Orieneering Course 4a First Class

[Jeff1974 14]

Good afternoon,

I am trying to help our Second Class scouts complete First Class 4a , a one mile orienteering course.  I have identified a few clubs that put on such programs, but there are some distance from us.  Myself and another leader are discussing whether such a course could be laid out using a gps and compass, which the Scouts could then recreate.  If anyone could point me to any resources on this subject, it would be much appreciated.  Thank you. 

[qwazse 4342]

2 minutes ago, Jeff1974 said:

Good afternoon,

I am trying to help our Second Class scouts complete First Class 4a , a one mile orienteering course.  I have identified a few clubs that put on such programs, but there are some distance from us.  Myself and another leader are discussing whether such a course could be laid out using a gps and compass, which the Scouts could then recreate.  If anyone could point me to any resources on this subject, it would be much appreciated.  Thank you. 

Absolutely you and a co-leader may set up a course at any sizeable local park. Walk your park, find some nice spots to hang a flag about a square foot large (those cheap litter pick-up vests are perfect) visible from 100 feet from at least three directions. Mark them on your GPS.  Plot them on a map. Set up the course in the morning, take it down in the afternoon.

An easy free solution to mapping is caltopo.com. I use it regularly. You could literally map it. Use it to set up your course. Save it as a .pdf. Send it to your boys and tell them "Go!" My scouts hate me.

But you may also ...

• Call those clubs and see if they have someone who would volunteer to set up a course for your troop. (In exchange for your best dutch-oven meal, of course.) Or (better) schedule one of their events at a location near you.
• Contact the ranger at your favorite scout camp. They often have several courses built into the camp.
• Contact your nearest state park. An orienteering club might built one or more permanent courses there. If not, the ranger might know where the nearest one is.
• Ask at your district roundtable if anyone has a scout working on Orienteering MB who would like to set up a course for your troop.

[jjlash 120]

I do that requirement for my Troop about once a year.  The thing that I always make sure to cover is - an orienteering course is not the same as a compass course.  Orienteering is a race against other competitors, or in the simple case against the clock.  To do this well the Scouts need to learn how to navigate with map and compass well enough to do it on their own.  Then they can do it as an orienteering course.

As for layout out the course it is pretty straight forward.  I pretty much do what qwazse suggested - use a mapping app to lay out a course around the park of the right distance.  I'll print the map (both with and without the distances/angles) and go to the park.  I'll walk the course to make sure the landmarks are valid, and measure the distances/angles in person.  Once Ive got it all worked out and saved all I have to do is arrive a bit early to place the flags.

 

 

[MattR 2659]

Google Earth is also a useful tool. Plot points and then use the ruler to get exact distance and bearings between points. Just verify the course. Little rock outcroppings, as seen on the computer, might be really steep and large to cross. Just sayin'. The scouts weren't so happy on that one. But we did talk about how to go around barriers.

[qwazse 4342]

7 minutes ago, MattR said:

... Little rock outcroppings, as seen on the computer, might be really steep and large to cross. ...

Rock climbers look for those "little rock outcroppings" (usually any bright feature more than two pixels) for potentially new runs to rappel from.

Always field test the course first. Preferably have someone who didn't set it up run it. A 10 foot cliff might not show up on a map with 20 foot contours, and even if it does, your boys might not notice. You might need to mark an obstacle like that on the map.

Standard markings for control descriptions may be found here: https://orienteering.sport/iof/resources/control-descriptions/

[DuctTape 1230]

Another thing about "obstacles"  in the training to do the requirement (ie being tested) is to ensure the scouts know/understand/and can avoid obstacles by modifying the route; not just following a straight bearing. It is a good idea during the learning, to have them practice taking a bearing between controls which has a "water" obstacle in which they must deviate by either going around, or using a bridge. 

[AltadenaCraig 111]

21 hours ago, qwazse said:

An easy free solution to mapping is caltopo.com. I use it regularly. ... Save it as a .pdf.

