BOF age classes explained
Seniors: M/W21, M/W35, M/W40, M/W45, M/W50, M/W55, M/W60, M/W65, M/W70, M/W75, M/W80
Your age class is dictated by the age that you will be on 31st December of the current year.
E.g. I will be 46 this year so fall into the M/W45 age class for the whole year 1st Jan to 31st Dec. On Jan 1st of the year I turn 50, regardless of when my birthday is, I then become M/W50.

Juniors: M/W10, M/W12, M/W14, M/W16, M/W18, M/W20
Same idea as above except it’s anyone that age or younger by Dec 31st of the current year.

Jargon Buster

Try this A-Z Jargon Buster on the SOA website and if you still don’t get it then ask one of the club old timers to explain.

O map and control description symbols explained

The SOA website has some pdfs and videos explaining control descriptions and how these relate to maps. The pictorial control description system used for Light Green standard and upwards is designed and regulated by the International Orienteering Federation so once you’ve got things sussed the world’s your oyster!

Map symbols and control descriptions explained

TIP: It’s a lot to take in all in one go, so concentrate on the 4th column first and make sure you can recognise the symbols for the most commonly used features: path, track, wall, fence, stream, boulder, re-entrant (think small valley), crag/cliff, vegetation boundary, distinctive tree, manmade object (aka prominent feature)

There are are also a handful of extra symbols specifically for urban maps such as steps, hedges and flower beds.

The other columns on the control descriptions add more detail to the basic description such as which feature if there are more than one in the control circle on the map – e.g. No 6 is north western most boulder of at least two – and also which side or part of the feature to help you locate the control – e.g. No 4 south side of a fence corner or No 7 upper part of a large re-entrant.

Organiser’s Manual has a wealth of tips and advice for novice Organisers and the checklist is an invaluable summary of the most important aspects of organising guaranteed to help even the most experienced.
Organisers’ Manual (Feb 2025)
Organisers Checklist (Feb 2025)

Equipment is stored at Jonathan Smith’s house, Colthill (off Countesswells Road) :  www.what3words.com/healthier.hero.tidy
Please contact Jonathan in advance regarding pick-up and drop-off using this contact form.

Example flyer for Regional event: Example Flyer
Remove/add/amend details as required for your event

Course entry sheets (for ticking off maps sold):
course-entry-sheet.pdf          course-entry-sheet.xls
Ready reckoner (makes the maths easier for Registration bods!):
Ready Reckoner xls format      Ready Reckoner pdf

Course entry stubs:  Course stubs for entry on the day at Regional events
There should be loads of these already in Organisers’ box but check and top up as required. Your planner will tell you which colour courses will be on offer. SOLs have additional Short versions of Green/Blue/Brown and a Black course.

Risk assessment forms:
SOA Risk Assessment Form (Covid precautions included)
There may be one of these from a previous event on your area that you could use as a starting point – ask the Fixtures Team.

Rescue Plan

Post Event Reports

Non BOF Members Insurance Details pdf
Non BOF Members Insurance Details xls

SI controls – as of June 2020
Total of 65 controls 181 to 245 incl on lightweight fibre-glass stakes
2 Start and 2 Finish

For the summer series, night series (and other level D events) we usually use a subset of these numbers and the controls plus some signs and first aid kit are passed from planner to planner. It is traditional that you help collect controls from the event before yours, or if you won’t be there to ask someone else to help on your behalf.
Ask David Esson for the current set of control numbers in use for Level D events and if you think you’ll need more then he will arrange extras to be made available.

GRAMP Ocad maps 
Contact the mapping co-ordinator to make sure you have the most up to date version. NB The old Yahoo Group account is no longer used and we’ve swapped to Dropbox.

Minor map corrections can be made by the club using OCAD software on the club’s latop (aka Maptop) or mark up a paper copy and send to the mapping coordinator who will do it for you.  Contact the mapping coordinator for advice using this contact form or emailing mapping “at” grampoc.com

Course planning 
Planners Guide (updated Feb 2025)      Aimed at Level C/Regional events but also has some good tips for Level D events and printing contact details.
Check the BOF website – search for “Appendix B” – for full guidance on course lengths and standards and more planning advice.

Condes planning software
Check the Condes website for up to date guides and downloads. Gramp has a licence for Condes and David Esson can supply you with the club’s username and password for installing and running the full bells and whistle version.

Purple Pen planning software
This software is free to use and can be downloaded from the Purple Pen website. It is easy to learn, intuitive to use, and is recommended for small events where you do not need the sophisticated options provided by Condes.