Greenbelt

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March 10
Sunday

Pre-registration is required and will open on Monday, March 4 at 6pm and will close at Noon Saturday March 9.
There will be no day-of registration.

Welcome back to Greenbelt Park! After a major windstorm a couple years ago knocked out several sections of the park, we were not able to hold an event in Greenbelt in 2023. We are excited to be back this year at one of our closer-in locations that is accessible to a wide range of participants without a long drive.

Come out and enjoy a great selection of classic courses designed and set by Russ Damtoft and Mike Manteuffel (details below). Parking for this event will be at the Sweetgum Picnic Area, which is not far from the Greenbelt Road park entrance. We will be registering and starting from the Sweetgum picnic area. The Sweetgum Picnic Area is open with little tree cover, so bring appropriate cold and wet weather gear for early March. The start and finish are located near the main area and they are the same for all courses, White through Red.

Check in will open about 9:45 a.m. and courses will open at 10:00 a.m. As always, please be off the course no later than 3 p.m. and remember to download at our e-punch station even if you did not finish. We want to make sure of everyone’s safety and status.

Daylight Savings Time Reminder! Make sure to set all non-auto-adjusting clocks ahead 1 hour Saturday evening. Don't show up late!

Free Beginner Instruction will be offered, but please reach out to the Event Director [2] if you have a large group, so we can plan accordingly. Also, make sure to check out our Your First Event [3] and Orienteering Techniques For Beginners [4] webpages, and if they don't answer any question you have, just use our Contact Form [5] and ask.

For The Kiddos! Come and try the free "string-O". What's a string-O, you ask? As their first step towards becoming an orienteer, kids follow a course marked with string in a small area to find their favorite Disney characters (under parental supervision). Minimum effort for parents, maximum fun for kids!

Post-Event Social: After your run, join fellow orienteers at Yiayia’s Kitchen [6], located here [7] just 4.3 miles northwest of the park, and with map as proof and a purchase, get a free drink and dessert!

Reminders:

• Leashed pets are allowed in Greenbelt.
• 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.
• 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.
• As mentioned above, beginner instruction has resumed to provide an overview of orienteering basics for newcomers to the sport or those who just want a refresher.
• 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
• For this event (as with most others this season) there will be eight 15-minute check-in windows followed by two 45-minute windows.

Last reminder! Check out our Training Weekend [8], taking place the weekend after this (Greenbelt) event. Registration for the training weekend is open until March 9.

Location	Greenbelt National Park, Sweetgum Parking, Greenbelt, MD (Classic)
Registration	[9]. Registration will open at 6pm on Monday March 4 and closes at 12 noon on Saturday March 9 (the day before the event). Pre-registration is mandatory. Who's Registered? Check by clicking here [10].
Start Times	Start times will be by windows (to be defined for this event before registration opens).
Schedule	Sunday, March 10 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Classic:
Volunteers	Event Director: Florence Tan [2] Event Director: Tom Nolan [11] Course Designer: Russ Damtoft [12] Course Designer: Mike Manteuffel [13]
Location Details	Classic Greenbelt National Park Sweetgum Parking Greenbelt, MD Google Map [14] From the I-495 Beltway (which is also I-95 in this section): Take Exit 23 Route 201 Kenilworth Avenue South (toward Bladensburg). You will soon see the sign for Route 193 Greenbelt Road; veer right to take Route 193 East, and take the left onto Greenbelt Road . (Greenbelt Road is Route 193 and passes over Route 201) The park entrance is a quarter mile further on the right hand side of Greenbelt Road, across from TGI Fridays restaurant and a Marriott Courtyard hotel. Follow the orienteering signs to the parking area (Sweetgum or nearby, depending on which has space). Google Maps Link [14] Apple/iPhone Link [15]
Course Details	Classic Course Name Length (km) Climb (m) No. Controls White 1.6 30 8 Yellow 2.3 70 9 Orange 4.1 90 10 Beige 2.8 70 8 Brown 3.7 90 10 Green 4.6 125 11 Red 7.7 205 16
Course Notes	Classic There was a massive windstorm in 2022 which took down a large number of trees. Most fell to the east. That aside, the forest continues to mature with pines falling over and being replaced with deciduous trees. There are still lots of individual strands of greenbrier throughout the forest, but it’s not as bad as in years past. The area has been partially remapped this spring. Rootstocks that are mapped are larger than about two meters, but be aware that there are many unmapped rootstocks because of the storm. Areas mapped in green can be any kind of vegetation: mountain laurel, small saplings, greenbrier, or fallen trees. Solid color greens are used for living vegetation; slashed lines are used for fallen debris/trees. All courses (except for white) will be affected by dense vegetation on at least one leg. Thorn protection (gaiters or thorn-resistant pants) are recommended for orange courses and above. Black circles are sewers; some flush with the ground but most raised by one to two feet. Black X's in middle of woods are the remains of homeless camping areas (trash or old tents) and are not necessarily reliable features as these come and go. There has been serious erosion in stream areas and most streams have earth banks even when not mapped as such. The courses are designed to avoid those which seemed uncrossable, but advanced orienteers should be aware of them, especially when making creative route choices!
Entry Fees	Individual Entries Note: juniors = under 21 Club Member, adult Club Member, junior Non-Member, adult Non-Member, junior $10 $5 $20 $5 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 If you wish to become a QOC member you should join online in advance via this webpage [16] (which also explains the member benefits). Membership is completely optional. Most of our events use an 'epunch' timing chip for electronic timing. Individuals or groups without their own epunch will be loaned one for that event. Loaned epunches that are lost incur a $40 replacement fee. Epunches (also known as SI-cards or finger sticks) can be purchased from online vendors as described here [17]. Former QOC members who have let their membership lapse pay non-member fees. Compasses are available at no charge, but if lost incur a $15 replacement fee. Please provide collateral (such as car keys) when borrowing a compass or epunch. Beginners are encouraged to watch relevant videos such as this one [18] created by QOC's instructional guru David Onkst