As a meet director, you will be responsible for planning and carrying out a meet. Successful meets are the key to the club's success. But you need not shoulder the entire load: please consider asking one or more of these volunteers to help at your meet. Volunteers frequently tell us that no one calls them and asks for help. Please call them!
Most of this is usually set as part of the schedule, but there may be some details to decide.
See this link for very detailed instructions on how to handle your expenses, meet fees, etc.
Usually the VP of Media will send an email to the list a few days before the meet. If you want to add anything besides the basics that are in the schedule, let the VP of Media (and Webmaster) know.
The VP of Events usually handles this, but it never hurts to check. If your meet is in a Municipal park, the VP of Events should have mailed a Municipal permit to you. If your meet is in Fort Richardson, check with the VP of Events to see if participants need to use the USARTRAK permit system, and then inform the Webmaster and VP of Media, so they can let others know.
The most current maps (in OCAD format) are here. Contact the VP of Mappingfor username and password. See below for more information on making maps.
Here are some guidelines for desigining standard point-to-point meets:
Rules and suggestions related to various areas:
You must field check your proposed control locations because
you will find some of the locations you choose will not work well due to
mapping problems, vegetation problems, etc. This is the chance to scout a new
location and mark it on your field map. You can flag control locations with
survey tape marked with the course and control number, or, if it won't be out
too long (1-2 weeks), and there's little chance it will be stolen, you can hang
the actual control, being careful to record its code. Please remove and properly
dispose of the survey tape when you hang the control.
If you are going to use a GPS to do a rough check on your control placement, bring it along.
Vetting typically consists of two tasks performed by someone other than yourself: (1) review of course layouts and (2) field checking of control placements. The intent of reviewing course layouts is to ensure that the courses follow the course design guidelines. The intent of checking control placements is to ensure that controls are not hung in a confusing place or an incorrect place.
Ideally, both tasks will be done for every meet by an experienced orienteer. Since it takes a lot of time and effort for someone to check control placements in the field, it is sometimes harder to find volunteers for that task than for reviewing course layouts.
Please contact an experienced orienteer or one of the Club Directors for assistance with vetting.
You can also use a GPS to do a rough check on your control placement.
After field checking and making any adjustments to your courses, you need to place the circles on the map and make clue sheets. Do it yourself with OCAD or contact the VP of Mapping to find out who is available to prepare your maps and clue sheets for you. Please have your information ready at least several days ahead of the meet!
In addition to the topo and course, each map should have:
Here are some notes regarding obtaining and using OCAD.
We have a printing account with Great Originals. You need to send them a PDF.
If you can’t convert to PDF,consider getting In some popular parks, especially on trails, controls cannot
be put out too far in advance or they might be stolen. Tying them on with many
knots or even with wire can help.
See the VP of Equipment
for tables, clock, signs, pencils, clue cards, bug spray, etc. If rain is
possible or likely, use the club’s freestanding canopy/tent. The VP of Equipment should have stocked the meet boxes with the
Membership/participation form and sign-up forms. Check to make
sure there are lot of participation forms in the box, especially for the first few meets of the season.
Someone other than the meet director can easily take care of this, but the meet director has to find that person.
At a typical meet, there are oranges (cut in eighths), bananas, and muffins (quartered).
Bring trash bags and be sure to clean up after your meet, so that the land owners will welcome us back the next time.
Please try to get the results to the Anchorage Daily News
(ADN) within 24 hours of your meet. Once the results are more than a day or
so old, the ADN may not print them.
This link gives the ADN
contact information and their requirements in more detail.
At the same time, please also email the results to the Webmaster.
You can add the meet and set up the courses in RouteGadget using this link.
The meet director should not have to do this, so ask for
volunteers, and keep careful track of who is supposed to pick up what and
whether or not they have done it.
Return the meet box, canopy, etc. to the VP of Equipment or coordinate the hand-off with the next meet director.
Put out the controls
Set up the meet facilities
Provide snacks and liquids
Run the meet and record finish times
Tabulate results and get them to the newspaper and the webmaster
Pick up the controls
Return the gear
Fill out the post-meet questionnaire