Quantico
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Saturday
Pre-registration is required and will open Monday, May 11 at 6pm and close on FRIDAY, May 15 (since this is a *Saturday* event); there is no day-of registration.
Welcome to the expansive woodland around Drop Zone (DZ) Cockatoo in the southwest part of Marine Corps Base Quantico (MCBQ) also known as Training Area 8A/Beaver Dam Run. The site is seven miles driving distance from I-95, Exit 148 (a detailed locator map is here. The base entry procedure for non-DoD card-holders (see below) went very smoothly at last year's MCBQ event, and we expect the same for this meet. Charles Carrick has designed a full set of classic courses (stats posted below; along with updates added Monday May 11).
Note that this QOC event will be FREE for all active-duty
military personnel, and we look forward to seeing lots of
students from The Basic School at MCBQ!
Parking will be on DZ Cockatoo. Look for a parking volunteer wearing a safety vest
when you arrive per directions in the locator map.
Note that this is a Saturday event. Participants without a DoD CAC/DoD ID Card must
get a pass at the Visitor Control Center (VCC) before going through the security
checkpoint. We will be using essentially the same procedures that we did in 2025.
Directions to the VCC are also on the locator map. With the requirement for a pass from the
MCBQ VCC and the distance to DZ Cockatoo, you should allow 45 minutes from the
time you arrive at the VCC until you get to DZ Cockatoo.
Key point: The VCC hours on Saturday are 7:30am to 11:30am. Please time your
arrival for no later than 11:00am in case there is a waiting line.
Access to Marine Corps Base Quantico:
Because this event is taking place on a US military installation, access is controlled. The
process for gaining access to MCBQ is similar to the procedures we used for the past
few years, but the identification requirements are strict and non-negotiable, so read the
following carefully in order to understand what will be required this year:
1. If you are a DoD CAC/DoD ID card holder (including retirees with a DoD card), there
is no change to access requirements. Just show your card at the security checkpoint as
always and proceed on to the event site per this graphic and the QOC signage on the
ground.
2. If you are able to travel with a DoD CAC/DoD ID card holder, show your government-
issued photo ID, when the card-holder’s vehicle arrives at the checkpoint, if asked.
3. If you are older than 18, not a DoD CAC/DoD ID card holder and are not traveling
with one, you will need to acquire a one-day base access pass.
4. If you have CAC issued from another agency (Federal PIV Cards – DHS, FBI, DEA,
NASA, State Department, etc) you will have to register using the Defense Biometric
Identification System (DBIDS) link below, prior to being allowed access to the base.
For those in category 3, one-day access passes can be obtained at the nearby Visitor Control Center (VCC) not far from the access gate. Your navigation system will not send you to the correct location, so instead, see this locator map and its annotated directions. The VCC is easily identified, as it is a temporary building with no other buildings directly adjacent to it. (There is another Visitor Center specifically for the Russell-Knox complex in a permanent building off Tallmadge Rd, which is NOT the one you want.)
Depending on the number of people getting passes, it will take 10-20 minutes to get your pass. You can speed up the process by pre-registering (which is distinct from QOC pre-registration) in the DBIDS system at URL https://dbids-global- enroll.dmdc.mil/preenrollui/#!/. You will have to provide your SSN online to pre- register. You will also need to provide a sponsor. If you want to pre-register with DBIDS, email Bill Wright, our liaison to MCBQ, and he will provide the required sponsor information.
If you do not pre-register in DBIDS, you will simply show up at the VCC and present your identification. If you have a Real ID Maryland, Virginia or DC driver’s license you will not have to provide additional identification. However, if you do not have a Real ID driver’s license, you MUST bring either (1) a passport OR (2) driver license plus birth certificate plus Social Security Card. There will be no exceptions to this requirement. The Visitor Center will have the sponsor information for the QOC orienteering meet.
If you are not a US citizen, but you are a permanent resident, bring your permanent resident ID card and passport.
If you are neither a US citizen nor a permanent resident, you must contact Bill Wright by Monday May 11 (and BEFORE you pre-register to discuss options).
Minors who have not reached their 18th birthday do not require passes if accompanied by a parent. For scouts or other youth organizations, it is preferable that scouts travel with a parent or with a CAC/DoD ID card holder. Contact Bill Wright with any additional questions.
JROTC Units are encouraged to come by bus for this event, as the JROTC cadre will be able to bring the entire bus of cadets under 18 through the gate without going to the VCC. Units should plan on at least one cadre member per bus. The JROTC unit leader MUST contact the Event Director before May 13 and provide a roster of those who will be on the bus; anyone over 18 without a mil ID will need to get advance clearance.
Again, the Visitor Center hours on Saturday are 7:30 – 11:30 AM.
To ensure enough time to get your pass, drive to the event site, and check in, we recommend allowing 45 minutes from your arrival at the VCC to your arrival at the event site at DZ Cockatoo. If those who possess requisite DoD ID cards would consider selecting later start times, leaving most of the earlier start times for those who have to go through the VCC between 7:30 and 11:30, it would be appreciated (though certainly not required).
If you need a base-access pass from the Visitor Control Center, keep in mind the event check-in window that you will have pre-registered for and the fact that the Visitor Center closes at 11:30am. Passes can be acquired up to two weeks before the event for those who might be in the MCBQ area prior to our meet. Weekday hours for the VCC are 6am to 3pm Monday through Friday. In general, arriving early on Saturday is good so we can exploit as much of the four-hour window in which the VCC is open as possible and minimize backlogs.
Base Waiver Requirement:
Each attendee over the age of 18 (both those who run courses and those who do not)
will have to sign and submit a special adult waiver for MCBQ. Please click the link,
print out, sign and turn the waiver in to us (QOC) when you check-in at the event. If you
arrive without a signed waiver, there will be blank waiver forms at registration, but it will
speed the registration process if you have it done in advance.
