Event Description
Boys and girls ages 7-13 will enjoy trail running on the single track and ski trails around Wirth Park as they are coached in the basics of orienteering skills. The program will also incorporate ultimate frisbee, slack line skills and other running games as a warm up for our main session focused on trail running and orienteering. In the fall ( session 3 run/orienteering) we have an Adventure Running Series as part of the program.
Practice sessions include the following activities:
- Agility and strength exercises to develop age appropriate motor skills
- Balance work with the slack line
- Orienteering skills: Use orienteering maps to find hidden controls in the woods like a treasure hunt!
- Adventure Trail Race Series ( fall session only) provides competition in 1 mile adventure run races in the woods of Wirth Park!
- Games, relays, ultimate and soccer mixed in throughout the sessions.
Ability Groups
Orienteering Ability Groups
Youth of mixed gender are assigned to coaching groups based by age, friend request and past experience with orienteering. All non-binary and trans youth are welcome in TRAIL KIDS run/orienteering programs. When you register you can indicate the appropriate orienteering ability levels listed below:
- White Level: Beginner with no experience in orienteering
- Green Level: Beginner to intermediate in orienteering skills: Youth has participated in at least one or two 6 week sessions of the TRAIL KIDS orienteering program.
- Blue Level: Intermediate to advanced in orienteering skills. Youth has participated in at least three to four 6 week orienteering sessions.
- Black Level: Advanced in orienteering skills with two plus years of orienteering experience and a desire to be challenged and compete at local MNOC meet events.
New to orienteering? Check out the MNOC website here for short description of orienteering here! Check out the following article link about the Top 10 health benefits of Orienteering! For further links on introduction to orienteering and map reading learn from the Loppet orienteering expert coach JD in the following presentations:
Equipment
TRAIL KIDS will need a good pair of running shoes and water bottle for each session. All programming will be focused on orienteering with a mix of other running games such as ultimate frisbee and soccer.
Registration
Registration will open March 1, 2021 for session 1
Tuesdays/Thursdays Wirth Run/Orienteering Session 1
- Dates: May 4 – June 10
- Session Days/Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 6-7:30 PM
- Where: Wirth Pavilion ( East side at bottom of hill across from boat launch parking lot).
- Cost: $220 or $250 after April 4
Registration will open April1, 2021 for session 2
Tuesdays/Thursdays Wirth Run/Orienteering Session 2
- Dates: June 15 - July 22
- Session Days/Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 6PM – 7:30PM
- Where: Wirth Pavilion ( East side at bottom of hill across from boat launch parking lot).
- Cost: $220 or $250 after June 6
Registration will open July 1, 2021 for session 3
Tuesdays/Thursdays Wirth Run/Orienteering Session 3
- Dates: September 7 – October 14
- Session Days/Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 5:30- 7:00PM
- Location: Wirth Pavilion ( East side at bottom of hill across from boat launch parking lot)
- Cost: $220 or $250 after August 7
A Note About the Data We Collect
Scholarship and Sibling Dicounts
Scholarships: Need-based registration partial scholarships are available. For information about TRAIL KIDS Program scholarships email trailkids@loppet.org
Sibling Discount: For those families who have three or more kids in the program we will given a ten percent discount code. Please email trailkids@loppet.org for more information.
New to TRAIL KIDS? Click here to “Test Drive” a fall session for free
