We are pleased to announce the 32nd Annual Bay Area Scout Orienteering Championship.

Are you and your troop ready to test your map-reading and problem-solving abilities? Are you ready to pass the map-and-compass requirements for First Class, Second Class, or the Orienteering Merit Badge? The Bay Area Orienteering Club is pleased to offer the thirty-second annual Scout-O, a cross-country map and compass adventure designed to test the map-reading ability, compass skills, and woodsman savvy of any troop regardless of size or experience.

Girl Scouts, Daisies through Ambassadors, Boy Scouts, Cubs, Tigers through Webelos, of all ages are welcome. Instruction will be offered prior to the event, so that all Scouts, regardless of prior experience, will be able to take part in the actual competition. There will be courses of four distinct levels of difficulty, so that no Scout should encounter a challenge beyond his or her capabilities.

Who will be champions this year? Everyone stands a chance!! Some practice, some fitness, and some thinking will get you a long way. So come on out — bring your compasses, running shoes, and your brains — and have fun!

There will be patches. Anyone who has not yet received a patch for a prior year's event can get it at this year's event, or by contacting the Meet Director. The patches are "progressive", so that a scout can participate in multiple Scout-Os and add to his or her patch sequence.

The event will be held on Sunday, October 25, 2026 in Tilden Regional Park, in Berkeley. The park has been mapped to International Orienteering Federation (IOF) standards. The details shown on these 5-color maps far exceeds those available on even the newest U.S. Geological Survey topographical maps. Teams may keep their maps, so they will be useful for instruction and reference.

Preregistration is required for the event. It might be necessary to constrain the number of participants, so register early (first come, first served). Registration information is below.

Note that there will be a 15-minute walk (TBD km) from the event arena to the Start. Please allow yourself time for that.

Water will not be provided on the courses. Please bring your own water.

We will have electronic punching again this year. Be sure to CLEAR and CHECK your finger stick before you start, and be sure to punch the START unit when you start.

A regular Bay Area Orienteering Club event will be held simultaneously at the same location, so anyone wishing to do a BAOC course is also welcome. Pass the word. More information is available on the page for the concurrent BAOC event.

You should read the eventual Meet Director's and Course Setter's Notes for more information.

For additional information, contact:

Gavin Wyatt-Mair
Tel. (775)-691-6384
E-mail: GavinWM@comcast.net

Schedule ↑

The meet will be held on Sunday, October 25, 2026. Instruction will begin at 9:00 AM. The pre-assigned start time of each individual team will be determined by the entry date of their troop. In general, start times will begin at 10:00 AM and go until about noon.

The pre-assigned start times will be posted here on Saturday, October 24th.

It is advisable to arrive at the meet by 9:00 AM. We will stick to the pre-assigned start times — it's less confusing that way.

Note: There is a 15-minute walk from the event arena to the Start — about TBD kilometer.

The Finish will be close to the event arena and parking.

Remember: Everyone must report to the E-punch download tent, even if they have not completed their course.

The afternoon event will run from 1:15 to 2:45 PM.

The awards ceremony will begin at 3:15 PM, and the meet will be closed at 3:40 PM.

Bring compasses, and remember, we go rain or shine!

Registration Information ↑

All troops participating in the Scout-O must be pre-registered and prepaid.

Registration will close on Monday, October 19, 2026. The cost of the event is $10.00 per scout or participating leader. Choose your teams carefully, because they must remain together all day. Mixed-category teams are possible, but will compete on the course of the higher-ranking scout. Each troop may have one 3-person team to allow for odd numbers.

Registration forms were included in the bulletins that were sent to scout troops. If you do not have a registration form, we prefer that you download this Excel spreadsheet (88KB), enter your troop's information in the file, and email the completed file to the Meet Director (email). If you are not able to use that file, you can use this printable PDF file (18KB), and (snail) mail the completed form to the Meet Director at the address below.

In case it's useful, the event announcement, including a registration form, is available as this editable Word file (62KB) and this printable PDF file (90KB).

