How do I start 'O'
Simply come to an event. Details of forthcoming events will be found on this website, or on those of the various clubs.

Orienteering is an outdoor adventure activity, which involves finding your way through unfamiliar terrain using a specially prepared map and your own common sense. It can be compared to a car rally - but on foot! In Orienteering, you are the navigator, driver and the vehicle. You learn to read the map, measure distances, use a compass and find your way in cross-country surroundings.

Orienteering is a thinking activity, requiring both skill and physical ability. Participants leave the starting point at regular intervals and must find their way to various checkpoints (called CONTROLS), set out at various features in the area, and return to the finish, after visiting each control and "punching" a CONTROL CARD or electronic device. The competitor with the shortest elapsed time is declared the winner.

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How to Choose Your Course
When choosing a course to compete on, please consider ALL the following items:

• Read the Planner's comments on the various courses offered. He or she is the only person who knows how tough or easy they are.
• The terrain. Look around you when you arrive. How well do you normally cope with this type of terrain?
• How well do you know the area? When last did you run there, if at all?
• Weather conditions. Are they conducive to easy running?
• How well or fit are you on the day?
• Is there sufficient time for you comfortably to complete the course before courses close at the end of the event?
• How good are your orienteering skills?
• Take into account both the length and climb of the courses.
• Do not be tempted to over-extend yourself because you can do a certain distance (e.g. 5km or 10km) easily in a road race. Technical (navigating) difficulties can make the route very arduous if you lack the necessary skills or experience.
• Do not move up a level unless you are easily completing courses at the level you normally enter AND you are positive about all of the above.
• If you are in any doubt, ask for advice - the Planner and Controller are normally not far away from registration.

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How to Progress
Different courses available

Orienteering is not only meant for the very fit and fast runner. It is planned so as to be open to and to be enjoyed by as many people as possible, with varying degrees of physical ability and from many walks of life. To facilitate this, Orienteering events normally offer several different courses, which range in physical and technical difficulty, catering for everybody. In some events courses are planned in accordance with certain guidelines and are given "colour-coded" names according to difficulty.

YELLOW. This is an elementary course, with only very simple route-following skills necessary. The route can be navigated by following "line features" (e.g. paths or fences) and using very prominent landmarks. Distance is usually between 1,5km and 2,5km with a planned winning time of about 25 minutes. It is suitable for children over the age of 8, families and groups of beginners. There are normally between 7 and 10 control points on this course. No compass skills are necessary.

ORANGE. This will be a little more difficult than the Yellow course, with slightly more distance (2,5km - 3,5km) and a planned winning time of about 40 minutes. A few control points may be a little away from line features and so not as easy to locate. Suitable for groups, families and newcomer individuals, who are prepared for the extended distance. Expect around 10 to 12 control points.

RED. This is sometimes included specifically for runners, requiring the distance, but with limited navigational skills. This course would normally be between 5km and 8km long with a planned winning time of 50 minutes and with control features similar to those on Orange courses.

LIGHT GREEN. This is a "bridging" course, intended to introduce the competitor to a slightly more technical level. Some control sites will be more difficult to locate, and navigation away from line features, as well as simple route choice options, may be included on some of the legs. Distance could be anything from 3km to 5km, with a target winning time of about 45 minutes. Expect around 10 - 12 control points. Compass using skills are not essential, but may be useful, and this is where learning the skill begins to be important.

GREEN courses present technical Orienteering challenges with moderate physical demands. Compass skills are generally required. Control points may be situated away from line and prominent features, and competitors will be required to make sophisticated route choice decisions while navigating around the course. Expect distances of about 3,5km to 4,5km, with a planned winning time of about 50 minutes.

BLUE courses present similar technical challenges but are physically more demanding. Course lengths will normally vary between 5km and 8km with planned winning times around 60 minutes.

BROWN courses are for experienced and very fit orienteers as they are both technically and physically very challenging. Distances range from 7km to 10km or more, depending on the terrain, with target winning times of 80 minutes for the elite competitors who will normally run these courses.

When to move up a course
Starting out in orienteering, you will be advised to compete at either the YELLOW or ORANGE course level (depending on your age and fitness level). You will need to master the process of locating yourself on the map, correlating that with where you are on the ground, navigating your way around the course, finding all the controls, and punching your control card, or punching electronically depending on the system in use. Once you are comfortable competing at your entry level, then you are ready to move up to the next grade of course.

Before moving up to Light Green or Green, learn how to use a compass. Attend a compass using course, held every now and then by your club, or ask a competent member to show you how.

Further promotion up the grades will depend upon your physical abilities and your progress with navigation on the lower courses.

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Event Checklist For Novices

Event Notice
Consult the event notice a few weeks before the event. It will contain all the information you need including directions to the event, cost of entry, as well as registration and start times.

