Chestnut Ridge Learn and Practice
August 1, 2025 @ 6:00 pm - August 31, 2025 @ 7:30 pm
$5.00The date for this 2025 event has not been determined yet. The information below is from the 2024 event. Details for the 2025 event will be updated as this event approaches.
Join us on August 28th to learn orienteering!
Have you been wishing you knew how to do orienteering? We have the perfect event for you. Come learn how to do orienteering with us in August.
We are offering a special Learn & Practice session at Chestnut Ridge Park on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. Registration is free for Buffalo Orienteering Club members and $5.00 for non-members. All participants must register online, including club members. This event will be limited to 30 participants to be sure that each person can fully benefit from the instruction. Registered participants should arrive been 5:30 pm and 6:00 pm, with the event beginning at 6:00 pm.
Enter the park and drive by the Casino toward shelter #8. (We will have signs starting at the Casino.) Cross over the bridge after passing shelter 8 and look for the Orienteering Event signs on your right. The start is located at coordinates 42°43’00.9″N, 78°44’24.6″W. The google map link is https://goo.gl/maps/SNhUbgqCbaBrud7w5.
Details
Procedures: When you arrive, volunteers will check your name on the list and assign you to a group for the instruction. Instruction will begin at 6:00. We will be using a 6-control permanent course for this Learn and Practice. The instructor will introduce you to orienteering maps and symbols and to a very rudimentary explanation of the compass. Then the instructor will walk with the group to the first two controls, giving guidance along the way. Then the instructor will let the individuals in the group navigate to the last four controls on their own. Participants can find these controls as individuals or in a group.
Equipment: Wear weather-appropriate clothing that is suitable for hiking. While participants do not need to bring anything to the event, a base-plate compass would be helpful because the club has very few to loan out. The map for the event will be handed to participants when they sign in.
This is a great opportunity to learn how to read an orienteering map and navigate through a course. Come out and see what you can do!
· Always report to the finish personnel even if you decide not to complete your course.
· Online registration is strongly suggested for all events and is the only way to guarantee that a map will be available for you. The deadline for online registration is generally the Thursday night before a weekend event. A limited number of maps will be available for registration on the day of the event.
· For safety reasons, all participants should carry a whistle.
· For forest events, leg coverings should be worn.
· Entry fees are $5 for members in good standing of any orienteering club affiliated with OUSA, COF, or IOF. Juniors (up to and including age 20), who are part of a BFLO Family Membership, participate for free. Non-members are always welcome and pay $10 (Juniors $5). Some special events may charge more, such as the Ellicottville Adventure Run.
· Non-Member children, from 0-11 years of age, do not have to pay a fee but they must be registered and their waiver must be signed by a parent. A coupon code to eliminate the fee will be noted in the online registration form. Generally, children do not receive a map when participating in a group with older people.
· Groups are welcome. A “group” is defined as 2 or more people who start together, stay together, finish together, and receive one score. Indicate you are participating in a group when you register. It is recommended that groups not exceed 4 people. If your group has more than 4 people in it, please contact the Event Director before registering. All members of a group must register and pay the appropriate fee.
· Events are held rain or shine.
· At online registration and event information, participants are asked to stay home if they are not feeling well or have tested positive for Covid. Participants are informed that their fees will be returned if they inform the registrar they are sick with a communicable illness before their arrival time.
· At all events someone will be available to provide a briefing for newcomers. When you register online please indicate that this is your first time attending an event by answering the appropriate question on the registration form.
· WAIVER POLICY: All participants must sign a waiver as a part of the online registration process. Parents must sign for their minor children.
· A limited number of compasses are available to borrow.
· Contact the Event Director if you have any other questions about an event.