Using a permanent course | Establish a permanent course What is a permanent orienteering (O') course? Permanent O' courses are an ideal introduction to orienteering and can be used for training purposes when local events are not available. The game's objective is to locate checkpoints on a course. The challenge comes from not knowing their locations ahead of time and the test is determining the best route between them. The fun, of course, is the satisfaction of finding all the checkpoints you set out to visit!
	A permanent O' course contains checkpoints or control locations (sometimes called "controls") designated on a map and set up within a park, using one of several types of permanent marker (some parks remove markers in the winter). The marker indicates that the user has found the correct site marked on their orienteering map. The image at left shows one type of permanent marker, which may be affixed to a tree or post.
City parks may choose to have no permanent markers, but can design courses requiring the user to answer questions based on some item or feature located at the control sites. You can purchase a map showing locations of the checkpoints for a nominal fee, either from the park itself or from the local orienteering club. The map will describe the type of marker used. Typically, checkpoints are selected and courses designed in consulation with a local orienteering club to provide varying levels of navigational difficulty. The user may then follow a designated course, or choose to visit any checkpoints s/he wishes to practice navigation in an unfamiliar area. How do I use a permanent orienteering course? Plan to arrive at the park equipped with sturdy shoes that you don't mind getting muddy. If you'd like to visit controls located off-trail you might also want to wear long pants or gaiters to protect your legs. If you have one, take a compass to help you keep your map oriented correctly, though you most likely will not need one for a beginner-level course. Purchase a permanent course map from the park or local orienteering club. Familiarize yourself with the map and its symbols before you begin. The starting location is usually designated with a triangle, while checkpoint locations (controls) are circled. Controls might be man-made, terrain, and/or rock features, depending on the park. Locate where you are now. Hold the map flat in front of you at waist level, and rotate it until it is "oriented" to the terrain, roads, and other features. Magnetic-north lines printed on the map will help if you have a compass. Set out to visit the controls (O' 1-2-3 offers orienteering tips for novices) in the desired sequence. Be sure to keep your map oriented to the features around you and/or magnetic north as you change direction going from point to point. You may change your direction of travel between controls, but north will always be in the same place! Check a control's description on your map so you know what you're seeking. The code corresponding to that control will appear on the marker located at the correct site. On most permanent course maps there will be a "control card" containing boxes in which you can write down the marker's code. That's it! You're off to the next control, and so on to the finish. SAFETY NOTE: On the remote chance that you become hopelessly "disoriented," use your compass to follow the Safety Bearing given to return to a main road or other familiar location. Establishing a permanent course Obtain permission from the land owner/custodian (park supervisor, district office, etc.) Determine control locations: preliminary selection on paper consult with an experienced orienteer (local club member) locate in the terrain – check map accuracy, find convenient trees, streamer the location, have location verified by an experienced orienteer obtain approval from park official Obtain supplies (control markers, aluminum nails, maps) Place control markers on trees or posts. Add identifying codes Draw control locations on a copy of the map Prepare a brochure that will contain control locations, descriptions, beginner information, and the marked map. Explain how the map and course can be used. Include safety information (safety bearing, cautions, etc.). Design a control card (numbered boxes in which users can write down control codes) to be included in the brochure. Prepare a display for use in the park to promote the O' course Print brochures and determine selling price Promote the course at the park and on the USOF Web site (contact webmaster). Outdoor stores can be designated as official map distributors, if desired, with proceeds to be returned to the club or park.
Last Update: June 5, 2008 Back to USOF Home