For Group Leaders

Groups are very welcome at QOC events, and the following guidelines are intended to help you and your group get the most out of your orienteering experience. Keep in mind that basic orienteering instruction is available for free at all QOC events, but for planning purposes, we ask that leaders of large groups contact the event director in advance.

Maps

QOC maintains orienteering maps for use at our events as well as non-QOC events. At our events, maps are provided as described below as part of the registration fee.
Event directors of non-QOC events, such as directors of JROTC events or adventure races, are welcome to contact us to license our maps. Our standard licensing fee for non-profit use is $3/map copy, and $5/copy for commercial use. Please contact us with enough advance time to allow for map customization, printing and delivery.

Registration

Events require online, advance pre-registration and payment; registration links will be on each event webpage. Generally, registration opens at 6pm on the Monday before that weekend's event, and closes at noon the day before the event. If you have questions about registration after fully reading this page, contact the Event Director for the event in question via the link on that event's webpage.

Fees

Participants are welcome to orienteer together as a group. A group is defined as the set of people sharing one e-punch (electronic timing unit), and all starting together (a "starting unit"). The maximum group size for most QOC events is 4. The fee for the group is based on the group composition, up to a group total of $30 (maximum), and each person in a group receives a map. Individuals or groups desiring to compete on a second course can do so for a reduced fee of $2/map.

For teams to receive member or junior rates, all members of the team must be members or juniors, respectively.

Epunching

Each starting group (as defined above, meaning one set of folks heading out on a course together) will need one e-punch at any event using e-punching - which is most of them these days. If you anticipate having 4 or more such "starting groups", and you need to borrow them from us, you can save us all some time by emailing our e-punch guru in advance.

Bringing Juniors?

While orienteering is a very safe sport and is suitable for just about anyone from about age 8 to 80, adults must acknowledge that they are responsible for all minors in their group. Adults chaperoning or leading minors who are not their own children are responsible for these children, whether or not they have formally obtained permission from the parents of those children to take them orienteering. We also recommend that an adult accompany all children on their courses, unless the children are experienced orienteers (in which case, we recommend that such children accompany any newbie adults in their group!). Unaccompanied children may also enjoy the activity more if they head out on their courses in pairs or in small groups. If you have child-related questions, please discuss them with the Event Director.

Etiquette

Kids are naturally boisterous, and it's great when they are exuberantly enjoying their orienteering experience. However, please discourage them from yelling to each other, breaking off branches or otherwise disturbing the foliage, throwing stones and rocks, and generally acting in a manner likely to interfere with the environment or the enjoyment of other orienteers.
Note that participants are responsible for bringing their own water and snacks. Please do not litter!

Parking

Space for parking is occasionally quite limited. If the event notes indicate this, please consider ways to carpool, use buses, or otherwise carry a lot of folks in few vehicles to the event.

Apres-Event Etiquette

Please feel encouraged to hang around and mingle as you wait for all of your folks to finish their courses. Many groups bring picnic foods and refreshments along with outdoor-suitable games, blankets or tarps, chairs and the like. We do ask that you leave any area occupied by your group as clean as you found it, and if you happen to be around when our volunteers are packing up at the end of an event, feel free to offer to help out!