October 9, 2023 by Michelle Kastner
September 22, 2023 by Michelle Kastner
August 30, 2023 by Michelle Kastner
| Oct 7 | Winter League North Training | Lynndale Park | Free/Special Registration Required |
| Oct 22 | Winter League South Training | Maple Valley Farmers Market | Free/Special Registration Required |
| Nov 4 | Winter League #1 | Lincoln Park (Seattle) | |
| Nov 18 | Winter League #2 | North SeaTac Park | |
| Dec 2 | Winter League #3 | Shoreview Park/Shoreline College | |
| Dec 16 | Winter League #4 | University of Washington | |
| Jan 6 | Winter League #5 | Putney Woods (Whidbey Island) | |
| Jan 20 | Winter League #6 | Summit Trails/Rock Creek Natural Area (Maple Valley) | |
| Feb 3 | Winter League #7 | Lord Hill Park (Monroe) | *Pending Permits* |
| Feb 17 | Winter League Champs | Green River College (Auburn) | |
| Feb 18 | Winter League Celebration Relay | Luther Burbank Park (Mercer Island) |
August 17, 2023 by Will Enger
“Summer moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and do some orienteering on a sunny Wednesday evening once in a while, you could miss it.”
— Ferris Bueller (heavily paraphrased)
August 10, 2023 by John Brady
Congratulations to Clara Sherwood from Maple Valley, WA! On August 9th, 2023, she became just the 8th junior from COC to earn her Level 4 OUSA Skill Patch. To earn the level 4 orienteering patch, it takes years to develop the requisite skill and experience in orienteering training and competition. Clara has proven her skill in national and local races over the last 5 years as she has developed into one of the top youth female orienteers in the country. Additionally, earning the patch requires the junior be proactive in volunteering in the operation of the club. To earn a level 4 patch, as a capstone assignment, you must perform a critical club role, and specifically one that only a skilled orienteer can perform. Working with Chris Cooper and Will Enger, Clara performed course design duties for the Wednesday Evening Series race at Olson Mansion. Through this process, she learned how to perform map updates, use Purple Pen, understand the basics of course design, and most importantly, learned how to deal with the things that will inevitably go wrong at a race. The intent of all orienteering races is ultimately have fun, it seemed that all had a great time. Thanks for the work and service Clara! And enjoy the patch…you earned it:).
If you want to learn more about the patch program, click here. It provides a great framework for learning and growing your orienteering skillset for coaches and juniors alike.
If you want to see the full list of COC Junior Level 4 patch earners, click here.
August 5, 2023 by Will Enger
Make the trek out to Olson Mansion in Maple Valley for the penultimate event of our 2023 Wednesday Evening Series on Wednesday, August 9th, with starts 5-7 pm. Preregistration and volunteering will be open until 9pm on the 8th, and further event and course info can be found on the event page!
July 10, 2023 by Michelle Kastner
Join us after work on Wednesday, July 12 at Big Finn Hill Park for a casual, fun orienteering race followed by a BBQ! Meet your friends, relieve your workday stress, or bring the family- any option is guaranteed orienteering joy. More info here. Pre-register here or join us and register day of meet. Start anytime from 5 – 7 pm.
May 19, 2023 by Michelle Kastner
Cascade OC in conjunction with Eastern Washington OC is putting on four races in the Spokane area June 22-25. Thursday will be a Forest Sprint and Friday a Classic hosted by EWOC; more info on both of these is available at Events | EWOC.
Saturday and Sunday will be the Marmot O’Cup at Fishtrap Lake. (Note due to permitting issues this event is NO longer at Fisk State Park.) Come experience the unique scabland terrain of Fishtrap Lake, where the vistas are expansive but details are plentiful. Saturday will be a Long and Sunday a Middle. More info here. Register here.
The registration will close on Tuesday June 20th at midnight, actually at 11:59 pm so be on time!
May 10, 2023 by John Brady
Congratulations to Jack Barkley and Ben Conley for earning their Level-4 Orienteering Skill and Contribution patches. Jack and Ben are only the 6th and 7th youth to earn their Level-4 patches.
To earn their patches, they had to earn the previous level 1-3 patches while developing their orienteering skills and completing the milestones required. The capstone assignment for level 4 certification is always something that requires a significant commitment to Cascade Orienteering Club, a proven high-level orienteering skill, as well as fulfilling a critical need for the club as a capstone milestone. Typically this is in the form of mapping or course design. In their case, Jack and Ben assisted the team of mappers who spent their entire spring break making a new map for Cascade Orienteering Club in Eastern Washington (Fisk State Park). Be sure to ask them about their experience next time you see them and congratulate them on a major milestone! More importantly, enjoy the fruits of their labor if you make it out to Fisk State Park for the race that will be held in June as part of the Ultimate Series.
Cascade now has 7 youth that have completed their Level 4 OUSA Skill progression patches: Shane Conley, Ben Brady, Ben Cooper, Jackson Rupe, Greta Leonard, Ben Conley, and Jack Barkley. The OUSA patch system provides a great framework for advancing your orienteering skills as well as your contribution to YOUR orienteering club. For information on the “Patch System”, see details here:
Even if you are not interested in the Patch Program, the club always needs volunteers to keep us alive and thriving. Find ways to be a Jack Barkley or Ben Conley:)
May 8, 2023 by Michelle Kastner
Celebrate mom in the desert! UltimateO is excited to offer a Middle on Saturday and Long on Sunday both at South Quincy Lakes this weekend May 13-14. More information on the Middle is here and on the Long is here. Register here for both. We hope to see you east of the mountains this coming weekend!