Two Kentucky towns, Morehead and Olive Hill, will host the Flying Pig XXV, an orienteering
event attracting hundreds of competitors from around the country the weekend of March 24-26.
Orienteering is a navigation sport where competitors use a map and compass to find checkpoints on a course. The winner is the fastest person to locate all the checkpoints.
The Flying Pig, hosted by Orienteering Cincinnati, includes the U.S. Individual Orienteering
Championships as well as recreational competitions for newcomers. The event is sanctioned by Orienteering USA, the national federation of the sport.
The campus of Morehead State University will be the site of the first race, the U.S. Sprint
Championships, on Friday, March 24. The Morehead campus is a great location for fast times requiring quick decision making.
Carter Caves State Resort Park near Olive Hill will be the site of the remaining two races, theU.S. Long Championships on Saturday, March 25, and the U.S. Middle Championships on Sunday, March 26. The Carter Caves terrain offers challenging navigation among scenic arches and cliff lines. “These venues are national championship caliber, and this 3-day competition will be challenging, both physically and mentally,” said Minium.
New this year is a fun maze orienteering event, designed by Bruce Moore of the Orienteering Louisville club.
As of early March, 270 participants from 29 states, the District of Columbia and four Canadian provinces had registered for the event. More participants are expected.
Olive Hill and Morehead are part of the Kentucky Trail Towns system. There are 25 Kentucky Trail Towns, all recognized for their draw to those interested in outdoor adventure tourism.
People interested in trying orienteering can attend any orienteering event; beginner instruction is always available. In addition, there are permanent orienteering courses, available at any time, at five Kentucky State Park sites (Barren River Lake, Rough River Dam, E.P. “Tom” Sawyer, Taylorsville Lake and Big Bone Lick State Historic Site).
For more information about the Flying Pig XXV, and orienteering events around the country, visit online at: http://www.orienteeringusa.org
