2024 Ultimate Orienteer #5 – Ft. Steilacoom Park (Individual Relay)
This is a mass start event! It’s also an individual relay. Depending on which course you signed up for, you will do either 2 or 3 legs. However, not everyone will do the legs in the same order, so make sure you check in before the start to find out which permutation you will do!
Event #5/8 in the Ultimate Orienteer Series!
Team up with yourself for Ultimate Series #5, an Individual Relay at Ft. Steilacoom Park. Depending on your class, you’ll do 2 or 3 legs, picking up a different map each time through the exchange area.
COURSES
Course designer(s): Vicki Morrella
Course details
| Course | Length |
| Beginner | 2 loops, 12 controls, 25m climb, 2.9k total |
| Short | 2 loops, 14 controls, <35m climb, 4.4k total |
| Medium | 3 loops, 20 controls, ~55m climb, 6.8k total |
| Long | 3 loops, 25 controls, ~65m climb, 8.8k total |
What is my age class?
Individual Relay Course/Class Assignments for Ultimate points
If you want to earn Ultimate points, check the table below to see which category you should sign up for.
For example, if you’re a female 16 or under, your Ultimate age class is F-16 and, for this event, is assigned to the Short course. If you are up for a more challenging course, you can also earn points in F-18 on the Medium course, or F-20 or F-21+ on the Long course. Just keep in mind that other courses are more difficult, both navigationally and physically, and that you’ll be earning points only in the class you sign up for.
| Age Class | Course |
| • Female 16 and Under • Open 16 and Under |
Short |
| • Female 18 and Under • Open 18 and Under |
Medium |
| • Female 50+ • Open 50+ |
Medium |
| • Female 70+ • Open 70+ |
Medium |
| • Female 20 and Under • Open 20 and Under |
Long |
| • Female 21+ • Open 21+ |
Long |
Other classes
If you don’t care about Ultimate points, sign up for a Rec category on the course of your choice.
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.
COURSE NOTES
Fort Steilacoom is one of our most diverse maps: it has grass park, flat rough grassland, thick forest with dense trail network, and a few steep hills among the rest being relatively flat. Blackberry thickets dot the whole area. To top it off, the Pierce College campus adds a fun concrete and buildings area too. Sometimes you should stay on trails, other times going cross country will be clearly faster, so you will need to make those decisions on the fly depending on the terrain.
Most of the courses are running through the flat, open grasslands of the park. However, you will have the opportunity to climb a bit of hill to enjoy the scenery of the park.
For Short, Medium, & Long Courses, there is a building under construction in the campus area that is marked with the usual purple hatching.
Navigation tips: unlike some maps, there is a very distinct difference between open, rough open, and rough open with scattered trees; this can help while navigating. The form lines also are quite accurate and helpful in the flat parts.
All courses are a “motala” – a single-person race comprised of multiple loops. Beginning and Short have two loops, A and B. Medium and Long have three loops each, A, B, and C. When you check in, you will be given a loop order that you will run, for example, BCA or CAB. Remember your loop order so that you run your loops correctly! You might want to bring some clear tape to combine your course descriptions in the correct order.
Everyone on a particular course will begin at the same time in a mass start. Once you finish your first loop, punch the transition control in the start/finish/map area, drop your first loop map, take the CORRECT map for your next loop, and go!
Be sure to be on time to make the start.
SCHEDULE
Online pre-registration only!
Online registration closes Thursday April 11 at 9pm.
9:00-10:00 am – Check-in
9:00-10:00 am – Newcomer instruction
10:15 – Pre-race info and transition demo
10:27 am – Long to start line
10:30 am – Mass Start for Long
10:32 am – Medium to start line
10:35 am – Mass Start for Medium
10:37 am – Short and Beginner to start line
10:40 am – Mass Start for Short and Beginner
1:30 pm – Courses close*
*Wear a watch to ensure that you return to the finish by course closure time, even if you have to abandon your course to do so. Those returning after course closure will be disqualified and will make the volunteer staff very grumpy.
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 (18+) group
member, no cost for additional minors.
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
LOCATION
PARKING
Parking will be in the location shown below (follow the orienteering signs after entering the park). From the parking, there will be a 500m walk to the event center. Be sure you allow enough time to get to the event center for pre-race info and transition demo before the mass start.
Restrooms are located on the E side of the intersection of Dresden Ln SW and Angle Ln SW. There are additional restrooms by the playground as you enter the park on Dresden Ln SW.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the club email group and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
While Fort Steilacoom is not rugged or remote, it can be fairly challenging for a city park. There are many criss-crossing trails here, both in open grass and in forest. However, there are also many distinct features such as buildings, roads, ballfields, and a small lake, that are great navigational aids.
Part of the park is very flat, while part of the park is quite steep. How steep your course is depends on which course you choose and how nice the course designer decided to be.
Read more on the map pageSAFETY & 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.