Troops may obtain registration forms and detailed information from the Meet Director:

Gavin Wyatt-Mair
20 Folin Lane
Lafayette, CA 94549
Tel: (925) 934-6567 (home)
E-mail: GavinWM@comcast.net

Competitive Categories ↑

The format for this year's Scout-O championships is described below. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of all ages are welcome, and the competition is arranged to accommodate any skill level. In addition, the courses are arranged to meet the map and compass requirements for First Class, Second Class or the Orienteering Merit Badge.

Scouts will compete against other scouts with the same orienteering experience. Four Scout courses and an adult course will be offered, as described below.

The course details will be posted here closer to the event date.

• Course 1. Daisies, Brownies, Cub Scout dens, Webelo dens, Tenderfoot, and Junior scouts — or scouts with very little (less than 2) prior orienteering experiences: Dens and younger scouts will run in groups of 2–6 with an adult advisor who should follow his or her group, not lead it; Tenderfoot scouts will run in pairs.
• Course 2. Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, Second Class, and First Class scouts — or scouts with minimal (2 to 5) orienteering experiences: Compete in pairs.
• Course 3. Seniors, Ambassadors, Star, Life, and/or Eagle scouts, or scouts with substantial (more than 5) orienteering experiences: Compete in pairs.
• Course 4. Advanced, experienced orienteers of any rank: Run alone on a typical Orienteering USA Orange-level course.
• Adult course. All leaders and parents are invited to compete on a course similar to, but separate from, Course 3. They may run in groups or alone. Leaders/parents should also pre-register. Leader results are for bragging rights only, and will not affect troop scoring.

Note: Choose your courses carefully — there are more points available for doing the harder courses (we are encouraging scouts to "move up" a notch), but don't get on a course you can't finish, because then you will likely lose points. As a rule of thumb, the points available for Course 2 are about 10% more than Course 1. Course 3 is about 20% more, and Course 4 is about 30% more than Course 1.

Afternoon Meet ↑

All scouts may compete in a troop event in the afternoon. Both morning and afternoon events will contribute to the troop total score to determine the troop championship.

Hint: The more scouts that attend from a given troop, the better the troop usually does. We combine the top N scouts' scores from the morning and afternoon events to get the troop score. The value N is set by the Meet Director on the day of the meet, based on conditions and attendance.

Prizes ↑

Awards will be made to the best teams on each course. The champion troops will be determined by the results in all categories including the afternoon event. As in past years, there will be medals, certificates, and a Troop trophy.

There will be awards for the top "Junior" Scout troop (cubs, webelos, daisies, brownies, etc) as well as the top Girl Scout troop if a Boy Scout troop wins, or the top Boy Scout troop if a Girl Scout troop wins.

Each participant will receive a progressive (by course) participation patch.

Equipment ↑

You will each need water, strong trail shoes, long pants (the park has stickers!), a pen or pencil, a watch, and a compass. You may want a hat, sunscreen, etc. if it's hot, or rain gear if it's rainy. Bring your own lunch and water.

Driving Directions ↑

The event arena (e.g., Registration) will be at Lake Anza. The approximate coordinates for the event arena are 37.8970,-122.2522.

Please carpool if possible, since there will be many scouts attending.

There are many ways to get to Tilden Park. Here is one: From Highway 24, take the Fish Ranch Road exit (this exit is just east of the Caldecott Tunnel). Go northwest up Fish Ranch Road for 1 km, to the top of the hill. Turn right on Grizzly Peak Blvd. Wind around on Grizzly Peak for about 2.5 km until you reach the South Park Drive entrance to Tilden Park (do not take the steam trains entrance; go past to South Park Drive). Once you are inside the Park, follow the Park signs to Lake Anza and park at the Lake.

Note: Although Lake Anza is just 400 meters south-southeast of the Merry-Go-Round, please do not park in the Merry-Go-Round parking lot.

Parking ↑

There is no charge for parking.

The approximate coordinates for the main Lake Anza parking lot are 37.8966,-122.2527.

If the main lot is full, the Lake Anza overflow parking lot is at the approximate coordinates 37.8971,-122.2531. The Registration area is approximately a 5-minute walk from the overflow parking lot.