The Klubb is glad to have everyone come out and enjoy a day of orienteering, fresh air, being out in the woods, and having some friendly competition & conversation. However, one might not realize just how much effort goes on behind the scene for putting on an event.
Below are activities that the club needs your help with since we are all volunteers. We would love to have folks step up and assume some roles – as you are able – since orienteering in the Carolinas is as popular as ever! The future of the COK depends on VOLUNTEERS!
Every COK event is set up and managed by a Meet Director (M.D.). Here are the tasks they perform for every event:
- The meet venue has to be secured which includes getting a park activity permit and paying a fee. The M.D. checks with park officials for any relevant issues that may impact on the event.
- The M.D. must apply for and receive club / participant insurance from the national orienteering organization.
- The M.D. needs to lay out the courses – typically 3 to 5 depending on how ambitious they may be.
- The M.D. needs to field check the courses – on the ground – because heaven forbid that he / she should put a control on the wrong place. There WILL BE feedback if that should happen.
- Next is making the maps with the courses on them.
- The controls need to be put out in the field which is done a day or two before the event. The M.D. needs to take time off of work for this task. (A bad day of putting out controls is better than a good day of work.)
- Then comes the day of the event. Direction arrows must be put out, maps must be prepared, and e-punch equipment must be set-up.
- For the event to run smoothly the M.D. makes sure all is in place and answers all questions. He / she also must find folks to find someone for orientation & training.
- If there are any issues with controls, medical emergencies, activity bus parking, or other problems – it’s the M.D. who handles it.
- Everyone has a fun day of orienteering and then heads home – except the M.D. Tables have to be tidied and gear packed up since we “leave no trace” and want to stay in the good graces of park administrators.
- The controls just don’t walk out of the woods on their own. It is very helpful to have 3-4 people assist with picking up the controls after the meet is over so every one can get home before dark.
Being a Meet Director might, at first, look daunting – but, it’s not that bad and we have folks who have done it for years. But, these folks are getting up in years which means they need to train the next generation. Without new meet directors – there’s not much of a future for the club.
It would be nice if you wanted to help out with activities always needing to be done. Don’t be afraid to volunteer, the Meet Director will show you what to do, and you still get to run (or walk) your course if you wish to.
Contact us if you’d like to volunteer for a future meet or just to help out with administration (e.g. website, marketing, treasury, etc.)
Has your club considered offering the “Orienteering Merit Badge” as a class for boy scouts? These are skills scouts really need to be successful, but understanding the ins and outs of these events, setting up a course, etc. is beyond my level as a leader. We would love to have the experts weigh in to help.
We are in Greenville, South Carolina
The COK has plenty of experience assisting scouts in earning their orienteering badge. All of the permanent orienteering courses found on our website are Eagle Scout projects. When asked – we can help scouts with some of their required steps for the merit badge. Unfortunately, due to a lack of volunteers – we’re short staffed in setting up any special event for scouts. If a scout leader were to be in charge – we’d be happy to provide guidance.