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Table of contents
1 Schedule
2 Registration and Costs
3 What to Bring
4 Venue Facilities
5 Courses
6 Course Setter’s Notes
7 Request for Help
8 2023 Summer Series
9 Driving Directions

Diablo Valley College

Event #5 of 6 in the BAOC 2023 Summer Series

Date: (Sat.) Aug. 12, 2023
Location: Pleasant Hill, CA
Event Director:
Course Setter: James Roney
Type: C; This is the fifth event of the 2023 Summer Series. Beginners are welcome!

Related Event Information

Event Results 2023 Summer Series Last Year’s Event

Please note that fees and time limits apply. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


Note: The permit has been received! We’re all set for Saturday. (Updated 8/11/23)


This event will be the fifth of six events in the 2023 Summer Series. However, we want to emphasize that everyone is welcome to come out and do one (or more) of the courses, regardless of whether or not you attended a previous Summer Series event, or plan to attend the final event.

Beginners new to orienteering are encouraged to attend​—​the navigational difficulty is significantly eased by the nature of the campus, so anyone should be able to complete the beginner course.

We will offer three courses: one for beginners, and two longer courses for the Summer Series. Advanced orienteers should not be put off by the “easier” navigation​​—​​it will give you an opportunity to practice making faster decisions, and running faster, than your competition.

We look forward to seeing everyone at what should be a fun event!

Note: If you’re planning to bring a group larger than 10, please reach out to Jeff (), the Event Director, so we can plan accordingly.

Schedule

Note that the event is on Saturday.

The standard BAOC event schedule will be followed:

    9:00 AM – 11:59 AM: Registration open
    9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Beginner clinic instruction (free)
  10:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Starts are open for all courses
                    2:00 PM: Courses close, checkpoint control pick-up begins
Note: At on-site registration, all juniors must be accompanied by parents or legal guardians, or bring with them a waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian (the registration form is available here [PDF/12KB]).

Note that you can register and start on the courses anytime during the open times above. Thus, for example, you do not need to be “punctual” at 9:00 (but you can if you want, but please don’t show up earlier and expect to be served).

Beginner clinics are 15–20 minute, repeating sessions that introduce the sport of orienteering, and provide enough instruction to be able to complete the Beginner (White) course.

Note that you must return to the Finish by 2:00 PM, and then go to the download table, even if you have not finished your course. Please do not leave without checking in! If there are unaccounted people after 2:00, we must initiate a search for them.

Registration and Costs

Note: You do not need to register for this event if you have registered for the Summer Series Discount Package. (If you’ve forgotten if you did that, check here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a40/reglist/home/23sspackage).)

The following fees apply at this event (if you have not registered for the Summer Series Discount Package):

  $3 for each junior on the Beginner course
  $8 for each adult on the Beginner course
  $5 for each junior on the Short or Long course  
$15 for each adult member on the Short or Long course
$20 for each adult non-member on the Short or Long course
  $1 for a compass rental (optional)  
  $5 for an electronic fingerstick rental (optional, but each team will need one to complete the course)
$15 for the lowest-cost individual one-year BAOC membership (optional)  
Notes:
  • You can register at the event or online before the event (see below).
  • At the event, we can accept payment by cash, check, or credit/debit card (but no electronic payments [e.g., Venmo]).
  • Juniors are age 8 through 20 (under age 8 is free).
  • There is no charge for a second course (but you must end up paying for the more expensive course​—​i.e., Short or Long after Beginner).
  • Members of other orienteering clubs can pay the “member” fee. (We hope your club does the same for our members. 🙂)

More information about event pricing is available in the club FAQ. All the prices are also shown on the standard entry form (PDF/12KB), which you can print and fill out in advance to save some time at the event. (You will need one entry form for each group of people going on a course together.)

Optional Online Registration

Online registration has closed, but you can still register at the event.

Notes:
  • Online registration is not required​—​you can register at the event.
  • You can see who is registered here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a40/reglist/home/dvc2023) (but keep in mind that others will register at the event, and these people (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a40/reglist/home/23sspackage) have registered through the Summer Series Discount Package).

What to Bring

Comfortable outdoors attire and walking shoes are fine for those who will walk their course.

For runners, any comfortable running shoes (without metal spikes) are appropriate. Courses will include lots of pavement and concrete, and possibly some “off-trail” legs.

A compass is not necessary, but can be helpful. We have compasses available for a $1 rental fee.

We time the courses with the SPORTident system, so a SPORTident fingerstick is required for each team​—​they rent for $5. (Use of the “E-punch” system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read about it here.)

Note: Please do not bring a dog to the event. They are not permitted on the campus.

Venue Facilities

There are restrooms near the assembly area.

Courses

Here are the course details: 

                                   Map
    Course      Length  Controls  Scale
    Beginner    1.5 km     10     1:4000  
    Short       3.5 km     16     1:3000  
    Long        5.9 km     32     1:3000

Notes:
  • There is minimal climb on all the courses.
  • The contour interval on the map is 10 feet (3 meters).
  • The Long course has a map exchange (details below).
  • You can't use an SI-5 or SI-8 E-stick on the Long course, since the course has more than 30 controls. (SI-5 E-sticks have ID numbers under 500,000; SI-8 IDs begin with “2” [2,000,000 to 2,999,999].)
  • The course lengths are measured “along the preferred route” (i.e., as determined by the Course Setter), not along the straight lines between controls. (This is the method that is supposed to be used for Sprint courses.)

