: Introduction to Orienteering for Beginners
6:30 pm: Starts begin
8:15 pm: Course Closure, participants must report to the Finish by Course Closure Time.
Courses:
Three courses will be offered:
For Beginners or Families there will be an Easy course covering some of the scenic highlights of Queen Elizabeth Park. Strollers not recommended because of some steep stairs and rocky paths.
For Intermediate orienteeers there will first be a course focused on Route Choice. Check out the options for each leg and make a decision based on elevation gain/loss, ease of navigation, etc. You could also do this as a team/pair, with members taking different routes and comparing notes at each control. If you have time and energy left, collect an Expert Windows map (see below) to practice your compass skills but take your Route Choice map with you to help if you get into difficulty. Do as many Window controls as you can before course closing time at 8:15 pm. Please sign up under Intermediate (you will have access to both maps but will start with Route Choice).
For Expert orienteers there will first be a course on a Windows map with only a small window around each control so you are obliged to use compass bearings, distance estimation, and relocation skills to get from one window to another. Useful hints for this training exercise will be at the start and also in the forthcoming club email. There will be several possible shortcuts on this course to reduce the distance from ~ 3.7 km to ~ 2.4 km as desired. When you have completed the Windows course, pick up an Intermediate Route Choice map (see above) for a faster paced finish to the evening. Your time will be recorded separately for each course. Please sign up under Expert (you will have access to both maps but will start with Windows).
Safety Precautions:
There are no major roads to cross but every course crosses some park access roads and parking areas - please watch out for traffic. Depending on the weather, some paths and grassy slopes may be slippery and low-lying areas might be boggy.
Parking/Start/Finish Locations:
Start/Finish is at the top of the hill at one of the shelters (in case of rain) between the Parking Area (Pay Parking) and the Bloedel Conservatory. There is scaffolding and a no-go zone immediately around the Conservatory (roof replacement) but all paths are accessible. Free parking is available along the lower access roads of the park and requires a short walk uphill to the Start. There are public washrooms off the lower access road at the south end of the park (about 400m from the Start).
Post-Event Dining: TBD
Acknowledgements:
Without volunteers, these events cannot take place. A hearty thanks to all those helping put this event on. If you would like to volunteer/help at upcoming WETs/WJRs or would like to organize a WET please let us know.