Miami Valley Junior Orientering Championships
Trophy Rules

1. The competition will be called the "Miami Valley Junior Orientering Championships".

2. The Miami Valley Orienteering Club (MVOC) will schedule two events specifically for Junior Orienteers each year, one in the fall and one in the spring. The fall event will be a practice event, so teams can see how much they need to improve, and the trophies will be presented based on competition at the spring event.

3. There will be 4 large "Revolving" trophies presented to the institution of the winning team in each of the Divisions for individual competitors: Middle/Jr. High, Rookie, Junior Varsity, and Varsity. The trophies will be engraved with the name of the institution for each year’s winning team and can be presented formally at an assembly.

4. Each year 7 smaller trophies will be awarded to the winning team in each Division to keep permanently (including the three ‘cooperative’ or group categories).

5. A medal will be awarded to the fastest individual on each course.

6. Competition.

There will be 7 categories for the Junior Team Orienteering Championships:

Division Course Persons Trophy Guideline Age Level of O Experience
Middle/Jr. High Cooperative White Groups of 2-4 Small permanent 12 and under none
Rookie Cooperative Yellow Groups of 2-4 Small permanent 14 and under beginner
Junior Varsity Cooperative Orange Groups of 2-4 Small permanent 16 and under intermediate
Middle/Jr. High White Individuals Large Revolving and Small permanent 12 and under beginner
Rookie Yellow Individuals Large Revolving and Small permanent 14 and under beginner
Junior Varsity Orange Individuals Large Revolving and Small permanent 16 and under intermediate
Varsity Green Individuals Large Revolving and Small permanent 20 and under advanced

An institution is any school, club, youth group, or collection of home-schooled individuals, banded together for a common purpose. The institution must have a name, be located in west-central Ohio, and be recognized by MVOC. Examples of recognized institutions are Middle and High Schools, JROTC, Scouts, 4-H, and Orienteering clubs.

A team consists of 3 to 5 individuals or groups who run the same orienteering course separately and compete in the same division. Coaches, teachers, and other leaders who are over 20 years old may compete, but shall not be considered part of the team.

In the Individual Divisions: Middle/Jr. High, Rookie, Junior Varsity, and Varsity, a team is comprised of 3 to 5 individuals. Each individual competes on the same corresponding course: White, Yellow, Orange, or Green, running alone and unassisted. Each individual is a team member.

In the Cooperative Divisions: Middle/Jr. High Co-op, Rookie Co-op and JV Co-op, a team is composed of 3 to 5 groups of individuals. Each cooperative group may have from 2 to 4 people in it but they must act as a single entity, completing the course together and turning in one punch card at the finish. Such a group is considered one team member.

Each institution may field multiple teams for each of the divisions to compete for the trophies. Each team and group member must be actively affiliated with the same institution. Each team and group member must compete for only one institution.

Each institution must field at least one team, with a minimum of three competitors, to qualify for a division trophy. The three competitors would have to all run the same course individually in order to be on the same Division team. All competitors are eligible for the individual awards, regardless of team affiliation.

To be eligible, team and group members must be actively affiliated with an institution and must be less than 21 years of age.

A team score is computed by adding together the fastest 3 times of its eligible team members. At least 3 of the team members must finish the course, under three hours, in order to get a team score.

A cooperative group finish time is determined by when the last member of the group crosses the finish line. A cooperative group finishes only if all members of the group stay together and complete the entire course.

The spring event results will determine who is awarded trophies. The individual division teams that win the spring competition will also be presented large trophies for display at their institution. Fall team scores will be computed and published, but will not be considered in calculating scores for the trophy awards. Fall scores can help teams assess their readiness for the spring competition.

The fastest individual times on each course, regardless of team or institution affiliation will be recognized and applauded.

Teams are encouraged to practice at any orienteering events during the year. MVOC will provide a schedule of all our events and can also provide information about other orienteering events that team members may wish to attend .

Competitors are expected to complete the orienteering course fairly and to act sportsmanlike. They must obey the orienteering rules: especially no following or assisting other competitors. Tampering with any part of the course, such as controls or punches, water or other equipment, is against the rules. Team members who help or hinder other competitors will be disqualified for that event and repeated offenses could result in the team’s institution being banned from the competition for a period of two years.