Discussion: Help for first time Course Directing

Hey AP'ers! I'm helping out SMOC this year by course directing an event in April.

Does anyone have some good links / resources / tips / etc to share that could be helpful to me or someone like me course directing for their first time?

Its only a little bit over a month away from the date of the course, so one thing I'm concerned about is if there is anything I should be doing right now that might take a while to implement.

We already have the park permit taken care of. I have someone guiding me along int he club, but I'm sure there's some great pointers from the AP crowd too.

Appreciate whatever you have time to discuss. Here's to the coolest sport in the world!

The USOF website links to a couple of documents that Robin S. wrote up years ago which are good reference. I think BAOC has a set of meet director documents, too.

Also DVOA has a section on their website for Event director and course setters which is very good and up to date. You are welcome to review and print as necessary. Good Luck!

Awesome and thanks! I'll take a look at those documents and also the DVOA site.

Usually you want to go out onto the map for the first time about a month in advance to check out the map and the terrain. Find out what areas of the map are usable, what areas are overgrown and should be avoided, what areas offer very good running etc. Just get a feel of the map and area so that when you go check out potential control sites later you can be more efficient and have an idea of where you can place them.

At this time of year you need to be careful though because the woods tend to change very rapidly so your usable areas might be unusable by the time the event comes around.

Anyway, that's my suggestion. As an added bonus it makes a nice afternoon stroll through the woods (my advice: take someone with you for company and to have a second opinion and set of eyes out there)!

Here's a link to some resources that Adrian Zissos has put together:

Hey everyone - thanks again for the help. We just wrapped up our event on Saturday and overall it went well. Between my trainer and your pointers and info it all helped out a lot. Great resources and pointers, so thanks! I'm already looking ahead to the autumn for the next one that I hopefully will be able to help with.

Great! That Yankee Springs area, with those huge depressions, is legendary in US orienteering. I hope you had a good turn-out of first-timers, who must have been dazzled by the terrain, as well as the sport.

Those of us in nearby clubs would love to see SMOC put on an A-meet on those maps soon. If you think you enjoyed presenting a local meet, you ain't seen nothing yet; putting on a two-day A-meet is a month of non-stop fun for the whole club.

Great meet, nice weather, awesome woods. Thank you.

Haha - A-meet! Hey, I barely pulled off this little local meet despite having a very experienced co-director come to my rescue with my every stumble. I'll gladly help offer an A-meet someday, but I better get myself at least mastering the C-meet first.

But yes, I agree that Yankee Springs rules. I loved spending all that time out there getting it set up. Great terrain and scenery.

We did have a few first timers. I invited my friends and they had fun, and there were a some others. Would have liked to have more, but that's a good goal for the next time.

Glad you enjoyed it guskov!