Welcome to WIOL (2012-13 Season)
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The Washington Interscholastic Orienteering League (WIOL) provides the opportunity for students from elementary school to high school to enjoy solo navigation as a competitive sport.
Junior orienteers complete courses individually for points, and may qualify for season and championship awards. Students in Middle School or High School may also sign up as teams with other students from their schools, still competing individually but adding their points together to qualify for seasonal and championship team trophies.
For students who may already be busy with fall or winter sports, the November-February season makes it an excellent cross-over sport for winter conditioning.
WIOL consists of eight events, roughly every other Saturday throughout the winter, starting in early November and culminating in the WIOL Championships in late February.
[Not WIOL Season now? Check out the Ultimate Orienteering or Choose Your Adventure series for more local orienteering!]
Each event explores a different park in the Puget Sound area. It's a great way to exercise your body and your mind at the same time.
In addition, the WIOL scoring format—best four of seven meets—allows the flexibility to learn from or miss some meets and still have a highly successful season.
No prior experience or club membership is needed to participate, and newcomers are welcome, even after the season has started.
To participate in WIOL, a student should be comfortable completing a course solo, although shadowing by an adult for safety is allowed on elementary courses. All junior orienteers at all levels must carry a whistle.
SEASON INFORMATION: Students should register for the 2012/2013 WIOL season before Saturday, October 13 to avoid a $5 late fee.
- 2012/2013 Registration & Waiver (includes mailing location)
- 2012/2013 WIOL Season Schedule & Info Flyer
- Pre-season WIOL training on Oct 20
- WIOL Results (Individual and Team).
TRAINING INFORMATION: On the surface, orienteering is easy; just read a map to find orange & white markers. But the more you know about what's on a map, and the more courses you do now, the better you'll do during the season. If you are new to WIOL, strongly consider the
FREE Pre-WIOL Intro Class.
- Orienteering symbols quick-reference. What are those weird international symbols on your map? Find out, then test yourself.
- Permanent Courses at ten parks for learning to navigate at your own pace.
- Event schedule. Not just WIOL, but also two other series--Ultimate Orienteering and Choose Your Adventure--that have local events all year-round. Includes occasional training events.
- Starting a School Team. Sometimes, the best first step is a non-competitive outdoor club that loves to explore parks.
- Orienteering Coach's Handbook. The best skills for success at each level of WIOL.
- Tutorial for using Route Gadget to analyze route choice decisions.
These sample previous courses show the progression in course complexity as junior orienteers grow in ability. (Start at the triangle and finish at the double circle):
- Elementary (Course 1)
- Middle School (Course 2)
- High School JV (Courses 3 or 4)
- High School Varsity (Courses 5 or 6)
2012/13 REFERENCE INFO: Still have a question about how the league works? Look at these or contact the WIOL Director:
- WIOL Rules 2012-13. Everything we can do to make solo competitions fair and enjoyable.
- WIOL Course Designer Guide 2012/13. The "inside scoop" on how those courses are created.
- IOF Control Symbol Reference. 17 pages of guidance about how international symbols are used.
- Frequently asked questions (Coming later).
PARENTS: Looking for something to do while your student runs a course? Check out the volunteer opportunities, or try out a public course (where you don't have to go solo) with friends or family at the same park. There's even a series for adults, called the Winter O' Series.