2024 WOC US Team Trials

Saturday, May 11, 2024

University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

The 2024 US Team Trials to select the athletes to represent TeamUSA at the World Sprint Orienteering Championships in Scotland will be conducted in a two event format.

Athletes based in Europe can use Sprint Scotland on May 3-4 as Team Trials races and athletes based in the US will use the Sprint Storrs Team Trials races detailed below. The selection committee will also entertain petitions for athletes who are unable to attend a trials event but wish to be considered.

All athletes should refer to the 2024 WOC Team Selection Criteria for full details on the selection process.

This page will serve as the Event Bulletin and additional information will be added as we approach the race date. Be sure to check back for updates.

Embargo

The entirety of the University of Connecticut main campus in Storrs is off limits to all persons planning to try out for the US WOC Team. Areas east of CT-195 – ie the Ag Quad will not be used for TT races and are not under this embargo.

Race Info

The UConn Sprint Team Trials will consist of two events:

• AM – Individual Sprint
• Both AM & PM courses are using mixed punching – SIAC ‘Air Punching’ or conventional dibber.
  • Start Times are posted on EventReg
    • First Start: 10am
  • We will be using a simple three-line call up for all runners (TT & non-TT).
  • T-3+ (3-10 minutes before start) – check-in, verify your SI Card#, pick up dibber if borrowing
  • T-2 (two minutes before start) – Clear / Check / SI-Air Test and pick up your loose description sheet if desired
  • T-1 – you will be called to the start line one minute before start and handed your map
  • T-0 – START (using a start punch) – out the door 50m to remote start triangle (flag only, no punch)
  • TT Quarantine: Team trialers should be in the greenhouse headhouse area by 9:45am
  • Team Trials athletes will start first using a start punch
    • 60sec start interval
  • Fifteen (15) minutes after the last TT starter, non team trials runners will start using a start punch until all runners are out.
    • Three courses:
      • Long (Men’s TT) – 3.2km
      • Medium (Women’s TT) – 2.2km
      • Short – 1.7km
    • Non-team trials runners should check-in in the headhouse at least 10 minutes before your starting time.
  • Time Limit: One Hour – all runners should check in at download by 12:00 noon
    • Return to the start/finish if you haven’t completed your course within an hour.
    • Controls will be removed and venue relocated starting at noon.
• PM Sprint Relay
  • A one-man style relay will be used with a mass start at 2pm for Team Trials participants.
    • Men & Women will have separate courses but will start together
      • Men: 4.2km
      • Women: 3.6km
    • Courses will include forking
    • Courses will include a map exchange
      • 2nd map begins with same control first map finishes with
      • You don’t need to punch it twice
    • There will be common controls/legs between the Men’s & Women’s courses
    • There will still be AM controls out there to confound you – check those codes!!
    • There will be loose control description sheets for the relay. They will be in the map case with your first map and you will be instructed when you can pull them out and put them in your holder.
      • (37 lines men, 31 lines women – printed at 75% normal size)
    • Courses will be designed to highlight spectating so plan to cheer on your favorite athletes in head-to-head competition.
      • Feel free to bring cow-bells or noisemaker of choice…
    • Non Team Trials participants will run the womens sprint course after the Team Trial Relay concludes at 2:30pm
      • Non TT participants will be started in a quasi-mass start. Queued up, map handout and started using a punching start.
      • I may insert a brief (30-60s) delay between juniors (18 & under), masters (40 & over) and open (19-39) just to avoid initial congestion on the course.
      • If you’d rather not be in the quasi-mass start, you can wait a few minutes for the first batch to get out of sight.
      • The non TT courses will use the womens course and will have map exchange but no forking.
      • Time Limit: One Hour – all runners should check in at download by 3:30pm
      • Return to the start/finish if you haven’t completed your course within an hour.
• Shoes with metal ‘dobs’ will NOT be allowed for either event.
• Livelox: Maps and courses for both AM & PM events will be live at 2pm. The morning courses will NOT be unlocked until the relay.
  • If you’re running in the event at Storrs and have not already done so, consider setting your Livelox account to automatically upload from Garmin Connect or whatever service you use, so that those watching remotely can watch the races shortly after you finish the relay.

