2024-25 Winter League #2 – Soaring Eagle Regional Park (RESCHEDULED from 11/23/24)
WINTER LEAGUE
Saturday, February 1 at Soaring Eagle Park in Sammamish, WA
Meet Director: Michelle Kastner
- Pre-registration is required for ALL Winter League Events. There is NO day-of-event registration.
- Public Reg will close 1/29/2025 at 11:59 pm for this meet.
- PUBLIC start time sign-ups are open from Jan 18th at 3 pm to Jan 29th at 11:59 pm.
- ALL runners will be called to enter the start procedure line 8 minutes prior to their assigned/picked start time. Please be race-ready when your name is called.
- 2024-25 Start Procedures can be found here.
- Read the 2024-25 WIOL Rules here and the 2024-25 Public Rules here.
- Site map is here.
- Start list will be here.
Winter League is the Pacific Northwest’s premier competitive orienteering series for all ages.
- Elementary, Middle School, High School and College students compete under the banner of the Washington Interscholastic Orienteering League (WIOL).
- Winter League public courses offer a range of categories from a competitive long advanced category to non-competitive beginner-friendly categories at every event!
COURSES
Course designer(s): Vicki Morella
WIOL Courses
| Course | Map Scale | Controls | Length | Climb |
|
Elementary |
1:5000 |
10 |
1.5 km |
25 m |
|
Middle School |
1:7500 |
12 |
2.5 km |
40 m |
|
Rookie- Female |
1:7500 |
12 |
2.7 km |
60 m |
|
Rookie- Male |
1:7500 |
12 |
2.7 km |
55 m |
|
JV Female/College JV |
1:7500 |
12 |
3.3 km |
80 m |
|
JV Male |
1:7500 |
12 |
3.1 km |
75 m |
|
Varsity |
1:7500 |
13 |
4.0 km |
95 m |
|
Collegiate Varsity |
1:7500 |
10 |
5.7 km |
145 m |
Public Courses
| Course | Map Scale | Controls | Length | Climb |
|
Beginner |
1:5000 |
10 |
1.5 km |
25 m |
|
Advanced Beginner |
1:7500 |
12 |
2.7 km |
60 m |
|
Intermediate |
1:7500 |
12 |
3.3 km |
80 m |
| Short Advanced | 1:7500 | 13 | 4.3 km | 120 m |
|
Long Advanced |
1:7500 |
10 |
5.7 km |
145 m |
How are courses measured?
Courses are measured as the crow flies, in a direct line from control to control. Unless you have wings, you will travel farther than this distance! Courses are measured in kilometers, so a good rule of thumb is to simply round up to miles to estimate how far you will go. So in a 5 kilometer race, you’ll likely travel up to 5 miles.
The map is specialized for trails-only events, so:
- For the most part, point features are only mapped within about 7 meters of the trail. Along the trail, more point features are mapped than might normally be. In particular the threshold for prominent tree is a bit lower, but if you know where you are on the map it should always be clear what tree a given symbol represents.
- Many of the mapped prominent trees are “anchor trees”, which are prominent because they pin the path of the trail at a bend or curve.
- The vegetation is simplified to keep the map less visually busy. It should be used more to check the general vibe of an area than for precise navigation.
- Game trails and most indistinct trails are not mapped and are not useable. All mapped trails are usable.
- The cairn/monument symbol is used for signs with wayfinding maps which are located at many of the trail intersections
- Most mapped knolls are stumps that are overgrown with vegetation – the line between this and stump (special vegetation symbol) is somewhat fuzzy but if you can see wood it should be marked as a stump.
- In general, only stumps larger than about 1m wide x 1.5m tall are mapped, but some smaller stumps are mapped if they are prominent or obvious.
- There are many, many small drainage features used to keep the trails dry – they are only mapped if they are at least about 5m long and visually prominent from the trail.
-
Many trail intersections in the park have a triangular form, 1 to 5 meters across, and these are portrayed at scale on the map like this:
-
-
This mapped area does not represent a distinct branching of trails around a vegetated center, but the individual traffic-worn paths connecting the intersecting trails across the ~4m x ~7m intersection. The thin purple lines are high-accuracy GPS recordings of approaching and exiting the intersection along these paths.
-
Trail intersections that are true “T”s or “X”s are also portrayed according to their form:
-
SCHEDULE
9 am – Info Tent and Newcomer Instruction Opens
9:38 am – Start process begins
9:46 am – First start
12:40 pm – Last Start
2:40 pm – Course Closure
Why is there a start window?
This event uses an interval start, which means that participants are started in waves instead of all at once. When you arrive at the start tent, find the chute for your course and follow the start volunteer’s instructions.
PRICES
PRE-REGISTRATION PRICES
$22 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch
Participating as a group? Just $5 for each additional adult (16+) group
member, no cost for additional minors. Max group size is 4 participants.
What’s an e-punch?
An e-punch records your race. At each control, you’ll dip the e-punch into an electronic box, which will beep and flash as confirmation. After you finish, you’ll download the e-punch at the download tent and get a receipt that show which controls you visited and how long you took between each; these are your “splits.”
Part of the fun of orienteering is comparing your splits with people who completed the same course, and discussing the routes you took!
SIGN UP
There is no Day-of-Event registration. Pre-registration will close Wednesday 11/29/2024 at 11:59:00 PM.
Remember to also sign up for a start time for public runners. Start time sign-ups for WL #2 REDO will be open from January 18th at 3 pm to Jan 29th at 11:59 pm.
LOCATION
PARKING
Only street parking is available for this event. The small parking lot is reserved for event use only.
Cars and vans should park only along the South side of E Main Drive which stretches for hundreds of meters. Depending on your arrival time, you may have a 10–15-minute walk to the event site, so please plan accordingly. See site map here.
Remember, this is a residential neighborhood and home to a private golf club, so we ask everyone to be respectful.
Carpooling is encouraged to help manage space efficiently.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the club email group and share your request to find a ride.
SAFETY & ETIQUETTE
Return to the Finish
All participants MUST return to the finish and download their e-punch or turn in their punch card.
Even if you have not finished your course, you must still return to the the finish and confirm with event staff that you have returned safely.
Out of Bounds
Some areas may be marked out of bounds. It is imperative to respect these boundaries to maintain our relationships with land managers. Participants MUST NOT go out of bounds. Any participant caught going out of bounds will be disqualified.
Course Closure
All participants MUST return to the finish by course closure time. If a participant does not return by course closure, event volunteers will begin coordinating a search party.
If you need a long time on the course, start as early in the start window as possible, wear a watch, and be prepared to cut your course short to make it back by the course closure time.
Whistle
All participants MUST carry a whistle on the course. Complimentary whistles are available at the start tent (please only take one).
If you are injured on the course and need assistance, blow three long blasts to call for help.
If you hear a call for help, abandon your course to find the person in distress.
Voices
Part of the fun and fairness of orienteering is navigating your own course, so please be polite when you find a checkpoint and don’t holler that you’ve found it.