Clothing
There are no clothing restrictions in South Africa. It is recommended, however, that clothing should cover the body from neck to feet. 'Gaiters' or 'bramble bashers', made of a strong nylon fabric to protect the lower legs, are often worn by more experienced orienteers. Old running shoes or sturdy walking shoes are advisable. Keep in mind that the average orienteer does not emerge from the course in pristine condition.

Equipment
Although not essential for beginners on easy courses, the use of an orienteering compass is advisable. It is recommended that orienteers carry whistles for emergency use in some areas.

Registration
Novices should ask for guidance when entering an event. Appointed officials will be on hand to assist you with the formalities, which will vary depending on the nature of the event and whether or not electronic punching is in use. You will need to select a course that suits your physical and technical orienteering abilities. Normally you will pay your entry fee and collect your map, control card and control description, and be given any information relevant to the event or your course.

The Map
Check the scale of the map and the contour interval. Mark down any 'map corrections' notified by the organizers. Note which direction on the map is north (usually the top of the map) and try to locate yourself accordingly. Study the 'legend' or 'key'. It is advisable that competitors bring plastic covers for both map and control card should these not be waterproof.

Control Card
Write your name, club and membership number (if applicable) on your card as well as on the stub. It helps to write down the control code for each control in the relevant block. Finally, staple the card to your map or attach it to your wrist with an elastic band to prevent its being lost. Where electronic punching is used, you will be given an electronic 'punch card' instead: ask for instructions about its (simple) use.

Control Descriptions
These describe each control point, including the code on each marker. There may be more than one control in an area you have to visit. Study the sheet and make sure you fully understand the symbols and terminology. The descriptions are usually issued in both English and in international code on the easier courses.

StartArrive at the start 10 to 15 minutes early so you can observe and understand the starting procedure. Hand your 'stub' to the starter and await starting orders.

Master Maps
If maps are not pre-marked you will be required to copy your course from the master map onto your own map immediately after you start. The start triangle on the map is represented by a control kite on the ground at or near the starting area. The centre of each circle is where each control has been placed. Be careful to be very accurate when copying your course onto your map, even if it takes some time to do so.

Controls
Locate all the controls on your course in the required order. Remember to verify the control codes at each point, as each control point has a unique code and punch pattern. Remember to punch your control card in the correct box, or to punch electronically if applicable, as evidence that you have been to that point, before navigating to the next control.

FinishOnce you have found your last control, navigate or follow the streamers to the finish. Your time will be taken as you cross the finish line. Hand in your control card irrespective of whether you have completed the course fully or not.

Results
Once your card has been checked and time calculated, your result will be displayed on a 'results line' near the finish.

Analysis
Analyse your performance, think about your mistakes and compare notes with other orienteers on your course. Try to ascertain where you can improve your orienteering.

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Rules
Control points shall be visited in the correct sequence - no random control visits are allowed without pain of disqualification.

At each control point you must prove that you have been there by "punching". You will use the pin punch you will find at the control site to make a mark in the relevant space on the control card you will carry with you. Where a system of electronic punching is in use, you will insert the electronic "card" you will take with you into an electronic control point unit in order to record your presence at the control site.

• Don't follow other competitors (they may be more lost than you are!).
• Don't ask for directions (unless you are really in trouble and need to find your way back to the finish).
• Don't stray into areas marked "out of bounds".
• Competitors must follow marked routes when stipulated by the organizers.
• Don't traverse "uncrossable fences or cliffs" unless crossing points are indicated. Besides being disallowed, this may be dangerous.
• Only compass and maps are allowed to be used (no GPS!)
• Always respect the environment - leave only footprints!

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Some Basic Rules Of Orienteering

• The spirit of fairness and good fellowship is the guiding principle in all aspects of the sport.
• Unless otherwise stipulated, the map area of any advertised orienteering event (with the exception of a 'Park Series event), is deemed 'out of bounds' from the date of its notification in the SAOF Fixtures List until the date of the event.
• The existence of an orienteering map does not give right of entry to an area other than during an event.
• Competitors must visit the controls on an orienteering course in the specified order.
• Competitors must mark their control cards clearly by punching within the relevant control boxes in competitions where electronic punching is not used.
• Competitors will be disqualified if one or more control points have been missed or mis-punched, as evidenced by the punch patterns on the control card or by the electronic punching system, depending on which system is in use.
• A compass and the map provided by the organizers are the only aids that may be used in a competition.
• A competitor is obliged to follow marked routes stipulated by the organizers when displayed on the map and/or the control descriptions and/or notified before the start.
• A competitor shall not attempt to cross boundaries marked on the map as 'not to be crossed', unless a crossing place is indicated, when crossing may be made at that point.
• In the interests of safety, every competitor who has started the competition shall hand in his or her control card to a finish official irrespective of whether he or she has completed the course. A competitor shall report the loss of a control card to a finish official.
• All competitors shall race independently except when they have entered as a group.
• Protests may be made in writing to the event controller not later than 30 minutes after course closure.
• Competitors running Championship courses at National or Provincial Championship events are required to be paid-up members of an SAOF affiliated club to qualify for trophies.
• The competitor shall respect the environment and the property of landowners at all times.

