EVENTS - WHEN AND WHERE
WHEN ARE EVENTS HELD?
The club runs events approximately once a month but members are welcomed
at events run by any other orienteering club in the country, and the world
for that matter! But particularly handy are the events run by our neighbours
the Wellington, Kapiti,
Wairarapa and Red Kiwis clubs.
Events are generally
on Sundays, and there is an event somewhere in the region on almost every Sunday
of the year. While the courses are open you can start at a time you choose.
This unique feature lets orienteerng fit in with other activities you may have,
and allows parents of young children to take part individually.
WHERE ARE EVENTS HELD?
Orienteering was conceived as a forest sport and some countries have lots of
easily passable forest. Not so New Zealand. We generally have to travel for a
couple of hours to find suitable forest (Waitarere near Levin or Ngaumu in the
Wairarapa). So we bring orienteering closer by using farmland around the city,
and parks and streets within the city. This provides a nice learning sequence:
from park, to farmland, to forest.
Here's where
we do our orienteering.
WHICH COURSE SHOULD I DO?
There will always be a choice of courses. Most events include white and yellow
courses which are the first two steps on the navigation scale.
These will also be
the shortest courses on offer, probably 1-3km. And depending on the area there might
be a longer yellow course, one or two at orange level, and several at red level for
experienced navigators. These could range from 2.5km for experienced oldies to 15km
for fit young men!
Don't be put off by events (such as OY's)
at which the noticeboard suggests you should do a certain course for your age.
That's only for those with a competitive interest:
ask which course will suit your needs,
and mark the class on your card "rec" (recreational). Occasionally there will be events
which require pre-entry so that organisers can supply maps with courses already marked,
but even most of these will offer a newcomers course with entry on the day.
Until you get the hang of things, ask for advice on which course you should do.
(Distances may seem very short, especially to those from a running background,
and we'd like you to choose a course that you will enjoy.) We try to have an
identified "instructor" at our events, to help you before you start and after you finish.
Unless you are competitive, you can go with a friend or even a larger group.
In this case too, mark the class on your card "rec".
GETTING THERE
Getting to events may be a problem if you don't have a car, or you may wish to
share costs for a far away venue. We send out a membership list periodically so you
can contact other members who live near you. Don't be afraid to ask - it's a great
way to meet your fellow club members.
SOCIAL GET-TOGETHERS
From time to time social occasions are held, in the form of dinner or evening
gatherings. Most socialising is done at events; orienteers usually take a picnic lunch
and linger on after the event. This can be a valuable opportunity to pick up
hints and ideas.
coordinate
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