Quantico Marine Base
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Saturday
Registration for this event will open at 6pm on Monday May 6 and will close at 12 noon on Friday, May 10. Pre-registration is mandatory.
Welcome back to The Basic School training area of Marine Corps Base Quantico (MCBQ) also known as Training Area 8A/B. We will be operating out of the same area we used for the 2019 Junior National Championships, known as Drop Zone (DZ) Raven) The site is approximately 5 miles driving distance west of I-95, Exit 148 (a detailed locator map is here).
Aaron Linville has designed a full set of courses on this great Quantico terrain which we last used in October 2022. Parking will be in the open area at DZ Raven. Look for the QOC sign to turn off MCB 2 onto the dirt road (ignore any “For official vehicles only” signs) and look for the parking sign when you arrive per directions in the locator map. Note that the dirt road to DZ Raven is somewhat narrow and not in the best repair, so drive with caution along it. Port-a-johns will be on site.
In order to process participants through the MCBQ Visitor Control Center (VCC), this will be a Saturday event. We will be using mostly the same procedures that we did in the Fall of 2022, which seemed to work well. Directions to the VCC are also on the locator map. With the requirement for a pass from the MCBQ VCC and the distance to DZ Raven, you should allow 20 minutes from the time you arrive at the VCC until you get to DZ Raven.
Key point: The VCC hours on Saturday are 7:30am to 11:30am. Please time your arrival for no later than 11:00am in case there is a waiting line.
Post-Event Social: After your run join fellow orienteers at Pancho Villa, located here, just 3 miles southeast of Quantico.
Volunteers: Only a few needed - sign up for a volunteer slot via this form.
Free for Kids! Have your kids try the "string-O" (weather permitting). Kids ~6 and under follow a course marked with a yellow string to find their favorite animals; parents wait at the start/finish or accompany their kids. No need to pre-register - just show up, sign the waiver and make your way to the start.
Access to Marine Corps Base Quantico:
Because this event is taking place on a US military installation, access is controlled. The process for gaining access to MCBQ is similar to the procedures we used the last three years, but the identification requirements are strict and non-negotiable, so read the following carefully in order to understand what will be required this year:
1. If you are a DoD CAC/DoD ID card holder (including retirees with a DoD card), there is no change to access requirements. Just show your card at the security checkpoint as always and proceed on to the event site per this graphic and the QOC signage on the ground.
2. If you are able to travel with a DoD CAC/DoD ID card holder, show your government-issued photo ID, when the card-holder’s vehicle arrives at the checkpoint, if asked.
3. If you are older than 18, not a DoD CAC/DoD ID card holder and are not traveling with one, you will need to acquire a one-day base access pass.
4. If you have CAC issued from another agency (Federal PIV Cards – DHS, FBI, DEA, NASA, State Department, etc) you will have to register using the Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) link below, prior to being allowed access to the base.
For those in category 3, one-day access passes can be obtained at the nearby Visitor Control Center (VCC) not far from the access gate. Your navigation system will not send you to the correct location, so instead, see this locator map and its annotated directions. The VCC is easily identified, as it is a temporary building with no other buildings directly adjacent to it. (There is another Visitor Center specifically for the Russell-Knox complex in a permanent building off Tallmadge Rd, which is NOT the one you want.)
Depending on the number of people getting passes, it will take 10-20 minutes to get your pass. You can speed up the process by pre-registering (which is distinct from QOC pre-registration) in the DBIDS system at URL https://dbids-global-enroll.dmdc.mil/preenrollui/ (note: URL may require use of Edge browser). You will have to provide your SSN online to pre-register. You will also need to provide a sponsor. If you want to pre-register with DBIDS, email Bill Wright, our liaison to MCBQ, and he will provide the required sponsor information.
If you do not pre-register in DBIDS, you will simply show up at the VCC and present your identification. If you have a Real ID Maryland, Virginia or DC driver’s license you will not have to provide additional identification. However, if you do not have a Real ID driver’s license, you MUST bring either (1) a passport OR (2) driver license plus birth certificate plus Social Security Card. There will be no exceptions to this requirement. The Visitor Center will have the sponsor information for the QOC orienteering meet.
If you are not a US citizen, but you are a permanent resident, bring your permanent resident ID card and passport. If you are neither a US citizen nor a permanent resident, contact Bill Wright BEFORE you pre-register to discuss options.
Minors who have not reached their 18th birthday do not require passes if accompanied by a parent. For scouts or other youth organizations, it is preferable that scouts travel with a parent or with a CAC/DoD ID card holder. Contact Bill Wright with any additional questions.
JROTC Units are encouraged to come by bus for this event, as the JROTC cadre will be able to bring the entire bus of cadets under 18 through the gate without going to the VCC. Units should plan on at least one cadre member per bus. More information to follow shortly on requirements for over-18 cadets and any non-ID-carrying adults who may be accompanying the unit on the bus.