Caltopo.com is fabulous.  And for way more than an orienteering course:

How many times have we scouters emphasized "a compass isn't much good without a map - and vice versa" when referencing the 10 essentials, only to accompany scouts on a campout or hike where at best only a few carry both?  Good topographic maps are expensive, not to mention bulky & unwieldy for younger scouts, so until now it's been easy to justify slighting this "essential".  But with caltopo.com no more excuses!  We've saved .pdf's of caltopo.com maps we've created of our usual hangouts and distributed links as @qwazse suggests.  Now we regularly see scouts referencing their own simple 8-1/2 x 11" maps. Our troop's overall map & compass skills have markedly improved since we discovered caltopo.com

Edited April 25, 2019 by AltadenaCraig
Clarified 8-1/2 x 11" printout

[mrkstvns 486]

21 hours ago, qwazse said:

• Ask at your district roundtable if anyone has a scout working on Orienteering MB who would like to set up a course for your troop.

I've seen permanent orienteering courses that were set up by scouts in local parks as an Eagle project. It's a great project, but unfortunately, they need to be walked and maintained periodically otherwise markers go missing.  People in your district will likely know about existing courses. 

The Orienteering MB booklet is indeed a good basic intro.  This short PDF can quickly give you the essentials:
https://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/images/uploaded/downloads/dev_poc_poc_webpage_how_to_set_up_poc.pdf 

[Saltface 165]

We use a local Frisbee golf course for this requirement. There are enough trees, washes, and other obstacles that the baskets/control points are out of sight and require the occasional boxing.

If you want to increase the difficulty, you can give the scouts a map and a list of coordinates and make them determine the bearing and distance. The bearing and distance lists that comprise most scout orienteering courses aren't terribly useful in the real world.

CalTopo is pretty nice. Store.USGS.gov has more data, but you'll either need a plotter or familiarity with Photoshop/Acrobat to print 8.5x11 maps.

[qwazse 4342]

Disk-golf courses are a genius idea!

In general:

Do

• limit the physical obstacles until the scouts are comfortable working their compass.
• review 2nd class requirement 3.a. before every orienteering challenge.
• teach scouts to talk with one another and check each other's measurements.
• go over any controls that the scouts mess
• keep score.

Don't

• think that one orienteering challenge is enough
• let scouts get discouraged if they can't finish a course the first day they try one.
• pass scouts if they can't find at least 80% of markers.

[qwazse 4342]

Oh. If your boys are trying a club course, they usually have events at multiple levels. The 1st Class requirement is roughly the level of a standard white course. Challenge your scouts who've proven to be experienced navigators to move up to yellow, orange, then red/brown courses, in that order. I've seen some scouts make a full afternoon at a club event by completing a couple of courses at various levels.

I don't move quickly, and I have Sunday obligations that often get in the way of me getting to the starting time right when it opens. It took me until my late 40s to free up the time to join a club and complete a red course. (It took a few times failing to complete the course as well.)

[mrkstvns 486]

If you happen to live in the mid-Atlantic region, a great opportunity to get Orienteering requirements knocked out is to participate in the Baltimore Area Council's annual "Orienteering Day".  It's a huge event with hundreds of scouts competing against similar aged scouts from other troops to complete pre-defined routes. Troops can camp on site and make a weekend of it, and the camp is famous for their pit beef sandwiches if you don't want to mess with meal prep on event day.

The next event is November 2, 2019

http://www.baltimorebsa.org/programs-/orienteering-information/64896 

I sure wish my local council offered youth programs this awesome!

Kudos to the scouters in Baltimore who make that event happen, decade after decade!!!

[qwazse 4342]

I just realized that the Western Pennsylvania Orienteering Club is hosting an event at Heritage Scout Reservation on Sunday.

Details at http://wpoc.org/heritageflyer.htm

I went to a similar event last fall. Acquired the best camp map I ever saw.