We meet informally on the second Thursday of every month during daylight savings time at 6:30 PM in Hermann Park at the statue of Sam Houston near the Houston Museum of Natural Science. There is no fee, however, please RSVP by calling the leader on the back of this sheet or Nancy Niemann at 281-821-9682 or send email to nlniemann@yahoo.com to ensure a map for everyone. Anyone under 18 must obtain a waiver in advance (waiver is available at Waiver ) and have it signed by parent or guardian. Also, an adult must accompany every 3 people under 18, for these free beginner-level meets. We run a street-O with a 1-hour time limit using a map of Hermann Park and the surrounding neighborhood. Following the event, we relax with food and drink at a location selected by that day's course setter, generally a pizza place.
Competitive orienteering meets are open to the public. Map and compass instruction for beginners begins about an hour before the first competitor/map hiker starts. Map hikers are self-timed non-competitors. Map hikers can go out either or both days. Up to 5 persons may register as map hikers, share a map and pay only one registration fee. Fees vary from $5 to $15 per event. Proceeds from the events are used for the production of maps for future events.
Orienteering meets will have several courses set for the competition. The courses will vary in length and amount of climb to allow competitors with different physical capabilities to compete. The courses will also vary in the level of orienteering skills needed to sucessfully navigate and find the control points to provide a challenge to competitors of all skill levels. The course levels are identified by color. Typical skill levels and \lengths are shown in the following table:
The Chicago Area Orienteering Club has a good guide for selecting your orienteering course.
The USOF Cross Country Course Design and Set Guidelines provide a detailed description of the technical considerations for the design of the various courses.
Bastrop
State Park, Bastrop, TX
Directions: West on I-10 to
Columbus, north on 71 to Loop 150 (just east of Bastrop), turn right
to park entrance. Orienteering quality maps with over 100 permanent
markers are available for purchase at the park entrance.
Challenger
7 Park, Webster, TX.
Directions: South on I-45 (Gulf Freeway), exit NASA
Road 1/FM 528 and go west (towards Alvin) approximately 1/4 mile,
turn left onto the park road.
Davey Crockett National Forest
Directions: From Crockett go
northeast on Hwy 21 (21 miles). Drive 3 miles past Mission
Tejas State Park to road 511 (If you reach the the Neches River, you
have gone to far.). Go 1/2 miles southeast on 511 and turn left
on to 511A.
Fort Boggy,
Leona TX
Directions: I-45 exit 156. Go East 1 mile,
in Leona turn north on US 75 proceed north 2 miles.
Jones
State Forest, The Woodlands, TX
Directions: On I-45
approximate 3 miles north of The Woodlands, exit (Exit 79) onto SH
242. Proceed west approximately 4.4 mi. until road ends.
Turn right on FM 1488. Proceed 0.7 mi. east, turn south onto dirt
road running along west edge of the Jones State Forest. Follow
orange and white signs to the meet site.
Tom
Bass Park, Houston, TX
Directions: South on 288, exit at
Beltway 8 go east along the access road, follow signs to the park.
Stubblefield
Park, New Waverly, TX
Directions: From I-45, exit
102 from south or exit 103 from north (at New Waverly) approximately
16 miles north of Conroe. Go west on FM 1375
approximately 10 miles to the Stubblefield sign on the right.
Follow orange and white signs to the event.
An informal event with one intermediate to advanced (orange-red) level course in the deep woods. Beginners (those who have not successfully completed an orange course) will be accompanied by an experienced orienteer (please call to confirm the availability of an experienced orienteer to accompany you). If you will be bring a large group, please call to make special arrangements as practice meets do not have the medical, water and other amenities of a regular meet.
There is no charge for members. You must be a member to participate. Click here for membership form. If not a member, you may join there. For those under 18 obtain a waiver and membership form and have them signed by a parent prior to coming. Waivers may be obtained at waiver.htm.
Please call to reserve a map. Bring water as many of the places we meet will not have any. If you would like, bring a lunch and stay to socialize afterwards.
Do an orienteering course through the park and surrounding area, bring a dish to share, and elect club officers for the next year.
We hope you can make it to the HOC picnic this Saturday, April 26, 2008, from 10 AM - 2 PM. We meet at 10 AM at the northern end of the Houston ZOO Parking Lot.
We'll run a 1-hour "social O," eat lunch, then conduct HOC business, including electing officers and drafting the schedule for next season.
The tentative schedule is:
Sept 13: Challenger 7 Meet - National O Day
Oct 25-26 or Nov 1-2: Bastrop State Park SW O Champs and Team Texas Relays
Nov 22: Boy Scout Merit Badge Clinic
Feb 7-8: Stubblefield
Feb 28: Team Texas Score O - Jones State Forest
We'll have hotdogs for lunch. Please bring a dish to share.
Please let Duane Adams, 713-875-1011, tennisdog2001@yahoo.com know if you plan to come, and how many people will be with you. If you're bringing children under 18 who will orienteer, please bring properly executed HOC waivers.
Nancy Niemann
This is when we prepare the course for the next meet. All members are welcome to come, but this may make you ineligible for competing in this meet. Call the person in charge before coming. Bring water and a lunch as many of the places we meet will not have any facilities. We usually meet at 10:00 AM, go out, have lunch, and then go out again after lunch. If you are not a member of HOC, a signed waiver is required.
Setting is the process of finding the control points selected by the course setter and hanging the control
or marking the point with a streamer if the control point is located in an area frequented by other visitors
to the park. Setting requires good orienteering skills because you have to accurately read the map and locate the
control point on the ground without having a control marker in place.
Vetting is the process of verifying the position of the control points and also evaluating the selection
of the control point for use on a particular course. Vetting requires good orienteering skills and
knowledge of the course setting guidelines.
Last
updated : 21 April 2008