September 20, 2019 by Bob Forgrave
Announcements
Who we are:
If you like being outside and exploring nature, then orienteering is the sport for you. Using just a map, a compass, and keen observation, participants navigate through a course of pre-set checkpoints in a park. Along the way, participants develop better navigational skills, greater leadership confidence, and a deeper appreciation for the outdoors. Orienteering is a family-friendly activity, fun for all ages and for everyone from hikers to competitive runners.
Cascade Orienteering Club is one of the largest orienteering organizations in the country, with 30 events/year and a strong volunteer staff both for planning events and helping to run them once they start. As Cascade Orienteering Club Event Director, you will make three important contributions to successful and enjoyable orienteering events:
- Get club equipment (canopies, signs, tables and chairs) reliably to and from each venue.
- Help the volunteers get started in their various operational roles, offering role guidance as needed.
- Be the central point of contact for any logistical or safety issues that may arise.
Commitment & Payment:
Cascade events run throughout the year and are organized into four series of events, mostly on Saturdays. Each event series has a volunteer series director who plans them, but still needs an event director to perform the above three roles. Stipends are offered by series, at levels reflecting the amount of time and effort required:
- Winter League Series (Nov-Feb): 8-9 Large events, up to $2,000
- Ultimate O’ Series: (Mar-Jun): 5 medium events, up to $1,000
- Wednesday Evening Series (May-Aug): 4 small events, up to $500
- Choose Your Adventure Series (Jul-Oct): 6 medium events, up to $1,000
You can choose to direct just one series or combine them for a total of $4,500 for occasional weekend work. We only ask that you let us know in advance and be dedicated to the role for those series where you have committed to event direct. Being an event director requires some preparation the days before, a half or full day (depending upon the event size/location) during the event, and one or two small tasks the next day.
Skills needed:
- Good driving record, with insurance
- Attention to detail about what equipment is needed and its condition and proper usage
- Ability to work with people and provide positive guidance
- Ability to anticipate and make logistical decisions
- Ability to lift at least 25 lbs
- Access to a computer, a printer, and e-mail
Support offered:
- Introductory training about the event director role, including a step-by-step checklist of the actions needed and an event director book covering all the volunteer roles.
- Access to a series director for coordination, publicity, planning, guidance, and backup as needed
- Automatic, electronic sign-up of volunteers in most or all of the logistical roles, including event set-up and tear-down.
- Enforced safety protocols in large events for social distancing and masking to protect against COVID.
Contact:
For upcoming event dates, see our event calendar (with events listed as COC in the far right column). To apply for this part-time position, please contact Cascade Orienteering Club member Bob Forgrave (bob.forgrave@flatbike.com).
September 11, 2019 by Ing Uhlin
Come out for a fall weekend in Teanaway (or just one day). Peteris and Ott have designed exciting courses on their updated maps. The Saturday event will be a Middle Distance north of the Jack Creek (east of Teanaway Rd N Fork). The Sunday event will be a Long Distance in an area south of Jungle Creek (west of 29 Pines Campground). This is a beautiful area with open forests. For more information, see the event page.
August 17, 2019 by Eric Jones
Announcements, Club events
Missing the thrill of sprint races at this year’s World Orienteering Championships? Fear not, Cascade Orienteering Club is here to help! The fifth edition of the Seattle Adventure Running Tournament is just around the corner on September 14 and 15!
Like previous years, this SART consists of a short time trial followed by five urban/park sprint orienteering races where you’ll race in small head-to-head heats rather than individual starts. Because the weekend is essentially a giant sorting exercise, Sunday morning’s races bring the thrill of tight competitive racing to every speed and skill level! In 2019 you’ll zip through Gasworks Park, Woodland Park, Seattle Pacific University, and Magnuson Park.
New this year, we’re going to use SportIdent Air+ for timing. Learn to flow through controls like you never have before, just like the pros do! There will be a quick demo setup near GasWorks available before the time trial so everyone is familiar with the system.
Registration is open now through September 2nd, or until the bracket fills up at 80 participants. Secure your spot today!
July 5, 2019 by Michelle Kastner
Cascade Juniors are doing a great job representing COC and USA Jr Orienteering in Denmark. Siri C, Caroline S, Jessica C, Kai M, Joshua C and Annika M are benefitting from lots of training and great coaching from Head Junior National Team coach Erin Schirm and Head Junior Development Team coach Greg Ahlswede while enjoying the Outdoor Capitol of Denmark-Silkeborg. Days are filled with practice races, map review, core workouts, meal prep and lots of card games. JWOC competition and JWOC Tour starts tomorrow. #GoUSA #ItStartsAtHome
June 6, 2019 by Debbie Newell
Don’t miss the final two events in this year’s Ultimate Orienteer Series! Spend the weekend navigating in some of the finest orienteering terrain in the state. Spokane may seem like a long way to go, but it’s well worth the trip. Get together with friends and carpool!