Registration

Registration is now CLOSED. Please note that all athletes who wish to be considered for the 2024 WOC Team need to register through EventReg by May 1st. If you will be trialing at Sprint Scotland or submitting a petition you can select NC (not competing) for the two Storrs races and select the appropriate declaration in the dropdown menu on the Team Trials Declaration page.

See who is already registered.

Travel & Lodging

The nearest major airport is Bradley International (BDL) in Windsor Locks. It is about 40 minutes drive under typical traffic conditions.

Lodging: Since this is a one-day event, we are not organizing any specific lodging arrangements. There are a wide variety of typical hotel options in the Manchester/Vernon area about 20 minutes from campus.

Directions: Parking for both AM & PM events will be in surface Lot N. Follow signs for North Parking Garage & Visitors Center. We will be using the surface lot immediately west of the North Parking Garage (no permit or fees on weekends in surface lots). For GPS, use 15 King Hill Road, Storrs, CT.

NOTE: The AM events will be centered around the Torrey Life Science greenhouse complex. These are NOT the greenhouses you will see coming into campus on Rt 195. Follow the signs to North Garage and Visitors Center. You won’t see the Torrey Greenhouses until you walk down the alleyway behind Torrey. Follow the O signs.

There is an approximately 400m walk to each of the venue areas from Lot N. There is plenty of secure indoor space to bring your post-race gear/belongings in the greenhouse support area in the AM. Athletes may warmup in the dorm area across the street from Torrey Life Sciences.

There is a covered area to stow gear for PM as well. Athletes can warm up along Hillside Road (after the morning race only), but TT athletes in particular should not proceed beyond the Student Union building until race time.

Things to do in the area

• UConn Evolutionary Biology Conservatory – the greenhouses of the UConn Conservatory will be open to the public from 10am-2pm and feature a world-class collection of plants from around the world. Highly recommended!!
  • TT Quarantine and starts will be from the greenhouse/headhouse.
  • Post-race refreshments and download will also be hosted by the greenhouse for your post race mingling.
  • Outdoor garden spaces with seating also available adjacent to the greenhouses.
• UConn Dairy Bar – ‘nuf said. A destination in itself. Located in the Ag Quad and not affected by campus embargo.
• UConn Arboretum Tree Tour – a self guided tour of exceptional trees located around the UConn campus – team trial participants are prohibited from doing this activity until after the PM Sprint Relay for obvious reasons.
• Downtown Storrs – located a short walk from the southeast part of campus, the downtown Storrs area offers numerous shops and dining establishments.

Volunteers

• Event Director: Clinton Morse
• Mapper & Course Setter: Clinton Morse
• Mapping Consultant: Jon Campbell
• Course Consultant: Evalin Brautigam
• Course Vetter(s): Carl Underwood
• Registrar: Jim Henderson
• Start Crew: Phil Bricker
• Finish / Timing: JJ Cote
• Website: Clinton Morse
• Photographer: Nadim Ahmed

