Details to follow shortly
All posts by Clare
Park Series Race 1: Roath Park – 16/6/21
Download Final Details HERE
| Location | Roath Park, Cardiff, CF23 5NN Grid Reference ST185792 What3Words: shock.listed.stress Nearest Post Code CF23 5NN. If you enter the park at the gates near the southern end of the lake we will be down the slope on the grass south of the children’s playground. Look for the sail banner. |
| Parking | There is plenty of parking around the park. |
| Covid regulations | Please make sure that you have read the following covid regulations before you run. COVID Safe Orienteering |
| Entries | Entries online only via Fabian4. There will be no entries on the day, entries close midnight before the event. We are limited to 50 competitors. |
| Starts | Starts will be open between 6.00 pm and 7.00 pm. You will need to obtain a start time when you enter. Starts will be at one minute intervals. If you are new to the sport and want some initial coaching please arrive early and someone will be there to show you the basics. |
| Courses | Juniors, under 16, can run the Novice/Junior course but not the Middle or Long due to road crossings. Novice / junior course The novice /junior course is 1.3 km with 12 controls and all within the confines of the Roath Park. We would suggest that all novices try this course first before running one of the longer courses. Medium The second course is 3 8 km long (optimal route) and has 19 controls to visit. This course involves a mandatory, manned, pelican road crossing into Roath Pleasure Gardens. The time taken to cross at this crossing will not be included in the race time, so no rush! This will be explained to all running this course on the day. Long The longest course is about 7.9 km, (optimal route), with 100 m of climb and has 15 controls and will also visit neighbouring roads. |
| What to wear | Normal running gear is fine. If you intend to walk then stout shoes/trainers will do. You will mostly be running/walking on tarmac and grass but it could be muddy, so come prepared. If you have a compass you can bring it but you do not normally need one for this kind of racing. Bring a waterproof if it looks like being wet and a drink if its hot. |
| Map | The map is a special sprint orienteering map prepared at a scale of 1:5,000 for the Novice and Middle courses and 1:7,500 for the Long course. One centimetre on the map is the equivalent of 50 meters on the ground on a 1:5,000 map and 75 metres on an 1:7,500 map. Courses will be on waterproof paper. |
| Children under 10 | Children under 10 are welcome to take part on the novice course. However, a responsible person should accompany them. |
| Cost of running | The cost to run will be: SWOC/BO members: Juniors £ 2.00. (M/W 20 or younger or full time students) Senior £4. Non-members supplement Junior +£1, Senior +£2 Families £10. If you are accompanying a junior on their course you do not need to enter yourself, just the junior. Remember you need to enter online as there are no entries on the day. This makes it easier for us to comply with Covid regulations. If you would like to join SWOC, the local orienteering club, follow the link below stating SWOC as the club you wish to join. https://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/join_online Membership of SWOC entitles you to the lower (Members’) entry fee for every event on the British Orienteering calendar, regardless of which club organises the event. |
| Results | Results and league positions will be posted on the SWOC website. https://www.swoc.org.uk/ |
| For anyone who has not tried the sport before | 7 STEPS TO COMPLETING YOUR FIRST COURSE: 1 – Register at Enquires (the table at the tent) where you will be given a small E-card which you put on your finger and use to confirm you have visited all the controls. 2 – Ask any questions you may have. One of the helpers will talk you through the novice course and explain what the key symbols on the map mean. 3 -Go to the Start where you will be given your map and told when you can start. 4 – Punch the Start control. If you do not you will not have a time for the race. 5 – Look at your map and plan how you will get to the first control. Run/walk as fast as you can to the first control. Do not run faster than you can navigate. Keep your map orientated (facing where you are going). Keep track of where you are as you run. Punch the first control with your e-card (listen for the beep). 5 – Complete the rest of the course, remembering to punch at each control and at the Finish. 6 – Go back to Enquiries to download, get your results and return your e-card. 7 – Make a note of when the next race is. |
Park Series 2021
This is an exciting urban race series with a twist around the streets, paths, alleys and parks. There are no set routes, we provide a detailed map showing a series of checkpoints around the park, you choose your route to get from start to finish as fast as you can. Run or walk it doesn’t matter just get outside and have fun.
| Date | Venue | Registration location What3words | Final Details |
| 16/6/21 | Roath Park | Near Playground ///shock.listed.stress | Here! (updated 1/6/21) |
| 30/6/21 | Forest Farm | Forest Farm Carpark ///obey.earth.toys | |
| 14/7/21 | Hailey Park | Radyr Court Road Carpark ///stars.gets.youth | |
| 28/7/21 | Heath Park | Model Railway Carpark ///humble.worked.blues | |
| 11/8/21 | Ynysangharad Park | ||
| 25/8/21 | Bute Park |
Information for all rounds
All events are entry in advance only, entries close when full or on the morning of the event.
