Park and Street Orienteering

More Fun Than the Same Old Run

Learn more about Park and Street Orienteering: check out our cool video then click here to scroll down past the news ...

Coming Events and Current Results

Download the fixture for your calendar: WinterFixture2013

All Melbourne and Geelong Park and Street winter events are now loaded onto Eventor.  You do not need to be registered or logged in to view and export the calendar from here.

You can also find all Park and Street events directly from Eventor by clicking on the Discipline dropdown box and selecting Park/Street Orienteering. Make sure you select the full date range for the winter season, i.e. March 27-October 31. You can refine your search by using the Advanced Search function, and entering (for instance) the day of the week or name of series, e.g. Saturday or Iceberg.   

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 Geelong
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Park and Street Orienteering - Latest news

Belmore Parklands

Friday, 24 May 2013

The air was noticeably chillier than in previous weeks but that didn't stop a turnout of just under 100.  After the last 3 events, Belmore seemed relatively flat! And it was good to see controls on the map as we resumed normal competition. Course setter David dangled the 5 pointers within reach of most, with some planning, so the smaller value controls became the discussion point - especially 2 and 7 which most of us left till the end, then ummed and ahhed about whether we had time.

It was a week where new faces appeared at the top.  Simon took full advantage of Bryan's and Paul's absence, and made a better route choice to beat Alex and Frederick, and take his first win for winter.  Well over half the A course got all 20 controls, and it was good to see nearly all of them returning before 8pm.  On B, Nick announced his return with a big win over Peter.  Third spot was hotly contested with Dennis prevailing over Beck, Ian and Suzy.  On C, Daniel finally turned the tables on Steven and Jay, and on PW, The Girls, who have been looking threatening for weeks, took the win with 59 points over Barry and Ian, both on 58.

So after 9 weeks, where are the big battles for overall honours?  Bryan and Paul are locked up at the top of A1, with 595 points each. In A2, Bruce is very close to overhauling Geoff but only has once chance left to get the 3 points he needs. In A3, Chris will be hoping to keep his 2 point lead over Mark, while on A4, Noel only needs to improve his score by a point to move into second ahead of Geoff.  It's a similar story on B1 where Peter needs a point to overhaul Greg for third, but David is the dark horse who could also take third next week.  In C1, Jay is holding a 3 point lead over Steven, but Daniel could sneak in between them and take second spot.  Denise and Ewen are currently tied for third. On C2, Andrew looks a strong chance at second with a good score next week.  Len heads PW1 by a single point over Phil, and Brad and Bernie are only a point apart vying for second in PW2. 

All will be resolved next week at Knox Fields, a suitably tricky map at the best of times. Autumn Series presentations will be made the following week.

Park and Street Recent News
Belmore Parklands Friday, 24 May 2013
Research Monday, 20 May 2013
Mitcham Mystery Map Thursday, 16 May 2013
Waverley Parklands Sunday, 12 May 2013
Altona EndurO Sunday May 5 - Results Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Westerfolds Park Sunday, 28 April 2013
Hawthorn East Friday, 26 April 2013
Enduro at Altona Meadows - May 5 Tuesday, 23 April 2013 The first Sunday Special Enduro for Winter 2013 starts at Altona Meadows 10am May 5th on a new map using the Altona Meadows and Seabrook maps extended into the Sanctuary Lakes.
Glen Iris Thursday, 18 April 2013
Blackburn Lake Friday, 12 April 2013

About Park and Street Orienteering

Park and Street Orienteering provides an ideal opportunity for mental and physical exercise. If you can walk to the local milk bar you are fit enough to participate. You do not need a compass or any special map reading ability.

Winter Season - the Saturday Afternoon Series runs from April to October, on most Saturday afternoons from 2pm.

There is a Western Tuesday Night Series that runs in Autumn, and Monday and Wednesday Night Series (eastern, southern and northern suburbs) that run from Autumn through to Spring. A small torch or headlight is useful for these events and night visible clothing is encouraged. These events all start at 7pm but you should arrive at 6.30pm to register.

Summer Season - there are four major Summer series: Southern (Monday), Western (Tuesday), Eastern (Wednesday), and Northern (Thursday).

There are also Geelong, Macedon Ranges, Wyndham, and Mountain Bike Orienteering (MTBO) series.

These events start at 7:00 PM sharp (except for Mountain Bike Orienteering). You need to arrive at about 6:30 pm to register and prepare before the start. You will need running gear or lightweight clothing and shoes. Bring a drink when hot and a clear plastic pocket (A4) for your map on damp days.

Parking

Look for the Red and White ORIENTEERING  sign boards near the event start which will direct you to available parking.

If the parking areas are full then please park on ONE SIDE of smaller streets only.

Courses

Events usually have three to five runners' courses, ranging from 2.5 to 10km, plus a 1 hour power walking course.

Courses are started immediately after the event briefing when maps are handed out.  By convention, you hold your map face down and only turn it over when the signal to 'start' is called. If this is your first event then you will be given your map and instructions well before start of the event.

There are two main competition formats:

SCATTER

This is the 'standard' format for summer running courses, unless otherwise indicated.

You must visit a number of control locations in any order. First to finish wins. The number of controls may vary from event to event and are specified on the map and confirmed at the start by the course setter. Walkers can participate in these 'runners' courses especially the shorter C & D courses.

SCORE

This is the 'standard' format for all walking courses and for the runners courses during Autumn, Winter and Spring.

Controls have values ranging from 2 to 5 points. The objective is to collect as many points as you can before a set finish time. Penalty points are deducted for being late so you need to bring a watch.

On Mondays in winter there is also a handicap format known as 37s.  The handicapper allocates you a base score, or handicap, based on previous performance, and you must visit controls worth 1 or 2 points until your total score is 37.

Duration and Score

Finishing times vary depending on the course selected and the longest is for walkers at 8:05 pm. Courses close at 8:15 pm and the control plates are collected shortly after. It is important to always report back to the finish even if you do not complete a course.

Participants carry a score card which they 'punch' at each control plate visited. The card is handed in at the Finish where there is a final punch, and your finish order is recorded. The scores are compiled and published on this website and are also displayed at the following event.

In most series a Category system is used to enable participants to judge how they are going against people of similar ability.  You can see how this works by checking out 'overall scores' where you will find many different groups of people who can choose to compete against each other, themselves, or just enjoy a good walk.

Maps

Maps are usually black and white, A4 size at 1:10,000 scale and with 5m contours. Maps will also contain other information, such as the number of controls required on SCATTER courses, and the points value of controls for SCORE courses. There is an important briefing just prior to the start to advise of unavoidable last minute changes to control locations (always a handy thing to know so listen up).

Participants retain their map on completion (although the next event on the map in a later series will often have a different start/finish location and revised control locations).

Wheelchair and Pram Accessibility

There is a printed program covering all the current series freely available at all events. This fixture includes a Guide to Wheelchair and Pram Accessibility.

Each event is rated from 'A' for Good (with sealed footpaths etc) through to 'D' for Unsuitable.

Clubs

You do not have to be a member of a club to participate.  Regular participants are encouraged to join a club and/or Orienteering Victoria.  All competitors will be registered as casual members of OV; full financial members can purchase generously discounted season tickets.

There are many clubs to choose from. Memberships fees of a club are usually nominal.  Clubs provide a great way to meet new people and get involved in social activities, mapping, or course setting.

For more information about Park and Street orienteering, contact the relevant Series Coordinator.

 

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