Course Setter Notes

• The UConn campus is quite typical of US university campuses – it is relatively flat and fairly open. This in stark contrast with typical european urban sprints with their intricate maze-like quality. It will be fast, and cumulative time gain/loss from micro-route choices will likely play a factor.
• It is expected that campus will be fairly quiet for this event but there will still likely be some pedestrian traffic around. Use caution when going around blind corners of buildings or walls to avoid running into people.
• It is highly likely that you will cross some short chain fences as shown in Photo#1 below. As long as both sides are legal running they are fair game and can often be taken at full running speed. Use caution to avoid tripping.
• It is also likely that you will elect routes that go over passable retaining walls (~24″ in height). Again use caution as these can often be hard to see when approaching from the top side and you don’t want the ground to suddenly drop away below you.
  • Warning: There IS a retaining wall between the map issue and start triangle in the relay – you have been warned… I’ll remind you again at the start.
• Mulched areas (mostly fresh bark, but some stone) are Out of Bounds. Large areas that affect route choice are accurately mapped. Smaller areas such as around the base of trees or small shrubs are not mapped but are still off limits, but avoiding them should not hinder running speed or route choice.
• A number of buildings have air intakes at ground level that are covered by a sturdy metal grid. While it is quite possible to run on these surfaces, they are Out of Bounds and depicted on the map with purple OOB markings. There are a few that may impact route choice.
• While we considered using artificial barriers to create additional route choice problems, due to the wide open nature of the campus (and the multiple layers of bureaucracy needed to get permission) there are no artificial barriers in use for this event. About the closest you’ll get is mapped narrow mulch beds.
• UConn has a very limited number of multi-level areas and many of those are congested loading areas that would be out of bounds for competition anyway, so courses largely steer clear of any multi-level areas.
• There are over 60 controls in play – so you will encounter controls from other courses (or from the morning event during the relay). Be sure to double check your codes.
• Relay: The finish chute is well isolated from any logical route choices, though courses will pass through the arena multiple times. If, however, you make a mistake and opt for an illogical route choice – keep in mind that passing through the chute prematurely will likely turn off your SIAC Air. Do not run through the finish chute until you are done with the course..

Mapper Notes

This section will be updated with additional information, photos and more as we get closer to the event date. Be sure to check back for the latest info.

• Map Scale: 1:4000
• Contour Interval: 2.5m (this detail was accidentally omitted from the printed maps)
• I have endeavored to adhere to ISSprOM spec while allowing the map to remain legible at high running speeds. Small trivial details that would not impact route selection have been largely generalized away to maintain map legibility at speed.
• Small chain fences are not mapped, but are crossable if both sides are ‘passable’ (see photo #1)
• Railings around entrances & handicap ramps have not been mapped to prevent unnecessary visual clutter. These are easy to slip around and longer ones can readily be passed over or through.
• Portable Steam units – this week is campus heating plant shutdown, so a handful of buildings that require essential heating/hot water often have temporary boilers (trailers) near them. While we will endeavor to identify all such temporary units on the competition map (mapped in purple) – if you do encounter an unmapped boiler truck, please use caution if running near it.
• Permanent free-standing A/C units, electrical boxes etc have been mapped with a solid black – “Building – minimum size” symbol. Will basically appear as a square boulder on the map. (See Photo #2)
  • If used as a control feature, these will use ‘X – Special Item’ in the control descriptions.
• Man-made object – black “O” – are sculpture objects. Black “X” – are other misc man-made objects – the ‘X’ symbol is infrequently used on this map.
  • The X symbol may be used in control descriptions as noted in previous item.
• Roads – the venue does not entail any busy road crossings – however, there is light vehicle traffic on some of the internal service roads on campus. It is the runners responsibility to ensure that no vehicles are coming before crossing these roadways. On the map – pavement where vehicles may be expected, including parking lots, use the darker 501.x symbols. Pedestrian pathways are depicted with the lighter 501.x symbology, although service vehicles may be encountered on these pathways at times. Stay aware…
• Open Land with Trees – this symbol may represent one of two conditions:
  • Open mature trees – areas with mature canopy overhead, but wide open runnability beneath. Some areas may include conifers that are runnable at ground level, but may impede visibility to an extent.
  • Open young trees – areas with small trees or shrubs that were too numerous to map individually without sacrificing map legibility but where runnability is not impaired beyond some minor zig-zagging to avoid mulch rings.
• Arboretum Notes:
  • The UConn campus also serves as an arboretum (living museum of trees)
  • Some large trees are surrounded by a larger 520.0 “Area that shall not be entered” These may be trees, such as weeping beech, where the canopy drops to ground level or may be trunked trees with a mulched area exceeding the diameter of the tree symbol. The mulched area under such canopies are OOB to protect the trees. (See photo #3)
  • All actively maintained mulched beds, even if nothing appears to be growing in them, are mapped as 520 “Area that shall not be entered”.
    • Exception: As shown in Photo 1, there are occasional, very narrow mulch strips along sidewalks. These are not mapped OOB and are legal passage. Wider mulched sidewalk strips are mapped with olive green and are out of bounds.
  • Many trees have substantial mulched rings around them. Stay off the mulch..