Spion Kop Redux Kelowna
November 1st 2020 9:30am - 1:30pm
Organizers: Kevin Matrosovs (Event Director), Kevin Matrosovs (Course Planner), David Bakker (Assistant), Tammy Howe (Assistant)
Map: Spion Kop
Post Event
Thanks for coming out and enjoying some orienteering in the fall weather!
Interesting post training stuff:
- Split Time Results (All Courses) - these auto update as people upload GPS tracks.
- 3D-ReRun (an animated overlay of all the uploaded GPS tracks on top of the orienteering map) - this does not automatically update, so we will manually update links about once a day as people upload.
- Beginner - (No uploaded tracks yet)
- Intermediate - (Updated Nov 3rd at 10:00am)
- Advanced - (Updated Nov 8th at 8:30pm)
The lost-and-found sunglasses have been claimed and returned to their owner.
Updates
October 31
- Course distances and climb updated below.
- The Intermediate and Advanced courses are long with a LOT of climbing. They will take longer than you think, so you may want to bring some water and a snack.
- Important Gear
- Compass
- Leg covering (long pants) except on beginner course
- Mandatory: Whistle
- Declaration of Health form (see link under COVID Precautions below) signed on the day of the event, November 1
- Remember the time change!
- Event Safety Plan added under COVID Precautions below.
Schedule
This is a one-day, in-person event. There will not be assigned start times, please scatter yourselves out throughout the start window (although we encourage new orienteers to arrive during the first third of the start window).
- 09:30 - Check In Opens and First Starts
- 11:00 - Last Start & Check In Closes
- 13:30 - Courses Close - All Participants Must Report to the Finish by This Time
Courses and Classes
As this is solely a training event, no classes will be used, and all participants are free to pick the course of their choice to suit their desired technical and physical challenge. Please select a course that you can complete within 2.5 hours for the sake of our volunteers - thank you!
This is Spion Kop. That means that, while the courses are relatively short, there is significant climbing and descending on them.
The courses are still being finalized, but the following should serve as general guidelines.
- Beginner: 2.4km & 145m of climb - Family friendly hike on trails with all controls on or next to trails.
- Intermediate: 3.2km & 240m of climb - A mix of on trail and off trail navigation designed for people who have been doing some of the easier courses at training throughout the year and for individuals not wanting to endure the advanced course. Most legs have an option that is mostly on trail with the controls near trails, though there are a few legs with at least the option of more off trail travel for the adventurous.
- Advanced: 4.9km & 400m of climb - A physically demanding course with a lot of climb, controls that are significantly off trail, and a lot of route choice options and navigation.
Location
The event centre, registration and start/finish, is located at the Spion Kop Trails Upper Lakes Trailhead in The Lakes subdivision in Lake Country. This is about 15 minutes north of the Kelowna airport and 25 minutes south of the Vernon hospital.
There is a small parking lot at the trailhead and parking is also available on Derek Trethewey Drive just below the trailhead. This is a residential neighbourhood, so please be respectful of the local residents and park on the side of the street away from the houses.
Registration
Pre-registration is mandatory for this event, and is capped at 45 participants (so that we stay under our 50 person COVID event maximum). Register by clicking on the green "+Register" button on the right hand side of the page. The registration deadline is at 12:00 (noon) on Saturday, October 31. If you did not orienteer prior to this year and have yet to use this registration system, you may need to create an account on this website in order to register. Please email the Event Director as per the contact information at the bottom of this page if you have any questions or difficulty doing so.
Maps will be printed by the event organizer and will be picked up at the event check in.
All participants must be a member in good standing of an Orienteering Canada sanctioned Orienteering Club. If you are not currently part of an orienteering club, you can join the Sage Orienteering Club.
All participants must fill out the appropriate Sage waiver prior to attending the event as well. If you have attended a Sage training since the beginning of July, you have already signed this waiver and do not need to sign it again.
Cost
This is a free event for all Sage Orienteering Club members, but we are incurring costs of about $3.50 per participant from insurance costs, map printing, hand sanitizer, etc. We will have a cash only donation box on site (with no return change) which is strictly optional.
COVID Precautions
To help with social distancing and minimize group size, Orienteering Canada guidelines also recommend not socializing at the event site before or after you have done your course. Please review the linked documents for further guidance from Orienteering Canada and event details.
- Declaration of Health here. You will need to print one off for each individual attending the event, and sign it on the event day, whether they are participating or not (this includes young children). We will have some extra copies on hand, but please bring your own printed copy and writing implement.
- Guidelines from Orienteering Canada here. Please read through these before registering.
- Sage Orienteering Club's Return-to-Sport Guidelines here.
- Sage Orienteering Club COVID-19 Event Safety Plan here.
Timing
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be using SI timing. The "Bakker GPS" system, used at all Sage trainings so far this year, will be used. Participants will record their GPS track using their own Sport Watch (Garmin, Suunto, Fitbit, etc.) or smart phone, and then upload a .gpx file of their track to the results website after the event. Participants will be allowed to attend without any sort of GPS tracking system, but participation in the timing system is strongly encouraged. Controls (checkpoints) will be marked in the terrain using full sized orienteering flags, along with large, laminated numbers hanging from the flags. Participants are asked to get close (within ~2m) to the flags, but not touch them.
New Orienteers
We are trying to make this event friendly to new orienteers. We are offering very beginner friendly courses, and will ensure we have someone available at registration to help you with getting started in the sport in a socially distanced manner. We encourage new orienteers to bring a mask to the event site if they would like to get some coaching instruction. Masks are not required during the event itself.
Map Details
This is a brand new map that has been drafted and field checked to orienteering standards. It has been significantly updated from the computer-generated map that was used for the spring trainings at Spion Kop. This is the first event on this new map. Have fun exploring it!
Volunteering
We could use some help with control pickup after this event. If you are able to help for even just half an hour picking up control flags from the event immediately after the event please let us know at registration. Thanks!
Contact
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the event director, Kevin Matrosovs by email: xnavor AT gmail DOT com.
