A crowd of people in uniform with numbers comes to the place and cheerfully scatters in different directions. Orienteering: a sport or something that combines elements of relaxation and entertainment?
No picnic and no hunger games
Today you can hear more and more about orienteering. However, not everyone really understands what kind of sport it is. First, let's dispel the most common myths. So, orienteering is not a survival game in the forest, when participants are thrown into the impenetrable taiga from a helicopter and they need to find their way home on their own. Also, this sport has nothing to do with outdoor gatherings in nature with barbecue, beer and music. So what is it? A hiking trail through the woods over rough terrain? Again, no.
Perhaps many will be interested to know that this sport existed in Russia even during the Soviet Union and was included in the standards of the TRP complex, as well as the calendars of all-Union sports competitions and championships. Orienteering can really take place in a forest or in the mountains, but its main purpose is an analytical game. At the start, the participants are given tasks in the form of tasks, the solution of which needs to be pondered. As soon as you solve the riddle, you know the location of the next piece of the puzzle, where you should go to get a new task.
Sometimes, in the process, the participants need to collect any objects or simply move from place to place, recording the time of passing the given points with special sensors-beacons. Well, the one who will guess all the puzzles the fastest, get to the right point and collect all the necessary items - gets a well-deserved victory and an indescribable joy of satisfaction.
Who can participate in orienteering
Orienteering competitions are of different difficulty levels. Some practice the sport all the time and compete like a pro, while others may come to a special beginner competition and take part in it. No special skills or abilities are required from the participant. The main thing is the desire to win, some physical preparation and good equipment.
Orienteering competitions are held both in summer and in winter, and can be organized specifically for cyclists, skiers, retirees or schoolchildren of different ages. And if you want to show your analytical skills to the maximum and, at the same time, strengthen your spirit and train your body endurance - orienteering is what you need.
