Seneca Creek
Printer-friendly version
PDF versionShareThisDecember 15
Sunday
Pre-registration is required for this event, opening Monday, Dec. 9 at 6pm and closing Saturday Dec. 14 at 12 noon.
There will be no day-of registration.
Welcome to the Mid-Atlantic Championships at Seneca Creek State Park at Smokey Glen Farm! Smokey Glen Farm offers a large, heated indoor facility with clean restrooms and ample parking. There is a lovely open field to cheer for individual racers and teams handing off relay legs. Bring your own food (not to share or bring in the building pls) but no cleated shoes in the main building please.
It is QOC’s turn to host this annual competition among clubs of our region - CVOC, DVOA, QOC, and WPOC - as we vie for the coveted Broken Compass Award. There will be regular courses that open earlier than usual, at 9:30am. You may want to run early so you can participate also in the team relays, a special feature of the Mid-Atlantic Championships. The relays begin about 1:30pm. As always, everyone needs to be out of the woods and downloaded by 3:00pm.
Pre-registration is required (see below). Participants will have 3 hours to complete their classic courses, as long as they start before 12 noon (classic starts continue until 1, but courses will close at 3pm).
Anyone may participate in the classic and relay races, including people new to orienteering. You may compete for the titles of Mid-Atlantic Individual and Relay champion or just come out for a fun time in the woods; there are options here for everybody so don't be intimidated by some of the "competitive" aspects. Your participation helps your club score competition points. Clubs earn points based on attendance as well as performance in the classic race and the relay; you can only help, not hurt, your club by running in races and earning points for your attendance and finish. And just to be completely clear: feel free to do only a classic course, or only a relay, or do both - it's up to you.
Relay Team Organization: The relays are fun and a great chance to build camaraderie with your fellow club members. For QOC, Aaron Linville has graciously agreed to be the club Relay Organizer of these 3-leg relay teams; we will announce more information closer to the event about how to form your own teams or ask to be placed on a team. Teams get extra points for including a variety of ages and genders. Full scoring details are described here; in terms of relay leg difficulty, Leg 1 (aka Sprint A) will be ~beginner/yellow, Leg 2/SprintB intermediate, and Leg 3/SprintC advanced.
Maps: Maps will be distributed at the start. Unlike at most local events, you may not look at the map until after you punch the start. The classic courses’ contour interval will be 5m; the scale will vary by course (1:15K for blue and red; 1:10K fo green; 1:7500 for brown and orange; and 1:5K for white and yellow). The relay courses’ scale will be 1:5000 with 2.5m contours.
Costs: Entry fees will be the usual QOC registration fees. Members of any OUSA recognized club receive the QOC club member price. The Relay is included with the standard course registration so it does not incur an additional cost; anyone who chooses to run only the relay will pay the (single) standard reg fee. Pre-registration with payment is required.
Beginners: Free Beginner Instruction will be offered, but please reach out to the Event Director if you have a group, so we can plan accordingly. Also, make sure to check out our Your First Event and For Beginners webpages. If they don’t answer any remaining questions you have, just ask them via our Contact Form.
Group Leaders: Please see our For Group Leaders webpage if you are leading a youth or large group – even though you will be pre-registering online. Please contact the Event Director with your plans and numbers for her awareness. Note that all members of a group must register (adults and juniors), and that groups of over 4 must split into groups of 4 or less both to register and when orienteering.
Volunteer: Sign up for a volunteer slot via this form, or email the Event Director directly for other options.
Post-Event Social: After your run, join fellow orienteers at Brews and Barrels, located here just 3 miles east of the park.
Reminders:
- QOC will continue to use pre-registration as the ONLY method of signing up for our meets. There will be NO day-of, on-site registration. Refunds are paid only in the case of event cancellation. The relay race is included with normal event registration.
- There is no water on the course. Participants are responsible for their own hydration. A very limited supply of bottled water for emergency use will be on hand with the Meet Director; but it is vital to stay well hydrated. Please come prepared!
- There are no snacks offered by QOC; please bring your own food (but pls don't bring it into the building).
- When registering, classic course participants will select from among the available 15 minute check-in windows (those registering later may find a more limited selection as some windows reach maximum capacity.
| Location | Seneca Creek State Park, Smokey Glen Farm, Gaithersburg, MD (Mid-Atlantic Champs) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registration | Advance registration is required. There is no day-of registration. Registration opens at 6pm on Monday Dec. 9 and closes at 12 noon on Saturday Dec. 14 (the day before the event). Pre-registration is mandatory for everyone for the classic courses and for those only running the relay; however, relay team formation will be finalized at at the event.
Who's Registered? Check classic course reg. by clicking here. Note relay intent is not shown on this form. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start Times | Start times will be by windows (to be defined for this event before registration opens). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule | Sunday, December 15
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Volunteers |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location Details |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course Details | Mid-Atlantic Champs
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course Notes | Mid-Atlantic Champs Welcome orienteers! I hope you're excited to commiserate after the event over the wet and prickly conditions you're likely to experience! Before heading out on your courses please consider that many areas of the park are much greener than in recent years and unfortunately many new areas of prickly fight are not reliably mapped. As a result, trails and the clear flood plain next to Seneca creek will likely be the favored (wet) navigation route between controls. I've worked with Nadim to add a few critical trails to the southern portion of the map, but there are networks of unmapped walking and bike trails to the north and east of Smokey Glen that you will notice particularly during the relays. Green and Blue courses will also visit a section of the park north of Seneca Creek. When traversing that section, look for the narrow passage east of the gulley to get onto the field. On a warm day during a drought, it's feasible to cross the creek along sections where the water is less than two feet deep (one such section is marked on the map), however this is looking less appealing with recent weather reports. Either way, I'd make sure to bring an extra towel to dry off after the event. I hope you enjoy the courses and feel free to reach out to share your experiences or thoughts afterwards. - Glenn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Entry Fees | Individual Entries
Note: juniors = under 21
Group Entries Participants are welcome to orienteer together as a group (up to the maximum for that event; usually 4). Each member of a group is charged their individual rate as shown above, up to a group total of $30 (maximum), and each receives a map. A group receives one epunch. Individuals or groups desiring to compete on a second course after completing their first can do so for a reduced fee of $2/map subject to approval at the event by the Event Director. Important Notes
|
