Georgia Navigator Cup 2025

Georgia Orienteering Club

NATIONAL RANKING EVENT

Meet Guide

Meet Guide - Sweetwater Creek State Park Classic Event

Meet guide for Friday's Middle Distance event is below

LiveLox

We will have Livelox active during the event. Juniors, please take your cell phone with you during your run, install the Livelox app and make sure to turn it on before you start.

Search and Rescue (SAR)

The SAR coordinator is Fred Zendt. His cell phone number is 678-640-5828. Put this number in your cell phone now. He can be found through Meet HQ. Please coordinate the search and rescue of all missing or injured persons through Meet HQ. Do not attempt search and rescue operations of your own.

Model Map

A model course and map are available at the northwest end of the park at Picnic Shelter #2, near the intersection of Mt Vernon Rd and Cedar Terrace Rd. Model maps and controls will be available Friday and Saturday.
Model area map, 1:10,000 can be downloaded here.
Model area map, 1:7,500 can be downloaded here.

Time Limits

Time limit is 3 hours on all courses. You must return to the Finish, punch the Finish control and Download your e-stick within 3 hours after you start, whether you complete your course or not. Do not go out on a course if you do not have the means to tell the time and how long you have been out. This generally means a watch or a cellphone.

Safety

If you have been out for 3 hours or it is clear that you cannot finish in 3 hours, you must stop immediately and report to the Finish.

Saturday Safety Bearing:

White and Yellow courses, go south to the dirt road and then west to the bridge. All other courses, go north to the dirt road then west to the bridge. If unsure of where you are, STAY on any road or trail you come across.

Sunday Safety Bearing:

The map is bounded by the river on the east, private property and roads on the west and the Start, Finish and Visitors Center on the north. If you are totally lost, head north. Carry a whistle. One will be provided upon request. Three (3) short blasts from a whistle indicate an emergency. Blowing the whistle otherwise will result in Disqualification. If you are lost after the courses close, you are already disqualified, and it is an emergency. Please blow your whistle so that we can locate you before it gets dark. You are encouraged to carry a cell phone to be able to call in an emergency. If your calls do not go through, try text messages. Before starting your course, make a contingency plan. Share your start time, expected finish time and contact details with someone who can raise the alarm. The courses close at 4:00 pm. Sunset is at 5:54 pm and last light is at 6:21 pm. Dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Weather conditions in Georgia in January vary from freezing and/or cold rain to very pleasant. If the ground is wet, exposed red clay will be extremely slippery. Please be careful not to slip on it. Assist an injured competitor. If another competitor is hurt and in need of assistance, help to the best of your ability or go to summon help. Report the injured competitor’s bib number and exact location to officials at the Finish or Start line.

Warm Up Area

You may warm up along the roads around Meet HQ and parking area, or on the marked route to the Start.

Clothing Return

Saturday & Sunday - Clothing drop off at the Start call-up area. Clothing return in or near to the Group Shelter at the Finish.

Walk to Start

Routes will be clearly marked with signs and streamers. Saturday walk is ~700m from Meet HQ. Sunday start near picnic shelter #5, ~500m from Meet HQ.

Rest rooms:

• In the Group Shelter (registration building).
• Porta-potties near picnic shelter #3 which is across from the entrance to the Group Shelter parking lot. These will be on the way to the start both days.
• Near the playground, across the road from Sunday’s start.

Control Descriptions

Will be available at the Start mid-line (1-min to go). Also printed on the map.

Call Up

Be at the Call-up area approximately 5-10 minutes before your Start time.
Call up is 3 minutes before your start time.
Start procedure will consist of three one-minute stages: Call-up, Mid line and Map lines.
Control descriptions will be available at the Mid-line and will also be printed on your map.
At the Map line you will receive your map. Markers will be available to write your bib number on the back of the map.

If you finish before the last start, we will collect your map at the finish. You may retrieve your map once all competitors have started. There are only sufficient maps for each person to have one each day, so please do not take anyone else’s.

Finish Line

When arriving at the finish line, be sure you punch the “Finish” control at the Finish banner. Proceed immediately to the Download Station to have your e-stick read. Take the printout of your results and split times. If not all competitors have started, you will be asked to turn in your map and pick it up later. Once you have finished, you may not re-enter the competition area without permission of the Meet Director.
Rental e-sticks must be turned in on the last day of your competition at the Download Station.

Map and Course Setter Notes – Sweetwater Creek State Park (Sat-Sun Classic Distance event)

Individual boulders that are 1 meter high and over are represented on the map with the regular boulder symbol (black dot).
The boulder cluster symbol (equilateral triangle) is used for a group of boulders (each at least 1 meter high) that are too close to map individually.
The boulder field symbol (scalene triangle) is used for a group of scattered boulders that are typically at least 0.5 meter high or at least 1 meter wide.
A non-standard symbol (small, upside-down equilateral triangle) is used for man-made piles of rocks.
Features mapped as rides are old road beds, often so old that they are barely discernable when running across, but are usually easy to see when running along. Rides outlined with green are typically filled with small pine trees and are not runnable.
Deadfall that impedes running but does not impede visibility is mapped with vertical green lines (vegetation, slow running, good visibility).

Non-standard symbols used are:
• Black small equilateral triangle: Man-made rock pile, at least 1 meter high
• Green X (prominent vegetation feature): rootstock, at least 1 meter high
• Black O: Trash/Junk pile
• Black X: Man-made structure that is not trash/junk
• Small Black “o”: picnic table

The competition maps have an abbreviated legend with just the most commonly used and relevant map symbols. A more extensive, complete map legend (as shown in the Mapper's Notes) is available to download here.

