What is orienteering?
Orienteering is an adventure sport involving a map and compass. Check out our about orienteering page for more details.
Do we meet at the same place every week?
No! One of the great features of orienteering is going out and discovering new places. It also gets quite boring to run on the same map too often. We generally will not use the same area more than three times in each program.
Will my child ever be out of sight of a coach?
Probably yes. Due to the nature of the sport, and the number of children we coach, it is very likely that your child will be out of sight of a coach at some point during the program. The early sessions are designed to keep the children contained in small areas, but the distances covered increase over time. In the later sessions, the exercises are designed so that children cross paths with others during their run. All children are provided with a safety whistle, and they will be instructed to blow it if they are lost and confused. Our coaches roam the course checking on how the children are doing, and sometimes “shadow” them, providing one-on-one coaching.
What happens if my child gets lost?
Even the best orienteers get lost and confused!
- For the younger children, we teach them to “retrace your steps” and “bail fast”. Safety instructions are given before each exercise. For example, “if you don’t know where you are, run towards the sea and follow the trail back to where we started”.
- For more advanced children, we teach a relocation strategy that can be used in competition and training.
If all else fails, the children have a safety whistle, and are instructed on the correct usage.
Are your instructors qualified?
Our head instructors have passed criminal record checks and have several years of coaching experience. All our instructors are friendly, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable about the sport.