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University of California

Event #4 of 6 in the BAOC 2023 Summer Series

Date: (Sun.) Jul. 9, 2023
Location: Berkeley, CA
Event Director:
Course Setter: François Léonard
Type: C; This is the fourth event of the 2023 Summer Series. Beginners are welcome!

Please note that fees and time limits apply. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


Bring Your Own Map Case to UC Berkeley

Maps are printed on 8.5"x14" paper. We have only a limited number of map cases of that size, so please bring your own map case if you absolutely want one. We printed on 32 lb paper just in case​—​it's a bit rigid, but is strong enough to be used without a map case.


This event will be the fourth of six events in the 2023 Summer Series. However, we want to emphasize that everyone is welcome to come out and do one (or more) of the courses, regardless of whether or not you have attended, or plan to attend, other Summer Series events.

We encourage beginners to attend, no experience is necessary. The UC campus has many distinctive landmarks, such as the Campanile, so anyone should be able to navigate the Beginner course.

The conditions of our permit do not allow us to serve food at the event, so we will not be able to supply the usual snacks. Thus, this event will be BYOS (Bring Your Own Snacks).

We look forward to seeing everyone at what is always a fun event!

Schedule

The standard BAOC event schedule will be followed:

  9:00 AM – 11:59 AM: Registration open
  9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Beginner clinic instruction (free)
 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Starts are open for all courses
                  2:00 PM: Courses close, checkpoint control pick-up begins
Note: At on-site registration, all juniors must be accompanied by parents or legal guardians, or bring with them a waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian (the registration form is available here [12KB PDF]).

Note that you can register and start on the courses anytime during the open times above. Thus, for example, you do not need to be "punctual" at 9:00 (you can if you want, but please don't show up earlier and expect to be served).

Beginners clinics are 15–20 minute, repeating sessions that introduce the sport of orienteering, and provide enough instruction to be able to complete the Beginner (White) course.

Note that you must return to the Finish by 2:00 PM, and then go to the download table, even if you have not finished your course. Please do not leave without checking in! We need to have everyone accounted for so checkpoint pick-up can start on time so those volunteers can get home.

Registration and Costs

Note: You do not need to register for this event if you have registered for the Summer Series Discount Package. (If you've forgotten if you did that, check here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a40/reglist/home/23sspackage).)

The following fees apply at this event (if you have not registered for the Summer Series Discount Package):

  $3 for each junior on the Beginner course
  $8 for each adult on the Beginner course
  $5 for each junior on the Short or Long course  
$15 for each adult member on the Short or Long course
$20 for each adult non-member on the Short or Long course
  $1 for a compass rental (optional)  
  $5 for an electronic fingerstick rental (optional, but each team will need one to complete the course)
$15 for the lowest-cost individual one-year BAOC membership (optional)  
Notes:
  • You can register at the event or online before the event (see below).
  • At the event, we can accept payment by cash or check (but no electronic payments).
  • Juniors are age 8 through 20 (under age 8 is free).
  • There is no charge for a second course (but you must end up paying for the more expensive course​—​i.e., Short or Long after Beginner).
  • Members of other orienteering clubs can pay the "member" fee. (We hope your club does the same for our members. 🙂)

More information about event pricing is available in the club FAQ. All the prices are also shown on the standard entry form (12KB PDF), which you can print and fill out in advance to save some time at the event. (You will need one entry form for each group of people going on a course together.)

Optional Online Registration

Online registration has closed, but you can still register at the event.

Notes:
  • Do not register for this event if you have registered for the Summer Series Discount Package.
  • You can see who is registered here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a40/reglist/home/ucb2023) (but keep in mind that others will register at the event, and these people (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a40/reglist/home/23sspackage) have registered through the Summer Series Discount Package [but might not attend this event]).

Location on Campus

Registration will be held at the courtyard of the Social Sciences Building (https://www.berkeley.edu/map/) (formerly Barrows Hall), which is located on the south side of the campus, near Bancroft Way, and near Sather Gate and Sproul Plaza.

This is the same location we have used for the last several events.

Venue Facilities

Water and restrooms should be available inside the Social Sciences Building. If it happens that the building is closed that day, there will be open restrooms at Sproul Hall about 150 meters away.

As mentioned above, no snacks will be served at this event. There are many food opportunities just steps away on Bancroft Way.

What to Bring

Running attire and running shoes are fine. Comfortable outdoors attire and walking shoes are fine for those who will walk their course.

A compass is not necessary, but can be helpful. We have compasses available for a $1 rental fee.

We time the courses with the SPORTident system, so a SPORTident fingerstick is required for each team​—​they rent for $5. (Use of the "E-punch" system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read about it here.)

Courses

Here are course details:

    Course     Length   Controls
    Beginner   1.7 km      12  
    Short      3.0 km      16  
    Long       4.8 km      27

There is not much climb on any of the courses.

Beginners should be aware that the course length shown is the cumulative straight-line distances between controls. Your actual distance will be significantly longer.
Advanced orienteers should be aware that the course lengths shown are "straight-line", not "best-route" (which is normally given for Sprint courses). The actual distance is significantly longer.

The Short and Long courses will be the ranking courses for the respective Summer Series.

