Classes
There are two kinds of classes available:
To help you decide which class to enter, here are the courses from the previous national championships (choose the course from the drop-down list on the right of the screen):
CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSES
Championship classes are age-based and will follow Orienteering Canada's Course and Category Guidelines for Championship Events.
These classes are intended for experienced orienteers who want to race in their age group.
Competitors in these classes will have assigned start times for the Championship events.
Separate classes for Men & Women in the following age groups:
12 and under, 13-14, 15-16, 17-20, 21+, 35+, 45+, 55+, 65+, 75+, 80+, 85+
All ages are as of December 31, 2016
Eligibility
All championship classes are open to all competitors of the appropriate age. However medal winners (gold, silver and bronze) of the Canadian Orienteering Championships (the championship classes) shall be only those who are full members of the provincial/territorial associations and who are:
a) Canadian citizens or
b) Permanent residents as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
All medal winners must be prepared to submit proof of eligibility.
Medal winners (gold, silver and bronze) of the Western Canadian Orienteering Championships (the championship classes) shall be only those who are full members of the provincial/territorial associations and who are:
a) Canadian citizens or
b) Permanent residents as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
and normally resident in Western Canada (MB, SK, AB, BC, YT, NWT).
Prizes will also be given to the top three finishers in each championship class regardless of eligibility for the medals.
World Rankings Events - new -
The COC sprint, middle and long events are World Ranking Events sanctioned by the International Orienteering Federation. This means that athletes in the M21 & W21 classes Sprint, Middle, and Long, and athletes in the M17-20 & W17-20 classes in the Sprint and Middle will earn World Ranking points.
All athletes who register in these classes need to create a user account for themselves in IOF Eventor before registering, and then include their User Id in their race registration. This is a new process since 2015.
Here is what to do: Go to eventor.orienteering.org and click on Create user account. Choose the first option: “I am an athlete participating in events”. After filling in your information, if you have earlier participated in WREs, IOF Eventor will ask you: “Are you this and this person”? You will then have to choose yourself on the list, and your account will be merged with your results. User guides for IOF Eventor can be found here.
OPEN CLASSES
Open classes are "age-less" and are open to everyone, regardless of age or gender.
These classes are intended for people who want to choose the course length, difficulty, and start time that suits them best.
Participants in open classes may start any time they are ready; they will not be given pre-assigned start times.
The open classes are categorized in terms of race format, technical difficulty and length.
Format:
Technical Difficulty:
Length:
Teams
- Championship classes - the ultimate test for experienced orienteers who want to race in their age group
- Open classes - open to everyone, regardless of age or gender. Intended for people who want to choose the course length, difficulty, and start time that suits them best.
To help you decide which class to enter, here are the courses from the previous national championships (choose the course from the drop-down list on the right of the screen):
- 2015 Long distance: http://orienteering.ca/cgi-bin/reitti.pl?act=map&id=501
- 2014 Long distance: http://orienteering.ca/cgi-bin/reitti.pl?act=map&id=473
CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSES
Championship classes are age-based and will follow Orienteering Canada's Course and Category Guidelines for Championship Events.
These classes are intended for experienced orienteers who want to race in their age group.
Competitors in these classes will have assigned start times for the Championship events.
Separate classes for Men & Women in the following age groups:
12 and under, 13-14, 15-16, 17-20, 21+, 35+, 45+, 55+, 65+, 75+, 80+, 85+
All ages are as of December 31, 2016
Eligibility
All championship classes are open to all competitors of the appropriate age. However medal winners (gold, silver and bronze) of the Canadian Orienteering Championships (the championship classes) shall be only those who are full members of the provincial/territorial associations and who are:
a) Canadian citizens or
b) Permanent residents as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
All medal winners must be prepared to submit proof of eligibility.
Medal winners (gold, silver and bronze) of the Western Canadian Orienteering Championships (the championship classes) shall be only those who are full members of the provincial/territorial associations and who are:
a) Canadian citizens or
b) Permanent residents as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
and normally resident in Western Canada (MB, SK, AB, BC, YT, NWT).
Prizes will also be given to the top three finishers in each championship class regardless of eligibility for the medals.
World Rankings Events - new -
The COC sprint, middle and long events are World Ranking Events sanctioned by the International Orienteering Federation. This means that athletes in the M21 & W21 classes Sprint, Middle, and Long, and athletes in the M17-20 & W17-20 classes in the Sprint and Middle will earn World Ranking points.
All athletes who register in these classes need to create a user account for themselves in IOF Eventor before registering, and then include their User Id in their race registration. This is a new process since 2015.
Here is what to do: Go to eventor.orienteering.org and click on Create user account. Choose the first option: “I am an athlete participating in events”. After filling in your information, if you have earlier participated in WREs, IOF Eventor will ask you: “Are you this and this person”? You will then have to choose yourself on the list, and your account will be merged with your results. User guides for IOF Eventor can be found here.
OPEN CLASSES
Open classes are "age-less" and are open to everyone, regardless of age or gender.
These classes are intended for people who want to choose the course length, difficulty, and start time that suits them best.
Participants in open classes may start any time they are ready; they will not be given pre-assigned start times.
The open classes are categorized in terms of race format, technical difficulty and length.
- Beginner (Beg): Point-to-point. TD1 or TD2. Short length
- Intermediate (Int): Point-to-point. TD3. Medium length.
- Advanced (Adv): Point-to-point. TD4 or TD5. Medium length.
- Expert (Exp): Point-to-point. TD5. Long length.
- Sport (Sport): Score-O. TD2, TD3 or TD4. Long length.
Format:
- Point-to-point: All controls must be visited in the order shown on the map. Fastest time wins.
- Score-O: Controls can be visited in any order. Controls are worth points that add up to a total score depending on how many controls are visited. There is a time limit and point penalties for finishing late. The winner is the runner with the most points. Time limits: Sprint: 15 min; Middle: 45 min.; Long: 75 min.
Technical Difficulty:
- TD1: Very easy. All controls on man-made "handrails", such as paths, fences, powerlines.
- TD2: Easy. All controls on natural or man-made handrails, including streams, edge of clearings, etc
- TD3: Controls on large features close to handrails.
- TD4: Controls on large features in the forest.
- TD5: Controls on small features in the forest, rugged terrain.
Length:
- Short: Around 2 to 3 km for Middle and Long. 1 to 2 km for Sprint.
- Medium: Around 3 to 5 km for Middle and Long. 1.5 to 2.5 km for Sprint.
- Long: Around 6 to 9 km for Middle and Long. 2 to 4 km for Sprint.
Teams
- Teams of two, three or four are welcome and can compete in the Sport or Beginner classes.
- Team members each pay the fee for their age.
- Teams require just one SI Card.
- All team members must belong to a recognized provincial/territorial association.
- The “team leader” should register online; members of the team register and pay their fees on the day.