Orienteering
 Orienteering is a sport that 
requires the participants to
navigate with a map through
unknown terrain with the
purpose of finding certain
checkpoints marked with an 
orange and white flag.
 Think of a mixture of a
scavenger hunt, and a car 
rally on foot through the
wilderness.
The sport involves a
large mental element.
The participants make
many decisions every
race.
Foot “O” is the most
popular form of the
sport.
Orienteering is a
tremendous aerobic
activity.
 Origins of “O”
 The sport was originally  Orienteering was fully
designed for military established in Canada
purposes in Sweden. during the early 70’s.
 The sport is very popular  The annual national
in the whole of Europe, championships attract
especially in the
between 300-500
Scandinavian countries of
Sweden, Denmark, participants.
Norway, and Finland.  Every province has a
 Mass events in these provincially funded
countries attract more the governing body except for
10,000 participants. P.E.I., and Saskatchewan.
Imagine that!!!
 Equipment: What is needed…
 Clothing: you need to wear
something that will keep you
feeling comfortable throughout
the activity. A lightweight,
stretchy suit that allows for
maximum movement even
when wet is ideal.
 Shoes: light strong shoes with
a non-slip gripping are ideal.
Cross-training type.
 Map: a detailed topographical
map is needed so you know
where to go!! These are
provided for you at the events
 Compasses: there is a
wide variety to choose
from. Orienteers use either
a thumb, or base-plate
compass.
 Control card: to prove you
have been to each point,
you will use the punch on
the flag
to leave an
Impression.
 Orienteering Controls/Flags
 The orange/white controls  On the
are located in the middle of flag you will
the circles on your map. notice a punch
 Each control has a number that you will
or letter code that
distinguishes them from one use to show
another. This will tell you you have
whether or not you have been to the correct location.
found the right one!!  Smaller versions for
 They are usually hanging school events can be made
between 2-5 feet off the very easily using
ground from a tree or on a construction paper.
pole.
 School Applications
 Orienteering is an excellent
lifetime sport/activity that all
students should have the
opportunity to try.
 Competitive orienteering is
all individual, but when
starting with young children
it is a good idea to use
partners.
 Grades 4-8: great age to
begin to introduce the
sport/activity. Students at
this age learn very quickly
how to start.
 Senior: at this age the
students are quite capable
of finishing lengthy
courses (5-10KM.) in
forest terrain. They can
also organize their own
courses.
 Orienteering has obvious
P.E./H.E. connections, but
is also closely tied to
Math, Geography,
Science.
 How does this all work?
 One of the drawbacks of
organizing this type of an
activity in your schools is
the time/leg-work the
teacher needs to put in.
 Before you start an
introductory course you
need to do the following:
1. Find a suitable area to
Orienteer (inside of
school, school grounds,
city park, mapped areas)
2. Find an accurate Map of
the area you would like to
use.
3. Do some field work to
ensure the map is to scale,
and is accurate.
4. Set out the
controls/markers in the
area, and mark them on
your master map.
5. Draw/Copy the appropriate
number of maps for your
students.
6. Once you have everything
in place you need to make
sure that all of the controls
are still in the correct
places.
7. Start!!! The student
should go in partners the  At the end of the event
first time, and should be you need to retrieve all the
staggered about 2-3 min. controls, and ensure that
between each group. the area you are using is
8. Make sure you time your looking the same as when
students so they can you got there.
compare results with each
other.
 Strategy/Technique
 The object of the
orienteering is to find each
control in the correct order
in the shortest possible
time.
 To do this you need to
make smart route choices.
 The route you should take
is not marked on your map.
You need to decide where
to go!!
 Remember “the shortest
route is not always the
fastest.”
 Map contact is key. You
should always have a rough
idea of where you are on
the map.
 Look out for key features.
Keep your eye out for
certain landmarks such as
fences, trails, large hills,
boulders that will assist you
in finding the control.
 Don’t give up….frustration
is inevitable!!