Reminder: If you need a base-access pass from the Visitor Control Center, keep in mind the event check-in window that you will have pre-registered for and the fact that the Visitor Center closes at 11:30am. Passes can be acquired up to two weeks before the event for those who might be in the MCBQ area prior to our meet. Weekday hours for the VCC are 6am to 3pm Monday through Friday. In general, arriving early on the 11th is good so we can exploit as much of the four-hour window in which the VCC is opened as possible and minimize backlogs.
Base Waiver Requirement:
Each attendee over the age of 18 (both those who run courses and those who do not) will have to sign and submit a special adult waiver for MCBQ. Please click the link, print out, sign and turn the waiver in to us (QOC) when you check-in at the event. If you arrive without a signed waiver, there will be blank waiver forms at registration, but it will speed the registration process and better conform to our COVID-19 risk reduction efforts if you have it done in advance.
For each attendee under the age of 18, there is a waiver form for minors that must be signed by his/her parent/guardian. Those under the age of 18 who will not be accompanied by their parent/guardian must ensure that a parent/guardian has signed the form before they depart for the event. Each junior running individually and each start-team with a junior must present the requisite waiver to us (QOC) at our event check-in. Check-in crew will verify each junior on the start team has a signed waiver. No minor will be allowed to run without the waiver signed by his/her parent/legal guardian.
New & Newsiest! The two types of QOC jackets (windbreaker AND softshell) will be available to try on at this event from ~10:30-Noon; orders are now being taken until June 21. Full details are on our clothing webpage.
Other points:
- Pets are permitted on base but must be on the leash at all times.
- The size of start teams (groups of individuals orienteering together with one e-punch) on a course must be no more than four (4) individuals (juniors and adults combined).
- Youth group leaders please contact the Event Director to provide numbers and plans for your attendance.
- The National Museum of the Marine Corps is a great place to visit as long as you are coming down to Quantico anyway. Daily hours are 9:00am to 5pm. NMMC is a 10-15 minute drive (entirely off base) from the access gate and Visitors Center.
| Location | Quantico Marine Corps Base (MCBQ), DZ Raven (Classic) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registration |
Registration will open at 6pm on Monday May 6 and close at 12 noon on Friday May 10 (the day before the event). Pre-registration is mandatory. Who's Registered? Check by clicking here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start Times | Start times will be by windows (to be defined for this event before registration opens). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule | Saturday, May 11
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| Volunteers |
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| Location Details |
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| Course Details | Classic
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| Course Notes | Classic Friday, May 10 Update: The rain from the past week means that marshes may be larger than mapped and some small, dry, erosion gullies may appear more like seasonal water channels. The woods are green and sight lines are quite reduced in some areas. Red and Blue runners can expect the ford of Beaver Dam Run in the North to be just shy of ankle deep.
Course Map Scales: White & Yellow 1:7500, Orange through Blue: 1:10K Contours are 5m. Prominent mapped manmade features are typically 1) if near a trail, a sign providing note on Marine Corps history, 2) if in the woods, a marine navigation training aid composed of an ammo can on a metal post (typically painted white or gray in this training area) or just a metal post (typically painted white / red). Rootstocks 1.5m and greater were mapped in 2017 and some updates where done in 2022. They can be used for navigation, but the usual course setter disclaimer that there are additionally unmapped rootstocks. It’s late in the season so the map is greener than depicted - this is mostly in lower-lying areas that collect and channel water. Beaver Dam Run has three bridges in the center and south of TA-8A. The ford at the far North that Blue and Red runners will cross is ankle deep. The watercourse itself is about five meters or less across. The banks tend to be bordered by moderate to dense vegetation, especially at this time of the year. Orange, Green, Red and Blue courses will cross the creek and courses have been set to such that typical route choices should take runners near plenty of crossing options. As of April 28th, while the overall weather has been dry, the minor amount of rain has kept both marshes and minor water courses wet. Blue, Red (and off route Green) runners should be aware of sections of barbed wire near the Murphy Demo Range in the far west of TA-8A. The debilitated barbed wire is mapped using the broken fence symbol and it is accurately mapped. The barbed wire itself may be ankle to chest height, sections may be missing and other sections may be knocked down due to fallen trees. The wire has been flagged over the years with various colors. I’ve added bright orange to streamers to sections that may be likely route choices for runners. The actual demo range is marked off limits, additionally it is surrounded by berms. You may encounter signs that say "Do not enter," "Danger" or make other similar warnings. DISREGARD them, as they are designed to keep people away from the demo range when it is being used. DZ Cockatoo in the Northwest portion of the TA-8A is mowed and will afford good mobility and a view of any of your immediate competition (either ahead or behind).
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| Entry Fees | Note: this event's entry fees will be fully refunded for active-duty military personnel who inform us of their status (service branch and location) via our Contact Us form 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
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