Orienteering For Kids
The Little Troll Program for Children
Earn a Patch While Learning to Orienteer
The USOF Little Troll program was designed by USOF's Youth Committee under
a grant from the U.S. Olympic Committee. The program's continuing support
is funded by USOF membership dues.
The purpose of the program is to give parents, grandparents and other adult
mentors a method of teaching children to orienteer. All children
participating in the program must be accompanied by a parent/adult while
orienteering on a String-O or White course at a regular MNOC event. Similar
activities held by orienteers outside of club events or held by Scout,
school or other youth groups do not qualify to received Little Troll
stickers or patch awards.
Cards and stickers are available, at no charge, just ask for a card during
registration.We will provide each child participating in the program with a
new card when the child begins the program and whenever the child's card is
full of stickers. The child's parent should decide the level card the child
should start with. Usual event fees, though, will be charged at the meets.
The Little Troll program is available to all children attending our
orienteering meets, whether members or visitors. Each child participating
in a qualifying event can earn a maximum of 1 sticker per participation day
to put on his/her Little Troll card. At the time the sticker is issued, a
club meet official should date and sign the child's card next to the
sticker. If the child participates in more than one course on a given day,
he/she cannot earn extra stickers. Each child can hold only one Little
Troll card at a time. Although the child can start at any level, all levels
must be taken in order: Little Troll (yellow), Chipmunk (orange), Rabbit
(green), Roadrunner (red). If a child starts at orange level, for example,
he/she cannot go back later and get yellow. If he/she starts at the red
level, he/she cannot go back and get any other levels. The Little Troll
(yellow) and Chipmunk (orange) levels can be done on either the String-O or
White Courses. Rabbit and Roadrunner stickers can only be earned by a child
accompanied by a parent on the White Course.
Once a child's card has stickers for each designated sticker circle (i.e.,
the card is full), the card plus a $1 fee may be mailed to the address
indicated on the card, and the child will receive an award patch from USOF
for completing the card.
If the parent so wishes, the child can be kept at a given level through
multiple cards. This should be done when the parent decides the child has
not yet mastered the skills of that level. Therefore, a given child can
receive multiple award patches at a given level. A child should only be
moved to the next level when the parent is satisfied he/she is ready to
orienteer at the next skill level. Directions for each skill level are on
the back of the card.
Come on out and get hooked...