Saturday, June 15 – Riverside State Park, Spokane. The open pine forests of Riverside are a pleasant change from the thick forests on the west side of the state. This event is organized by our friends in the Eastern Washington O’ Club.
Sunday, June 16 – Fishtrap Lake, Fishtrap. Experience the unique scablands of the Fishtrap Lake area. With relatively few trails, and intricate terrain and rock features, this area is a navigator’s dream.
Tent camping is available Saturday night in the group site at Riverside’s Bowl and Pitcher for just $10 per tent/vehicle. Space is limited, so if you’re interested in this option, contact John Beck (beck@gonzaga.edu).
May 6, 2019 by Debbie Newell
Spend the weekend orienteering in the open pine forests of the lovely Teanaway Valley near Cle Elum. Experience the full weekend or pick one day: it’s your choice.
- Saturday, May 11 – Ultimate Series #6, Long Distance event, Lick Creek: we’ll have 5 courses available, from Beginner to Long Advanced.
- Sunday, May 12 – Ultimate Series #7, Goat event, Teanaway Forks: we’ll have a Beginner course as well as 3 mass-start courses (Zygoat, Kid, and Goat). A goat race is a unique form of orienteering in which you may skip 1 or 2 controls and NOT be disqualified. You’re also allowed (even encouraged) to follow your fellow orienteers.
There’s free camping nearby (or hotels in Cle Elum), and a Saturday night get-together in Cle Elum.
April 16, 2019 by Michelle Kastner
We are back from a fun and exciting weekend of races in Virginia where over 40 Cascade members competed at the 2019 Junior Nationals and the JWOC Team Trials.
Congratulations to Tahoma HS, Kamiak HS and Bethel HS JV Teams and individuals Kyle Hopkins, Peter Campbell, Zoe Sibthorp, Audrey Javadoff, Ben Brady, Siri Christopherson and Kai Mihata for coming home with medals/trophies. Adult COC members with medals included Tori Campbell and Rick Bresemen.
Cascade is also thrilled to have Siri Christopherson and Caroline Sandbo named to the 2019 JWOC team and Kai Mihata and Jessica Colleran both named as first alternates to the team. All around a wonderful weekend at Quantico.
April 8, 2019 by Will Enger
Junior Nationals, of course! Having honed their skills at the Winter League Championships at Camp River Ranch (site of this photo), some 45 Cascaders, most of them juniors, will make their way toward the nation’s capital this weekend to compete in the most important event of the year geared toward the younger age groups.
Junior Nationals will be hosted by the Washington D.C.-based Quantico Orienteering Club and will be held on Marine Corps Base Quantico in Northern Virginia. The event will also double as the team trials for American juniors vying for the privilege of representing the USA at the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) this summer. Best of luck to everyone!
You can read more about the event here, or check out the orienteering map that will be used on Route Gadget here.
Oh, by the way – next year, Junior Nationals will be hosted by Cascade OC!
April 1, 2019 by Debbie Newell
Next up in the Ultimate Orienteer Series is a score-o at Bridle Trails State Park in Kirkland. It’s you against the clock as you collect as many points as possible within your chosen time limit. You choose the controls you visit based on their point value.
Speed through the park in 60 minutes or set a more leisurely pace and take 90 minutes. This is a head-to-head competition: everyone starts at the same time!
Online pre-registration is open until 9pm on Thursday, April 4. We’ll also have registration on the day (cash or check only) but would appreciate pre-registration in order to get an accurate map count. Get more details on the event page.
March 17, 2019 by Ing Uhlin
Come join us March 23 and 24 for a two-day event on Peteris Ledins’s brand-new map of Frenchman Spring near Vantage in eastern Washington. Saturday includes the Pig War Challenge, a low-key competition between the USA and our Canadian friends. Citizenship in either country is not a requirement. So come out and run this Middle distance event with courses designed by Ott Toomett. The Sunday event features Long distance courses designed by Peteris.
Saturday Night in Quincy
On Saturday night, please join us at Tijuana Mexican Restaurant in Quincy, where you can order your own food and compare routes with your fellow orienteers. We’ll also be awarding the Pig War trophies. Details are on the event page.
Both days include five courses of different lengths and difficulty levels (Beginner, Intermediate, Short Advanced, Medium Advanced, and Long Advanced). The Ultimate Orienteer classes for competing in the Ultimate Orienteer Series are assigned to the three Advanced courses. You are welcome to sign up for any course but please consider the course closing times and give yourself enough time. All Advanced courses have pre-assigned start times. Please pre-register for these events since that helps us order enough maps and helps to assign the start times. We rely on your help to organize the events so please consider volunteering. For more information on the events, registration, volunteering, travel information, weather, lodging, etc, see the event pages for Saturday and Sunday.