The Short and Long courses will be the ranking courses for the respective Summer Series.

The Long course will involve a map exchange. Be sure to read about it in the Course Setter's Notes below.

Be sure to read the Course Setter’s Notes for more information.

Important Note:

This event will observe Sprint rules for all the courses, which means there are strict interpretations of some of the symbols on the map. In particular, some symbols indicate features that must not be crossed (i.e., even if it’s physically possible to cross them), and areas that are out of bounds (i.e., must not be entered). If you don’t know about those symbols, be sure to ask somebody before going to the Start​—​or download this file (1MB PDF), which contains a map legend for Sprint maps (be sure to note all the “forbidden to cross” symbols!).
In addition to being against orienteering rules, violating those restrictions could jeopardize our ability to hold events on the campus in the future!

Course Setter’s Notes

By James Roney

After the high of the Cal-O-Fest, BAOC returns to more traditional fare, Diablo Valley College (DVC) and the BAOC Summer Series. DVC is not as expansive as Berkeley or the San Francisco Presidio, but nevertheless offers the opportunity for decent Sprint orienteering practice, albeit in a condensed landscape.

DVC has a few unique buildings with mazes of multi-level internal breezeways. I have attempted to utilize these on both Summer Series courses, while trying to mix quick, snap-decision legs with more typical mid-length or longer legs. Though perhaps not completely successful, I have attempted to ensure every leg requires choices to be made (e.g., no running from one side of a parking lot to the other side). In true Sprint orienteering fashion, attention should be paid to the control descriptions on your clue sheet! They should tell you which structure level a control is on (if none is indicated, one should assume the lower level), or possibly which side of an impassible barrier one should look for.

The Courses

For both the Long and Short courses, the map has been printed at the non-standard 1:3000 scale. This is primarily to better fill out the page, and to show tiny features and passageways in greater detail.

Please note that in Sprint orienteering tradition, I have added three “artificial barriers” to the map (ISSOM Symbol 708, Out-of-bounds boundary) to increase route-choice intrigue. How these will be marked in situ is yet to be determined (probably with caution tape). Whatever the marking ends up being, please respect these out-of-bounds features in the spirit of competition​—​do not cross them.

Beginner: The fun thing about Sprint orienteering is that the danger of getting lost is low, and as such you can participate on a course closer in difficulty to the advanced courses without the fear of running a mile or two into a forest and never returning. Your course consists of a figure-8 kind of arrangement that tries to show you as much of the campus as possible, while giving you the opportunity to tackle some simple navigational problems. Your map is printed at the official (for sprints) 1:4000 scale, and will have a legend of symbols for your reference on the same sheet.

Short: I apologize in advance for the map being a bit cats-cradle-y, but I think the legs are fun, and the map is readable (certainly more readable than some World Championship map examples I looked at).

Long: There is a map exchange​—​the map would be too cluttered otherwise with all the control circles, in some cases quite close to each other. Control 17 will be the map-exchange location. The map you take at the Start will get you to Control 17. When you arrive there, the second map will be waiting for you in a tub, and will take you to the Finish. (You can keep your first map or drop it in a second tub.) Please remember to punch Control 17 as you pass through! (The map exchange will be a “spectator control” [if we have spectators], so remember to smile. 😉)

General Thoughts

Leave your spikes at home for this one. Running shoes should be more than adequate.

No water will be placed on the courses, but there are many drinking fountains. As of last week, most of them were working.

I hope you enjoy the courses.

Request for Help

As always, this event can’t happen without volunteers. We have openings for these tasks:

It's very easy to help, and it helps us have an event for all of us to enjoy. Of course, you get to do your course, too!

Not sure what to help with? Just want to help with something? Just contact me, and I can help you find a helpful role.

Please contact me if you can help.

– Jeff Goodwin, Event Director ()

2023 Summer Series

This is the fifth event of the BAOC 2023 Summer Series. The Series consists of six events, each of which has Short and Long “ranking courses” for the overall Summer Series results. At this event, points will be awarded to all the individuals (but not groups or teams) who complete the Short or Long course.

Details of the Summer Series scoring system are available here. (Note that we need your birth year if you want to be scored properly.)

Driving Directions

The approximate coordinates of the event are 37.9699,-122.0724. Click here (https://goo.gl/maps/vkCuAb3esBVnfbrP9) for a Google map showing the location of registration.

From north of Pleasant Hill: Get to I-680 southbound. Take the Concord Ave exit (#52). Use the middle lane to turn left onto Contra Costa Blvd. Turn right onto Chilpancingo Pkwy, and left onto Old Quarry Rd. At the traffic circle, continue straight to stay on Old Quarry Rd. Cross Golf Club Rd and turn right onto Stubbs Rd, which circles the campus. Park in Lot 7. The assembly area will be at the BFL Community Conference Center adjacent to Lot 7.

From other directions: Get to I-680 northbound. Take the Willow Pass Rd exit (#51), and turn left onto Willow Pass Rd, which becomes Sunvalley Blvd almost immediately. Turn right onto Contra Costa Blvd. After 0.6 mile, turn left onto Golf Club Rd. After about 0.2 mile, turn left at either of two opportunities to cross over to Stubbs Rd, which circles the campus. Park in Lot 7. The assembly area will be at the BFL Community Conference Center adjacent to Lot 7.

Parking is free on Saturday.