For each attendee under the age of 18, there is a waiver form for minors that must be signed by his/her parent/guardian. Those under the age of 18 who will not be accompanied by their parent/guardian must ensure that a parent/guardian has signed the form before they depart for the event. Each junior running individually and each start-team with a junior must present the requisite waiver to us (QOC) at our event check-in. Check-in crew will verify each junior on the start team has a signed waiver. No minor will be allowed to run without the waiver signed by his/her parent/legal guardian.
Have a bit of time to help? Join the crew by signing up via this form or email the Event Director for other volunteering opportunities.
Other points:
- Pets are permitted on base but must be on the leash at all times.
- The size of start teams (groups of individuals orienteering together with one e-punch) on a course must be no more than four (4) individuals (juniors and adults combined).
- Youth group leaders please contact the Event Director to provide numbers and plans for your attendance.
- The National Museum of the Marine Corps is a great place to visit as long as you are coming down to Quantico anyway. Daily hours are 9:00am to 5pm. NMMC is a 10-15 minute drive (entirely off base) from the access gate and Visitors Center.
| Location | Quantico Marine Corps Base (MCBQ), DZ Cockatoo (Classic) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registration | Advance registration is required. Registration will open Monday, May 11 at 6pm and will close on *FRIDAY*, May 15.
Who's Registered? Check by clicking here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start Times | Start times will be by windows (to be defined for this event before registration opens). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule | Saturday, May 16
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| Volunteers |
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| Location Details |
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| Course Details | Classic
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| Course Notes | Classic DZ Cockatoo: This drop zone—essentially a large, mowed field--which we are using for the first time, is in the northwest corner of Training Area 8A/B, an area with fewer developed trails than other parts of the Beaver Dam Run map. The DZ itself is dotted with copses which will figure in all the courses, mostly towards the end. The start and finish will be in the DZ near check-in/e-punch and parking. Update: The grass in the DZ has grown rapidly in the last several weeks. It is light and thin but now about a foot high—still pretty easy to run through. Note also that ticks and chiggers are definitely in residence. Maps: White and Yellow are 1:5,000 scale. Orange and Beige are 1:7,500. Brown-Blue are 1:10,000. Vegetation: Foliage at Quantico is now expanding rapidly. Stands of saplings that were no factor at all a month ago are now beginning to reduce visibility significantly in some areas. Large fern beds in moist, shady areas have also appeared. And the training area is becoming greener as usual at this time of year. This is especially true of low-lying areas and along creek beds. Because of the dry weather, intermittent creeks and small marshes are mostly dry. Runners are likely to encounter stands of green briar especially on the edge of open areas. Murphy Demolition Area: The demo area sits south of DZ Cockatoo. The two parts of the demo range are marked as off limits on the map and visible on the ground as open, non-forested and/or bermed areas. The Green, Red and Blue courses will have legs that involve route choices around the demo range. Importantly, you may encounter signs at considerable distance from the range itself that say "Do not enter," "Danger" or make other similar warnings. Disregard them, as they are designed to keep people away from the demo range when it is in operation. Barbed-wire Fence Lines: In addition to the signage, there are multiple three-strand, barbed- wire fence lines, most of them in an advanced state of deterioration, in the area south of DZ Cockatoo, and Orange-Blue runners are likely to cross some of them. The mapping of these fence lines is still generally accurate, but some isolated short lengths of unmapped wire may be encountered. In many places the wire is marked with now-faded streamer tape. New streamering on some sections has been added, but the wire can be hard to see—especially the strands nearest to the ground--so pay attention to wire symbols (fence & ruined fence) on your map and to what’s immediately in front of you as you move on your course. White/Yellow Courses: The White course will have one streamered leg with the streamer color being blue. The Yellow course will have two streamered legs with the streamer color being yellow. Update: Fresh/new magenta-colored streamers indicate barbed wire. Orange Course: Because of the relative lack of trails for use as catching features, many Orange points will be on or near creek lines, intermittent watercourse lines that are discernable on the ground and wire fence lines. Update: Blue Course: For leg 11-12, the hardtop road running along the edge of the NE section of TA 11B is in bounds and you may run on it regardless of any signage to the contrary. The land east of the road is mostly unmapped and off limits—especially the landfill which is specifically marked as out of bounds. Creek Crossings: Beaver Dam Run currently varies in width from 5-10 meters (though mostly closer to 5) and in depth from 1-3 feet. The White, Yellow, Orange and Beige courses will all stay west of Beaver Dam Run. All advanced courses except Beige will cross the creek twice—out and back. There are two ford/bridge crossings that are relevant for this event. The northern crossing is a cement-bed ford just east of DZ Cockatoo, the creek-crossing point for a dirt road. The ford has about 6 inches of water flowing over it. However, an engineering project involving cinder blocks should ensure that it will be a dry-foot crossing for our event. In the south, down toward The Basic School area, there are three bridge crossings, but only the northernmost of the three will be a relevant route choice for this event. Update: All four longer advanced courses—Brown, Green, Red and Blue-- will take runners across the dry-foot crossings noted above, both going out and returning. Update: Looks like Saturday will be sunny with temperatures in the mid-80s. Stay hydrated! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Entry Fees | Individual Entries
Note: juniors = under 21
Group Entries Participants are welcome to orienteer together as a group (up to the maximum for that event; usually 4). Each member of a group is charged their individual rate as shown above, up to a group total of $30 (maximum), and each receives a map. A group receives one epunch. Individuals or groups desiring to compete on a second course after completing their first can do so for a reduced fee of $2/map subject to approval at the event by the Event Director. Important Notes
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