Winter League #5 – Green River College
1:5,000, 5 meter contours
Green River College is a great mix of urban campus and forest. You will need to be able to quickly switch gears between the two kinds of terrain, as the courses will weave between the campus and forest areas several times. The forest is typically western Washington; thick in most places with occasional runnable parts, with many trails. Full leg cover is highly recommended, as there are more than the usual number of thorny plants.
COURSES
Course designer(s): Peter Golde
Public courses:
| Course | Controls | Length | Climb |
| Beginner | 10 | 1.5 km | 15 m |
| Advanced Beginner | 11 | 2.1 km | 30 m |
| Intermediate | 12 | 2.7 km | 30 m |
| Short Advanced | 15 | 3.3 km | 60 m |
| Long Advanced | 21 | 5.5 km | 125 m |
WIOL courses:
| Course | Controls | Length | Climb |
| Elementary | 10 | 1.5 km | 15 m |
| Middle School | 11 | 2.2 km | 30 m |
| JV Rookie | 11 | 2.1 km | 30 m |
| JV Girls | 12 | 2.7 km | 30 m |
| JV Boys | 12 | 2.8 km | 30 m |
| Varsity | 16 | 3.3 km | 55 m |
| Intercollegiate | 21 | 5.5 km | 125 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.
COURSE NOTES
Although previous events here have used scales from 1:4,000 to 1:7,500, this event will be at 1:5,000.
Landscaped areas in the campus are out of bounds. Stepping even a single step into a landscaped area is grounds for disqualification. You must run around all landscaping. Landscaped areas are mapped in olive green, but should be obvious even without looking at the map.
There are no restrictions in the forest; off trail in the forest is fine.
Notes on control descriptions: X is a man-made object, as usual. O denotes a light pole or flagpole. An O with a squiggly line under it (usually “well”) denotes a fire hydrant. O with an X inside can be either rootstock (brown X on the map) or stump (green O on the map). The symbol that looks like the greek letter pi is an overhead canopy or building pass-through (light gray on the map).
Short Advanced and Long Advanced only: You will flip your map over during your course. Once you finish all controls on one side, flip the map over to continue.
SCHEDULE
9:30 am – Registration opens
9:30 am – Newcomer instruction available
10:00 am – Start opens
11:45pm – Registration closes
Noon – Newcomer instruction ends
Noon – Start closes
2:30 pm – Course closes
**PLEASE NOTE COURSE CLOSURE IS NOW 2:30 PM FOR ALL WINTER LEAGUE MEETS**
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
$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:
Day-of-event registration is available by cash or check, made payable to Cascade Orienteering Club
LOCATION
PARKING
Please see the Site Map here. (You can also consult the Green River campus map here.)
Enter campus via the east entrance.
Recommended parking: P7, P8, P11, P12. Any parking lot except P5 and P9 should be OK, unless otherwise signed. Parking is free.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the Yahoo listserv and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
Green River College is almost like two venues–a dense college campus surrounded by thick forest and undergrowth with infrequent trails, some of which are prone to winter flooding. Over time, Cascade Orienteering Club has focused more on the campus, expanding that portion into a 1:4000 sprint map.
As with any campus map, good awareness of building shapes, size, and direction–and the fact that you’re on a 1:4000 map–help with navigation. Note that the underground garage in the large, northeastern-most building is out of bounds and cannot be used for navigation. Other out-of-bounds areas are fenced. And as always, look both ways when crossing a road; there are lots of parking lots here!
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.