Keep in mind that you can earn Summer Series points from the first course you run at the event, and only if it's one of the ranking courses. That is, you will not earn points if you run the Beginner course first, and then one of the ranking courses.

Be sure to read the Course Setter's Notes below for more information.

Important Note:

This event will observe Sprint rules for all the courses, which means there are strict interpretations of some of the symbols on the map. In particular, some symbols indicate features that must not be crossed (i.e., even if it's physically possible to cross them), and areas that are out of bounds (i.e., must not be entered). If you don't know about those symbols, be sure to ask somebody before going to the Start.
In addition to being against orienteering rules, violating those restrictions could jeopardize our ability to hold events on the campus in the future!

Course Setter's Notes

By François Léonard

Welcome to the U.C. Berkeley Summer Series event. We are holding this event close to the CalOFest (https://cal-o-fest.com/stage_01) and the NAOC (http://cal-o-fest.com/stage_04) Sprints because there was a request for a Sprint-like event before those big races. U.C. Berkely is a perfect venue for Sprint orienteering. As a preparation for the upcoming Sprint races, the courses have been designed with an "educational" theme in mind, i.e., to get you to learn and practice the new Sprint orienteering mapping. The quality of some of the course legs is bit compromised due to this emphasis.

Please see the Course Setter's Notes for the 2022 U.C. Berkeley event for Matej's excellent description of Sprint orienteering mapping, with specifics to the U.C. Berkeley map (which he made).

A sheet showing all the symbols used on Sprint Orienteering maps is available as this file (1.0MB PDF).
The latest edition of the International Specification for Sprint Orienteering Maps (ISSprOM 2019-2) is in this file (930KB PDF). (The identical document on the IOF website is a much larger file.)
These related IOF documents are available: ISSprOM - Guidelines For Complex Urban Structures (2.6MB PDF) and What Has Changed In ISSprOM 2019 (764KB PDF).

Be careful of the traffic everywhere on this map.

There will be no water on the courses.

Maps will be printed at 1:4000 scale. This is to match the NAOC Sprint scale. The contour interval is 2.5 m.

Construction on the campus ebbs and flows. I added the latest as of June 24​—​there could be variations by race day.

The Start is about 2 minutes from the assembly area. The Finish is close by.

Note: The map has been updated to use the newest IOF Sprint specification​—​specifically the changes made to bridge/tunnel mapping. As mentioned above, the Course Setter's Notes for the 2022 U.C. Berkeley event explain.

2023 Summer Series

This is the fourth event of the BAOC 2023 Summer Series. The Series consists of six events, each of which has two "ranking courses" for the overall "Short" and "Long" Summer Series results. At this event, points will be awarded to all the individuals (but not groups or teams) who complete the Short or Long course (as their first course at the event).

Details of the Summer Series scoring system are available here. (Note that we need your birth year if you want to be scored properly.)

Volunteers

For all of you who enjoy orienteering, help us help others catch that joy.

Please contact me if you can help for about an hour at the U.C. Berkeley event. Here are the available offerings:

Thank you kindly, Daniel Šebo, Event Director ()

Parking

Photo gallery image (click to enlarge)

Parking, although always tight, is free on Sunday along the roads south and north of the main campus (Bancroft and Hearst, respectively). Arrive early to secure space on Bancroft near Telegraph (closest to the Social Sciences Building). More free Sunday parking is available on the streets south of Bancroft. There are many pay spaces around the campus and in nearby garages, such as the Upper and Lower Bancroft Garages, and Telegraph & Channing Garage. Suggested streets and garages are shown in the map to the right (click on the map to see a larger image, and click on that image for an even larger one).

Notes on on-street parking meters: You can pay with coins (nickels, dimes, or quarters), credit or debit cards (Visa or Master Card), or the ParkMobile app (http://www.parkmobile.io/) on your smartphone. Time limits are strictly enforced and may not be extended by adding more money after the posted maximum time limit has expired.
Parking tip for Downtown Berkeley: Drive to the North Berkeley BART station (http://www.bart.gov/stations/nbrk), park your car there for free (on weekends), and take AC Transit 52 (schedule (http://www.actransit.org/maps/schedule_results.php?ms_view_type=1&version_id=43&maps_category=2&maps_line=52&map_submit=Get+Schedule&current_schedule=30871)) to the stop at Bancroft & Telegraph (11-minute ride), then walk to the Social Sciences Building. Alternatively, you can take BART one stop south to the Downtown Berkeley station and walk from there.

Public Transit

Public Transit is highly encouraged! The Downtown Berkeley BART station (http://www.bart.gov/stations/dbrk) is one block west of campus, and from there it's a pleasant 0.5-mile walk through campus to the Social Sciences Building (see the map above).

Local buses are also available at Telegraph & Bancroft/Durant. AC Transit routes 6, 36, 51B, 52, 79, and F stop here, and connect with Downtown Berkeley BART, North Berkeley BART, Rockridge BART, Telegraph Ave, University Ave, etc. Please refer to the map above, and check Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Social+Sciences+Building,+Berkeley,+CA/@37.870027,-122.2930081,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x80857c25938066c3:0x73f82f3646d8e0bd!2m2!1d-122.2579888!2d37.8700322!3e3!5m1!1e2) and AC Transit (http://www.actransit.org/maps/) for more information.