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Some Basic Navigation Techniques

Handrails
'Handrails' are linear features, which can be identified on the map and in the terrain and used to assist in navigating from one control point to another. These include paths, tracks, fences, powerlines, streams and clear vegetation boundaries, but can also be features such as lines or cliffs, ridges, and valleys or re-entrants.

Aiming Off
When navigating to a control point on a distant linear feature (for example, a boulder in a stream) one may not know which way to turn when reaching the linear feature (the stream) in order to locate the control (at the boulder). 'Aiming off' means navigating, or aiming, deliberately to one side of the control feature. For example, by aiming to reach the stream to the right of the boulder, one knows one must turn left along the stream to find the boulder.

Catching or Collecting Features
These are obvious features which lie behind a control. They may be roads, fences, streams, buildings or other features. Reaching the catching feature tells one that one has gone past the control and must turn back towards it.

Attack Points
It is often difficult to navigate directly to a small feature from a long way away, even by using a compass bearing and estimating or pacing out the distance. It is then advisable to identify a more obvious, and more easily located, feature relatively near to the control and navigate to that. That feature then becomes the 'attack point' from which one will navigate carefully to the control site.

Contouring
'Contouring' is the following of a contour along a hillside, that is keeping at the same height as one goes. This often enables one to proceed from one control to another by avoiding more arduous, slow and energy-sapping climbing.

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Safety
What to do when finding an injured competitor
Always stop and assist a fellow Orienteer clearly in distress. If the person is able to move (e.g. minor cut or sprain) - assist them to the finish area.

In more serious cases (e.g. broken limb), call out for assistance from other competitors in the area. Once one or more competitors are on the scene, carefully mark the spot on your map and have one competitor return to the finish to alert the officials and first aid persons. Apart from elementary aid (e.g. keeping the injured still and shaded) do not apply first aid if not trained to do so.

What to do when retiring from competition
Always report to the Finish Point and register that you are "home" - even if you are retiring from the course. This will prevent the Organizers having to mobilize a search and rescue operation!

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Tips

Control card string
One way of not losing your Control Card is to attach it with a piece of string to your arm. Make sure the string is long enough for you to get the Card into the punch at any Control

Control Descriptions
A Control Description Sheet will be given to you before your start containing all the necessary information about the control sites you will need to visit on your chosen course. On beginners' courses words are used, but internationally accepted symbols are used in the advanced courses.

A useful tip is to write the identifying codes of the markers, placed at each control site on your course, in the relevant blocks on your Control Card to provide an easy reference before punching. The relevant control description or its symbol may also be recorded there in case you lose your control description sheet.

The start
Study the map as much as possible before the start, paying attention to the legend, the scale and the interval between contour lines. When pre-marked maps are not provided (i.e. the course is not already recorded on your map) you will need to copy your course from a master map placed near the start onto your own map. Do this as accurately as possible. Then take time to make sure you know exactly where you are: the start will be marked on your map with a triangle at the beginning of your course. Plan your route to the first control, considering the alternatives, e.g. using paths or going more directly across country, identifying features on the map or in the terrain which will assist you, etc.

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Some Further Tips and Techniques

Organize yourself
Organize yourself with the things you need to carry - map, compass, control description sheet, Emit unit or control card - so you can operate efficiently. Find a way that suits you best, but do not do things that will slow you down or confuse you. For example, it is not a good idea to staple your control description sheet to the back, or even the front, of your map. You will probably want to fold your map so as to concentrate on the area you are moving through, keeping it properly set, or orientated, and keeping your thumb on your current position. You will not want to spoil all of that having to open your map and turn it around just to refer to your control description sheet - and perhaps confuse yourself when you have to reset the map and find again where you are on it.

From start to first control
At the start, check that you know where north is, look around and try to see obvious features which you should easily be able to identify on the map. When you receive your map as you start off, set it to north, find the start triangle and try to see on the map any of those obvious features which will help you quickly get the 'feel' of the map, and where you are on it, as you plan your route to the first control.

Do not be afraid to go slowly to your first control. Navigate carefully and proceed with caution, as you are not yet used to the map and are probably in unfamiliar terrain. You can speed up as you get the feel of the map in relation to the area.

