Scottish Schools' Orienteering Festival
2012 - Wednesday 6th June

Lanark Racecourse and Moor Country Park

Updated: 2nd Jun 2012

The Festival is aimed at pupils who have been introduced to orienteering through their school and the courses will be set at a level that will allow success for all pupils who have grasped the basic skills. Courses will be set for Primary 5 and upwards.

This year’s festival has attracted an entry of just under 400 runners from all across Scotland.

Results

Results in several forms now available.

Start lists

Start List by Course
Start List by School

Download documents

Event details
Entry form summary
Entry form

Final Information

Venue.

Lanark Racecourse and Moor Country Park.

Area

Fast grasslands on historic Lanark Racecourse with mixed woodland containing lots of paths and some rough open areas. Like most areas the gales of last winter have taken their toll on the woodland but the map has been updated to reflect this.

Travel

LanarkRacecourse is situated adjacent to the A73 on the southern edge of Lanark. Enter the Racecourse by the main entrance (signed for the event)

Please Note: If you are travelling from the South, the A73 will have major road works. You should approach via the Douglas exit on the M74.

Map

The map is at a scale of 1:7500 eg 1 cm = 75 m on the ground. It has been recently updated to take account of the damage caused by the winter gales. There is little in the way of undergrowth in the area but some paths are likely to be muddy.

Map Updated by Blair Young April 2012.

Control descriptions

These will be written and on the front of the map. There will be no loose descriptions. Some knowledge of “Orienteering” language will be useful:

Junction – where 2 paths, fences, tracks, etc meet

Knoll – a small hill }

Re-entrant – a small valley } secondary courses only

Spur – land outcrop }

It should be noted that the horse jumps are old and the mountain bike jumps are new. Both are shown as a black X on the map.

Courses

These will be set from P5-S6 as shown on the entry summary sheet. The main factor about the courses is that they will be planned to provide maximum success for the participants. It is however, presumed that all participants will have had some practical experience of orienteering at School and are familiar with an orienteering map. Pupils may enter any course as a solo participant or as part of a pair. Pairs should be bracketed on the entry form.

Courses are:

COURSES

LENGTH

CLIMB

CONTROLS

P5/6 GIRLS

1800

0

9

P5/6 BOYS

2000

0

9

P7 GIRLS

2100

15

12

P7 BOYS

2300

15

12

S1 GIRLS

2300

20

12

S1 BOYS

2600

25

12

S2 GIRLS

2400

35

12

S2 BOYS

2700

50

14

S3 GIRLS

2500

55

12

S3 BOYS

2800

55

14

S4 GIRLS

2500

55

12

S4 BOYS

3400

70

17

S5/6 GIRLS

3400

70

17

S5/6 BOYS

3900

95

18

Start/Finish

The start and finish will both be very close to the car park to allow easy supervision of your pupils. This will be in the vicinity of the Lanark Football Facility and toilets, changing areas and some refreshments will be available.

Start times will be available from 10.00 am until 12.30 pm.

Electronic Timing We will again be using the Sportident system of timing. Each competitor/pair will be issued with an electronic peg at the start area, to use on their course.

Arrival

On arrival please take your pupils to the Rugby club house where they will be allocated with an SI “peg” (1 peg per pair or individual). Please emphasise to them that these pegs cost £30 to replace!

Start Procedure

Competitors should be at the start area at least 3 mins before their start time. They will be called into the start at this point and will make their way to the start line. One minute before their start time they will be allowed to pick up their map and look at their course. Officials will be on hand to help those who need help to set their map etc before they begin.

Competitors should punch the finish and then go back to the Rugby Club where they will download their peg and receive a printout of their result.

Prize Giving

We hope to begin the prize giving as soon as possible and by 1.15 pm at the latest.

Awards Certificates for all Competitors. Awards to 1st 3 individuals on each course. Team awards will be made where there are sufficient entries.

Entry Fees

School Registration Fee of £5 to cover general administration costs and affiliation to Scottish Schools’ Orienteering Association. Unfortunately the entry fee has risen to £2 per pupil with the entry fee being £4 for a pair.

Entries Please use the official forms attached and ensure that:

Send your Entry Form Summary and cheque to:

SSOF
7 St Ninians
LANARK
ML11 7HX

Entry form with pupil names and courses should also be sent electronically to:

leyoung@talk21.com

Postmarked no later than 23rd MAY 2012.

Current Trophy holders should ensure that all Individual and Team Trophies be returned before or on the day of the event.

Make a day of it in Lanark!

There are lots of other activities possible in the Lanark area to fill the day before or after the Orienteering.

New Lanark

The World Heritage Site at new Lanark provides plenty of scope to add to the day. Some activities will involve a fee but it is possible to gain a sense of what the village was about for free by walking around the site and reading the information boards. It is also adjacent to an SWT Nature Reserve.
www.newlanark.org

Lanark

The town of Lanark is a traditional Scottish Lowland market Town with lots of historical references. The links to William Wallace are particularly strong and Castlebank Park would provide a sheltered spot for a picnic and is adjacent to the site of Lanark Castle where the Sherriff who was killed at the beginning of the Braveheart movie was based.

The Towns modern Agricultural Market is based next to the racecourse and there may be livestock auctions taking place on the day of the Festival.

The day after the Festival is the Towns Lanimer Celebrations (close links to Border Ridings) and the Town will be decorated for this.

The Town also has a modern Leisure Centre with a 25m pool.
www.lanark.co.uk

Lanark Racecourse

The Racecourse itself has great historical reference as a venue for the oldest Horserace in the World – The Lanark Silver Bell (now held at Hamilton) and as the site of one of the worlds earliest Air Display’s which recently celebrated its Centenary.

We will be based near the Lanark Football Facility and it is hoped that this and some adjacent grass areas will be available for use by Schools participating in the Festival.

More Information

Mr Blair Young
PE Department
Biggar High School
John’s Loan
BIGGAR
ML12
Tel: 01899 222050
Fax: 01899 222051

Partners

Scottish Schoolsport Federation logo

International Schoolsport Federation logo

Scottish Orienteering logo

British Schools logo

The Scottish Schools' Festival is supported by -

The Strain Family - East Lothian Orienteers
Scottish Schools' Orienteering Association
Scottish Orienteering Association
Biggar High School
Tinto Orienteering Club
Lanark Rugby Club
South Lanarkshire Council