Thursday Orienteering Practices
Times and Locations
We offer our Thursday Orienteering Practices over 8 weeks in the spring and 8 weeks and the fall.
Each week we visit a different venue.
See the schedule in the sidebar for scheduled locations each week. Clicking on any of the events in the schedule will take you to a page with details about the session.
Practices start at 6:30 sharp (please be a few minutes early) and run until 8pm.
Each week we will start with a short group discussion led by the coach and then do a hands-on training exercise that focuses on a particular aspect of your orienteering technique. This exercise may consist of a single course or it may consist of several loops. For those looped exercises there will be a chance to talk to the coach in between so you can get feedback before heading into the woods again. We will end each session with a group discussion and debrief to talk about how the exercise went and what you can do to practice this element of your orienteering technique.
Additionally, program members are encouraged to discuss your Spring/Fall Series races and compare notes with each other and with the coach each week. Spring/Fall Series Events, though not formally part of the program, are an excellent opportunity to practice your new techniques and learn from each session in the woods. We hope to see you on Sunday mornings!
Weather and Safety Policies
- Have signed the waiver in advance (once for the year) . Each adult must sign this while signed in to their own ottawaoc.ca account.
- Register in advance by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.by Wednesday morning the day before the practice to ensure a map
In addition we have the following polices about weather and safety:
All of our programs are rain or shine (or snow or wind…). Only in the event of dangerous conditions arising due to an electrical storm or other extreme weather will a program session be canceled, in which case we will send out an e-mail two hours prior to the start of the session.
There are a few risks to be aware of when playing and spending time in wild areas in the outdoors. The major ones in the Ottawa area are ticks, poison ivy, and wild parsnip. You can find out more about these risks on our safety page (page de sécurité et éthique).
To see the club’s full weather policy as well as our program behaviour and safety policies check out our policy manual
For Fall practices you will need to have a headlamp. We recommend a headlamp with a rating of at least 500 lumens and more is better. If you have any questions about headlamps just ask (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Registration Info
Registration for a single practice is $10 (incl. tax) and can be paid in person upon arrival. Please bring correct change.
OR you can pay a season's pass rate for $50 (incl. tax) for an 8 week season. Team Canada members can participate for free.
The Spring practice pass can be purchased online here.
You must have signed our waiver in advance (once for the year). Each adult must sign this while signed in to their own ottawaoc.ca account.
Participants should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Wednesday morning to let us know you plan on attending (regardless of if you've purchased a season's practice pass) to guarantee that you get a freshly printed map. We will do our best to accommodate those who register later by sharing maps.
Note: Orienteering Ottawa membership is required for all participants. You can sign up to become a member via the membership page (page à member).