Welcome back to C&O NHP! Once again, due to park regulations we require advance registration with payment. Pre-registration is currently open at the moment (again, due to cancellations); click here [2] to register. If after you've registered you realize you won't be able to attend, please notify us in advance so others can attend. Note that here will be no day-of registration at the event (nor will there be refunds). There will be compasses and epunches available to those who requested them during pre-registration, but GPS watches will not be available at this event.
On Sunday, only pre-registered orienteers will be able to start on their course, anytime between 11 - 1:30, and must be back no later than 3pm.
Course Information: Provisional course stats are below, but they are subject to change. These courses are carefully designed to avoid areas that the National Park Service has designated as sensitive.
Speaking of sensitive areas, the NPS has asked us to remind all participants of the following:
Once Again, Back by Popular Demand: Post-Race Potomac Pizza Palooza! After your race, take advantage of a 1/2 price pizza deal at a nearby restaurant, Potomac Pizza [3]. Normally $17 for a large cheese and tomato pizza, just wave your QOC map and you'll get this 8 slice pizza for just $9, and additional toppings are only $1 each. There's seating for everyone at this friendly local place with a full menu [4], free soda refills, and it's no problem to go "as you are" post-race. There's plenty of room to go over your map and routes and meet up with your fellow orienteers. The address is 9812 Falls Rd in Potomac; to get there, just take a left at the stop sign as you exit the park, and in less than 2 miles take a left just before River Road into the Potomac Promenade parking area. Directions are also shown in the Event Locator Map [5].
Have any questions? Just use our Contact Us [6] form and ask away!
Rain Policy: QOC events take place rain or shine - as long as we have permission to hold the event. Some parks may revoke our permit based on rain, but Great Falls is not one of them. However, we take the possibility of lightning strikes during thunderstorms seriously. Although the forecast is not currently predicting any significant chance of lightning, [Update 8pm Sat: in fact, the sun may come out by around noon according to one recent forecast] at the event our Event Directors will temporarily suspend all activity and direct participants to their cars or nearby buildings if a significant threat materializes. But don't wait for us to say something: all orienteers should be savvy enough on their own to know about basic lightning safety; an example from the CDC for hikers is here [7].
Location | C&O NHP (Great Falls MD), Great Falls Tavern, Potomac, MD (Classic) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Registration | Pre-registration is required; click here [2] to register and pay. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Start Times | Start any time between the specified times (usually 11am - 1:30pm). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule | Sunday, October 27
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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 For all courses there will be an approximately 350m walk to the start. Allow 5-10 minutes for the walk which goes up a rocky trail into the forest where the footing is better. Wet conditions may make footing slippery, so be careful both on- and off-trail. Great Falls Park is busy with many other visitors. Please share the trails courteously. There are also sensitive areas marked with orange hash on the map. Please stay out of these at all times—whether you’re competing or not. Additionally:
In agreement with park management, three non-standard courses will be used with approved control locations.
The terrain continues to change since the many years ago when club member David Linthicum created the excellent Great Falls, MD map for local and national competitions:
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Entry Fees | Individual Entries
Note: juniors = under 21
Team or Group Entries Participants are welcome to compete together as a single team entry. Teams containing one or more nonmembers are charged the nonmember individual rate. Teams containing one or more adults are charged the adult individual rate. For teams to receive member or junior rates, all members of the team must be members or juniors, respectively. Each extra team map beyond the first is an additional $2. Individuals or teams desiring to compete on a second course can do so for a reduced fee of $2/map. Important Notes
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Links:
[1] https://www.qocweb.org/events/2019/10/27/great-falls
[2] https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregisterC21/c21/register/?event_id=506
[3] http://www.potomacpizza.com/
[4] https://www.potomacpizza.com/menuonline-ordering
[5] https://www.qocweb.org/sites/default/files/maps/GF_MD_Event_Locator_Map_2019.pdf
[6] http://qocweb.org/contact
[7] https://www.weather.gov/media/safety/backcountry_lightning.pdf
[8] https://www.qocweb.org/contact/Lennon/Greg
[9] https://www.qocweb.org/contact/Lennon/Kathleen
[10] https://www.qocweb.org/contact/Ahmed/Nadim
[11] http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=loc:39,-77.248&sll=39,-77.248&sspn=0.076258,0.086346&ie=UTF8&z=14
[12] https://www.qocweb.org/sites/default/files/maps/GF_MD_Event_Locator_Map_2017.pdf
[13] http://qocweb.org/content/membership-types
[14] http://qocweb.org/epunch