Wednesday Evening #4
WEDNESDAY EVENING
Wednesday, August 10 at Luther Burbank Park (south entrance) in Mercer Island, WA
Meet Director: Will Enger
The Wednesday Evening series is our most relaxed, casual set of navigation events, held in local parks once the weather warms up. The BBQ will be fired up, so come and enjoy a night off from cooking, do a bit of orienteering, and finish up with frisbee on the lawn.
Parks chosen for the monthly Wednesday Evening Series events tend to be open, accessible parks with easier features that are perfect for newcomers. As with all Cascade Orienteering Club events, there is beginner instruction. Starts are casual, anytime between 5:00-7:00 PM. Groups welcome.
COURSES
Course designer(s):
The Wednesday Evening series typically offers three courses, two of which can be combined to create a longer “fourth” course.
ESTIMATED
Course 1 – less than 2km
Course 2 – about 2-3km
Course 3 – about 2-3km
Course *4 – about 4-5km
*Course 4 is a combination of course 2 and 3.
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 about 5 miles.
SCHEDULE
5:00pm – Registration & Start opens
7:00pm – Registration & Start closes
8:00pm – Course closes
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.
PRICES
PRE-REGISTRATION PRICES
$17 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch
DAY-OF-EVENT REGISTRATION
$20 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch
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
Online pre-registration closes: at 9pm on Monday, August 8
Day-of-event registration is available by cash or check, made payable to Cascade Orienteering Club
LOCATION
PARKING
Parking is in the southern parking lot. The entrance is off of the intersection of 84th Ave SE and SE 26th St.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the Yahoo listserv and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
Luther Burbank Park is a long, narrow park with a number of different micro-areas. At the south end, near the parking, is a grassy area, beach and distinctive landform sculpture. This is where events usually start. To the west, connected only by trail, is a campus and garden areas. To the north, through the woods, is another parking area and playground, and another open area. And further north is a dog park and yet another open area.
Together, these form a lot of open, grassy areas, but because they are compartmentalized, the park feels bigger than the 1:5,000-scale indicates, and it is feature-rich for city park course design.
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.
