Morven Park

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February 5
Sunday

Pre-registration is required and will open on Monday, January 30 at 6pm and will close at 12 Noon on Saturday February 4.
There will be no day-of registration.

Welcome back to Morven Park for QOC's first event here since 2016. Once again, this season's event in Loudoun County will be run by CAPT Bill Johns (Ret.) and the Naval Junior Reserve Office Training Corps cadets from Loudoun County High School.

In addition to classic orienteering courses (white through green), course setter Sam Listwak will be setting our third Morven Park “Motala” (also referred to in the past as a “Cowboy Relay”). Named after the city of Motala, Sweden, in a motala an orienteer runs several short orienteering course loops all starting and finishing at one point; see below for a detailed description. Groups may run the classic courses as usual; the Motala is for individual orienteers.

To view the Morven Park parking and check-in locations, see our locator map.

There will be a Mass Start for the Motala at 11am. Additionally, you will have the option of doing your Motala with an individual start earlier or later in one of the standard start windows if you cannot or don’t want to make the mass start (though you will miss out on the fun of the head-to-head competition). All those participating in the Mass Start, please ensure you are checked in and assembled at the Start location at 10:45am to pick up maps and receive instructions. Motala map scale will be 1:7500.

You may pre-register for classic courses and individual Motala starts in regular start windows. The usual 10:45-11:00 and 11:00-11:15 windows will not be available for individual starts due to the 11am Motala mass start.

JROTC units can register their participants for Classic courses using the classic registration form (as usual). However, JROTC runners who wish to do a Motala course - either the mass start or an individual start - must register independently as individuals using the Motala registration form. Contact the registrar with any questions.

Volunteer SignUps: If you'd available to pick up controls at this event click here. You can also contact the event director (listed below).

Detailed description of our Motala event: Again, just to be clear, the Motala is an individual event; it is *not* a team relay as we do at the Mid-Atlantic Champs. Each Motala relay will consist of three short loops, with participants running them in varying sequences, i.e. some folks will run loop A first followed by either loop B or C; some will do loop B first followed by either A or C and some loop C first followed by either loop A or B, etc.

At the end of each loop the runner will return to the start/finish point, punching a common control and then proceed to run his/her next loop.

For those who want a longer Motala, the first three loops will then be followed by a final loop of either Short, Medium or Long length selected at pre-registration.

Summary of Motala options (full course stats are below):
Motala Bronze: 3 Loops (A+B+C) & no 4th loop
Motala Silver: 3 Loops (A+B+C) + short 4th loop
Motala Gold: 3 Loops (A+B+C) + medium 4th loop
Motala Platinum: 3 Loops (A+B+C) + long 4th loop

Each Motala runner will be assigned a sequence for his/her first three loops in the E-punch computer and receive a sticker to remind him/her of that specific sequence.

Note: The technicality of the first three loops and even of the Motala Silver and Motala Gold final loops are at Classic Orange level of difficulty or below, so, the Motala Relay is suitable for most orienteers.

Note: The details of Motala map distribution at the event are still being finalized. Check back here for additional information, or otherwise simply wait until the event day and it will be explained there.

Pre-registration windows: Windows for the event will be standard EXCEPT that the Motala mass start will take place at 11am and there will be no 10:45-11:00 or 11:00-11:15 windows.

Any youth or large groups attending, please contact the Event Director (link below) so that we can coordinate pre-registration for your group.

NEW! For anyone interested, a group of QOC orienteers & volunteers will meet after the event at the Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, located here, just 8.5 miles north of Morven Park off of Route 15. Vanish serves a great selection of pub grub - bar snacks, wood fired pizzas, BBQ, burgers, oysters plus more - and features both wine and 20+ beers brewed on site with local ingredients. See the Vanish website for more information; event volunteers are likely to show up from 3pm on but feel free to show up earlier.

Additional information:

• White's Ferry is closed (so don't plan to use it to get to or from this event!)
• Port-a-johns will be located near the check-in/start/finish.
• A National Register Historic Property, Morven Park was for 40 years the home of Virginia Gov. Westmoreland Davis. Now a private park, more than 100,000 people visit it each year, primarily for its equestrian center and courses, museums, historic gardens, sports fields and festivals (like this one).
• There will not be an entrance fee.
• Tours of the Governors Mansion will be available from noon - 4pm (last admittance 3pm); details here.
• Dogs are welcome but must be leashed at all times.
• Large and/or youth groups should contact us in advance if interested in attending.

• QOC will continue to use pre-registration as the ONLY method of sign-up for our events. There will be NO day-of, on-site registration. Refunds are paid only in the case of event cancellation. We are unable to handle cash transactions at the event.
• Masks are optional at all locations connected with the event. Please continue to minimize clustering at and around the check-in, e-punch, start and finish areas.
• Beginner instruction is available to provide an overview of the orienteering basics for newcomers to the sport or those who just want a refresher.
• We will continue our policy of not providing WATER or food to participants at our events aside from an emergency water for first aid purposes only. So don't forget your canteens/Camelbacks/other hydration arrangements.