Starts between 6-7pm. You will be allocated a 1 minute slot when you enter.
COURSES
Note: course lengths are straight line distances between all the checkpoints; you could run up to 50% more than the stated distances.
Easy 2km – Traffic free, great for novice juniors
Medium 3km – Traffic free, for improving juniors or adults wanting a shorter option
Long 6km – Over 16’s only
ENTRY IN ADVANCE ONLY!
Junior members £ 2
Senior members £4
Junior non members £3
Senior non members £6
Families £10 (plus non member supplements £1/£2)
Family groups going round together should enter 1 Senior member only. Extra maps are available @ £1 for other members of the family.
Enter via Fabian4
TERRAIN
Expect to be exploring the parks and woods, it may be muddy! The long course will venture outside the park on nearby streets.
MAP
Pre-printed on A4 waterproof paper, scale 1:5000.
Event will be organised in accordance with the British Orienteering covid safe guidelines. Please arrive ready to take part and leave soon after you finish. There are no toilet facilities or refreshments provided.
Park Series 2021
We are excited to finally release the dates for this years fun evening race series. Thank-you to all who have volunteered to plan/organise.
Entries are now open and adhere to the current Government limits in place. Updates and full details can be found on the event page here
16th June Roath Park
30th June Forest Farm
14th July Hailey Park
28th July Heath Park
11th August Ynysangharad Park
25th August Bute Park
Orienteering is back!
With the announcement of COVID restrictions easing we can start to look forwards to a summer of events. Our first race back will be on Saturday 15th May at Cwm Lickey near Pontypool. This will be a one hour ‘score’ event to blow away the cobwebs, great for beginners and experienced competitors.
Our popular Wednesday evening Park Series will also return fortnightly from mid-July until September with some new parks added to the schedule for 2021.
All our events will comply with British Orienteering COVID guidance, further dates and entry details will be posted here when available.
Get out & go orienteering How-to videos
‘Get Out & Go‘ is a series of short films to take beginners through all the basics to confidently try orienteering. All the skills and techniques shown in the films are easy to practice using our Anytime MapRun Courses.
The four films are titled Getting Started, Getting Going, Getting Confident and Getting Faster.
- Getting Started gives information on orienteering maps, useful symbols to note, how courses are drawn, and what to look for at checkpoints or controls. It also shows how to line up the map with features nearby, a key skill to help the novice orienteer set off in the right direction.
- Getting Going covers more detail on the map, shows how to use a compass, simple route choices, how to use features other than paths as handrails, and when to cut corners.
- Getting Confident gives tips on techniques that help build more confidence in navigational decisions. These include learning to take a sure route into a checkpoint, finding a safety net if you overshoot and using control descriptions to visualise the checkpoint.
- Getting Faster demonstrates where to plan ahead, where to speed up and slow down and gives some tips on reading the map on the run.
Thank-you to Manchester and District Orienteering Club and GMOA for creating this fantastic resource
Insport Ribbon Award
South Wales Orienteering Club is currently working towards the InSport ribbon, a standard which reflects the Clubs commitment to broadening opportunities for those with disabilities to access orienteering.
The InSport standards are a part of the broader InSport project, which aims to support physical activity, sport and leisure organisations to deliver provision inclusively of disabled people. SWOC is working on the first stage of the InSport journey, the ribbon.
The ribbon demonstrates that a club is monitoring for equal opportunities, that it has appropriate welfare and equality policies and that it is inclusive and equitable in its communications. It also requires a statement of inclusion which should articulate the organisation’s commitment to inclusivity.
The ribbon marks the first phase of a commitment to inclusivity, with the bronze, silver and gold standards following on from that.