Saturday

Saturday’s Start is on the dirt road leading up to the bridge across Sweetwater Creek. All courses then proceed directly across the bridge. The course does not show the bridge as a mandatory route, but there really isn’t any other way across the river inside the park. Saturday most controls are on the east side of the river, but the Finish is back on the west side. Similar to the start, the course does not show the bridge as a mandatory route, but I certainly hope no one thinks crossing the river anywhere else is a good idea. Water for orienteering participants is placed at several locations along a dirt road, as indicated with the water cup symbol on the map.

Sunday

Sunday’s Start Call-up is near picnic shelter #5. Water for orienteering participants is placed at several locations along a dirt road, as indicated with the water cup symbol on the map.

Blue and Red-X runners. The is a very large and dangerous cliff east of control 11. Please exercise caution on the 10->11 leg.

Reserve Punch Boxes

In the rare event that one or more electronic punch units fail, 3 Reserve Punch boxes are provided on the map. Use the pin punch to record your presence at the control.

Meet Guide - Red Top Mountain State Park Middle Distance Event

LiveLox

We will have Livelox active during the event. Juniors, please take your cell phone with you during your run, install the Livelox app and make sure to turn it on before you start.

Search and Rescue (SAR)

The SAR coordinator is Ron Hojnowski. His cell phone number is 985-788-8567. Put this number in your cell phone now.
He can be found through Meet HQ. Please coordinate the search and rescue of all missing or injured persons through Meet HQ. Do not attempt search and rescue operations of your own.

Time Limits

Time limit is 2 hours on all courses. You must return to the Finish, punch the Finish control and Download your e-stick within 2 hours after you start, whether you complete your course or not. Do not go out on a course if you do not have the means to tell the time and how long you have been out. This generally means a watch or a cellphone.

Safety

If you have been out for 2 hours or it is clear that you cannot finish in 3 hours, you must stop immediately and report to the Finish.

Safety Bearing:

Head to the old road going E-W through the center of the map. Or go east to Red Top Mountain road at the far east end of the map. If you are unsure of where you are, STAY on any road or trail you come across.
Carry a whistle. One will be provided upon request. Three (3) short blasts from a whistle indicate an emergency. Blowing the whistle otherwise will result in Disqualification. If you are lost after the courses close, you are already disqualified, and it is an emergency. Please blow your whistle so that we can locate you before it gets dark. You are encouraged to carry a cell phone to be able to call in an emergency. If your calls do not go through, try text messages. Before starting your course, make a contingency plan. Share your start time, expected finish time and contact details with someone who can raise the alarm. The courses close at 4:00 pm. Sunset is at 5:54 pm and last light is at 6:21 pm. Dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Weather conditions in Georgia in January vary from freezing and/or cold rain to very pleasant. If the ground is wet, exposed red clay will be extremely slippery. Please be careful not to slip on it. Assist an injured competitor. If another competitor is hurt and in need of assistance, help to the best of your ability or go to summon help. Report the injured competitor’s bib number and exact location to officials at the Finish or Start line.

Warm Up Area

You may warm up north of Meet HQ and the parking area, or on the marked route to the Start.

Clothing Return

No clothing return from the start area.

Walk to Start

Routes will be clearly marked with signs and streamers. Walk is ~300m from Meet HQ / Finish area and the parking area.

Rest rooms:

• Porta-potties near the parking pass booth at the entrance.
• Porta-potties in the back/grassy parking area.

Control Descriptions

Will be available at the Start mid-line (1-min to go). Also printed on the map.

Call Up

Finish Line

Map and Course Setter Notes – Red Top Mountain State Park, Friday Middle Distance event

The Park is surrounded on three sides by Lake Allatoona, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Etowah River. As a reservoir, the lake level fluctuates throughout the year. Currently, the lake level is 12-13 feet below full pool, exposing boulders, tree stumps, and hills that are normally submerged. Features that would be submerged if the lake were full are not mapped. The full pool level is represented on the map with the earth bank symbol (without tags), and the estimated lake level is represented with the uncrossable body of water symbol.
The area between the full pool level and the estimated lake level is represented with the rough open land symbol. Generally, the exposed area between the actual shoreline and full pool is runnable (although muddy close to the water). A few locations are very rocky and hardly passable. These rocky areas are not mapped. Keep this in mind when choosing your routes.

Individual boulders that are 1 meter high and over are represented on the map with the regular boulder symbol (black dot).
The boulder cluster symbol (equilateral triangle) is used for a group of boulders (each at least 1 meter high) that are too close to map individually.
The boulder field symbol (scalene triangle) is used for a group of scattered boulders that are typically at least 0.5 meter high or at least 1 meter wide.
A non-standard symbol (small, upside-down equilateral triangle) is used for man-made piles of rocks.
Deadfall that impedes running but does not impede visibility is mapped with vertical green lines (vegetation, slow running, good visibility).

Non-standard symbols used are:
• Black small equilateral triangle: Man-made rock pile, at least 1 meter high
• Green X (prominent vegetation feature): rootstock, at least 1 meter high
• Black O: Trash/Junk pile
• Black X: Man-made structure that is not trash/junk

Water

Water for orienteering participants is placed at two control points and one road intersection, as indicated with the water cup symbol on the map.

Reserve Punch Boxes

In the rare event that one or more electronic punch units fail, 3 Reserve Punch boxes are provided on the map. Use the pin punch to record your presence at the control.