Orienteering for Winners On Wheels

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

Orienteering for Winners on wheels is an exciting program for scouts, ages 6-12, with physical disabilities, to learn the competitive sport of orienteering while exploring Latta Plantation Nature Preserve in Huntersville, North Carolina. The program is a fun and engaging way for children with disabilities and their families to out outside and see wildlife and natural areas and participate in a sport where adaptability is commonly not available. The program focuses on the essential skills of orienteering and a customized orienteering course combining permanent and temporary orienteering control makers. Through a partnership between the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department and the Adaptive Sports and Adventures Program (ASAP), a community-based program of Carolinas Rehabilitation, scouts with physical disabilities received instruction on orienteering with a topographical map and a magnetic compass, time on a basic practice course, followed by the experience of navigating a permanent orienteering course. They also enjoyed learning about the many environmental conservation efforts of Mecklenburg County through preservation, education, and stewardship.