Planning and choosing your route
To plan your route to the next control, you need to know the direction, the distance and possible attack points. Except in the easier events, you will often need to identify and choose between a variety of alternate possible routes. Choose the one that seems best to suit your own combination of speed, strength, stamina, cross country running technique and navigational skills. Be sure to check the contours, for example you may want to avoid too much exhausting climbing. Make your route choice decision quickly and then carry it out without wasting time and without unnecessary changes.

What do the contours say?
Always check the contours. If you are roaring off down hill and the contours suggest you should be keeping the same height, then something is surely wrong!

Remember too that it is not only line features, such as roads, paths, fences and rivers, which can be used as handrails to guide you in the right direction. You can also use contouring, the angles at which you may be crossing the contour lines, and also the land form features, such as re-entrants (valleys) and extended spurs, which are shown by the contours on the map.

Leaving a control
After punching, move away from the control site as quickly as possible, as you will not want to help your competitors by showing them exactly where the control is.

Set your map to north as you leave each control. Not only will you then see the terrain around you as it relates to the map, but you will avoid any confusion arising from the fact that you might have entered and/or left the control site from a direction different from the direct line from the last, or to the next, control.

Some coaches recommend that, after moving away from the control, the athlete should pause (only for a second or two) to set the map, confirm the route to the next control and apply concentration to follow it directly.

Plan ahead
Plan ahead, especially when you have 'dead' periods in a leg, when you know what you are doing and where you are going and you do not need to exercise your mind much for that leg for a few seconds. You can utilise that spare mental capacity to plan the next leg, and beyond. Ideally, you should have planned your next leg before you punch at the end of the current one, so you will be able to punch and move fluently into the new leg with no waste of time.

When you are lost - relocating
All orienteers get lost from time to time, but the best are able to relocate quickly. As soon as you think you are lost, stop, set your map and look around. Try to find large or distinct features which you can identify on the map and which will help to tell you where you are. Try to remember where you were when you were last certain of your position, and how far you have come and what you have seen since then. You may need to navigate to an obvious feature, return to your last certainly known position, or even return to the previous control site. Be pro-active. Do not simply wander around hoping to stumble upon the next control.

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FAQ's :

Who may take part?
Anyone! Orienteering can be enjoyed by men, women and children, whether old or young, fit or unfit. As you set your own pace, it is ideal recreation for individuals or groups.

How long are the courses?
The length of an Orienteering course varies from 1,5km with six to ten controls for beginners, up to about 10km or more for the more adventurous. The challenge is yours!

What equipment will I need?
You do not require expensive equipment nor special gear. Wear old clothes (shorts and t-shirt are fine) and comfortable shoes - running shoes or hiking boots. However, leg and arm covering are advised in rough areas, e.g. undergrowth, thorn trees, etc. An Orienteering compass is useful for the more advanced courses. Hats and sunscreen are essentials for outdoor protection. Drinking water is normally provided along the route on longer courses. All other items (e.g. map and control card) are supplied by the event organizers.

How much does it cost?
Orienteering is not an expensive sport. Single-event entry fees are normally between R20 and R30, and this includes the cost of the map.

What about maps?
All Orienteering maps are specially drawn - based on topographical surveys, retaining basic symbols for contours, buildings, streams etc, but much finer detail, such as depressions, ditches and vegetation changes are added. Maps are usually reproduced in scales of between 1:5 000 to 1:15 000, and are in colour, with a full legend explaining the various features. Maps are provided as part of your event entry fee.

What does "climb" mean?
From each countour (line on a map joining points of equal elevation or height) that a route crosses in the positive direction (i.e. going up-hill), the climb is calculated. Maps normally show 5 metre contours, hence crossing 10 of these lines in total (only on upward slopes), will equal a total climb of 50 metres.

Do I need to join a club?
Not necessarily. You may compete as an individual. However, joining a club gives you the benefits of a support structure and a social environment. With membership you are also eligible to qualify for the provincial log rankings, and to take part in Championship events.

What must I do at my first event?
When you arrive, you will need to register (or enter), after choosing a suitable course from the several that will be on offer for the day. On registering (and paying your entry fee) you will normally receive a MAP, CONTROL CARD or ELECTRONIC PUNCH "CARD" (for "punching" at each control point) and DESCRIPTION SHEET (list of control numbers, codes and feature descriptions). You will also have to select a START TIME (always give yourself about half an hour to get organized!). Write your name/s legibly in the spaces provided on your Control Card. TIP: use first name and surname - NOT initials. Make your way to the start at least ten minutes before your official start time and hand in the Control Card Stub to the Start Official. Wait to be called to start. On the "Go", unless pre-marked maps are provided, you will need to copy your course onto your own map from a master map located near the start. Then off you go, navigating your way to the first control, and so around the course.

Can someone teach me?
Yes! At most events there is someone there to help newcomers. Clubs often have formal or informal training arrangements or courses. More experienced orienteers are also more than willing to help others progress in the sport of orienteering. All you need to do is ask!

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