Orienteering BC

The provincial orienteering Championships (BCOC) are a ‘closed’ competition, which means that only those competitors who have resided in BC for at least six months can be declared the Champion in their age category. Even if you were beaten in your race by one of those pesky Albertans or Americans, you can still qualify as […]

Every Society registered in BC (such as The Orienteering Association of BC) is required to hold an Annual General Meeting, where the financial state and accomplishments of the organization are quickly reviewed, and an election of new Directors is held. All members of OBC are able to participate and vote, if they register for either […]

Jim Webster has been a stalwart of orienteering in western Canada for decades, as a keen competitor, event organizer and, particularly, as a recruiter of both new participants and event volunteers. If anyone warrants the description of “eminence grise” (defined in Wikipedia as “a powerful decision-maker or adviser who operates “behind the scenes”, or in […]

The doughnut–shaped ring at the centre of the image below shows the set of “compass neurons” recently detected in a fruit fly’s brain. Each coloured segment in the ring represents a separate neuron; together, they make up the “neural compass” that allows a fly to quickly establish a sense of direction in a new environment. […]

John Rance has been a long-standing part of the orienteering scene in BC, where he has made his mark both as a keen competitor and as a highly respected course planner and instructor of officials clinics. He served as President of Orienteering BC for more years than he cares to remember, and will usually be […]

Sprint orienteering is a sport of seconds, and success demands lightning-quick decision-making. Here is one way to hone that skill from the comfort of your living room. Route Choice Game is a free Finnish on-line game that you can use to practice identifying the shortest route choice, as quickly as possible, in sprint O. You […]

Faster than a speeding bullet? Sprint orienteering is a version of our sport that requires high speed running and lightning-quick decision-making, and today’s running speeds can apparently (almost) outstrip the newest SI timing technology. At a recent international competition, one runner who finished was found to have missed a control that was located only a […]

In 2004, Due West interviewed Alan Vyse, who had just become the new president of the SAGE orienteering club. Many of you will have had the pleasure of working with Alan over the years, and enjoying the fine maps and competitions he has contributed to. Alan is still very active, and his ‘back story’ is […]

Despite the remote location, COC/NAOC2018 was an especially large event, by Canadian standards, with >550 orienteers participating in one or both championships. The Yukon also has durable appeal as a tourist destination, both for Canucks and for the international community, so it is perhaps not surprising that orienteers from >20 different countries decided that this […]

In August, 2018, the annual Canadian Orienteering Championships (COC) and the biennial North American Orienteering Championships (NAOC) were co-hosted as back-to-back events by the Yukon Orienteering Association. The Yukoners took sole responsibility for the NAOC organization, and also provided logistical support for the COC; the COC officials (event director, course planners, controllers, start chief, etc.) […]