Winter Wednesdays

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December - February

Series director(s): Mike Schuh  

Winter Wednesdays is a new series offering training opportunities between the Winter League meets.  These are separate from the Winter League.

2025-26 season:

• December 10 – Foster Golf Links new map!
• January 14 – Lynnwood Golf Course (last year’s event here)
• January 28 – Lake Wilderness Golf Course new map!
• February 11 – Jackson Park Golf Course (last year’s event here)

Events start at 6 PM and courses close at 8:30 PM.

This series was inspired in part by the YouTube video “Master skills from dark forest” featuring world champion Thierry Gueorgiou: “I do night orienteering because it makes me better.“

The events will be low-key with two point-to-point courses, the Easier with reflective control markers and the Harder with non-reflective markers. In addition, a Score-O format course will be offered.  Participants may try any or all of these.

Our goal is to provide, with the Easier course, a chance for less experienced orienteers to be successful with

The courses will be designed to provide opportunities to practice various techniques:

• recognizing geometric map features: area, linear, and point features
• choosing attack points
• basic skills: aiming off, handrails, check and catching features
• foundational compass technique (flat, open golf courses are great for this)
• or just running flat out at high speed without making any mistakes
• participants can also try cell phone orienteering (for details inquire within)

Navigating at night forces participants to focus on the small, close in features and details in the terrain.

Instruction and coaching will be available at each event.

Timing is self serve; there will be no punching (neither manual nor electronic).  Because there will not be electronic punching/timing, participants will need to check with meet staff before starting a course and again upon finishing. The traditional technique for training courses without punching is to tag each control marker instead.

Please note: Shoes with metal spikes or studs are not allowed on golf courses. Stay off of greens and out of sand traps or water features.

Be like Thierry: come train at night.

Remember to bring a headlamp or flashlight. Whistles are required.