2024 Introduces 3 levels of memberships. The membership structure has changed for 2024 as well as the meeting pricing structure. When you register, your confirmation email will include a discount code to be used for all 2024 registrations.

Individual Memberships ($30 for 2024) 

Individual membership covers a single person. The person’s name/registration is collected at  membership registration and can only be used for that individual. This membership also  includes the ability to invite up to 2 people to participate in an event at member rates. (may be  used at the same meets or separate meets).  Each standard meet will be $5 for the individual if registration occurs more than 2 days before the event, otherwise it will be $10.

Family Memberships ($40 for 2024) 

Family Memberships are intended to cover only family members living in the same  household. Every family member will be added to membership at the time of membership  purchase. Every registered family member may use the family membership. They may  participate together or may participate individually in events. This membership also includes the  ability to invite up to 2 people to participate in an event at member rates. (may be used at the  same meets or separate meets).  Each standard meet will be $5 for each family member over 14 yrs old if registration occurs more than 2 days before the event, otherwise it will be $10.

Youth Group Memberships ($50 for 2024) 

This membership is intended for youth groups such as scouts or JROTC. It is recognized that  not all youth will be identified at the time of registration, but when registering for an event, every  youth member must be registered and have the liability waiver accepted. Adult leaders are  included in this registration. Each standard meet will be $5 for each group member over 14 yrs old if registration occurs more than 2 days before the event, otherwise it will be $10.

Goal of the Membership re-structure

• Continue to support the growth of the sport by greatly reducing the cost of participation  of youth. 
• Encourage registration of events early so meet directors have a good idea of how many  maps to print. 
• Collect minimal fees from members to cover the cost of each “start” fee and the cost of  printing each person’s map. 
• Encourage members to bring new people to events to introduce the sport of orienteering. • Increase revenue to allow more map updates and continued new projects without  overusing financial reserves. 

Detailed Meet Fee re-structure

Every meet will follow the same basic structure. Registration is on a “Per Person” basis. (this is  a change). Every person registered will have one map printed for them. Youth is defined as  someone 14 years old and younger, and must be registered in conjunction with an adult. 

Meet fees are as follows for non-sprint events: 

• All event prices go up 2 days prior to the event. 
• Adults $20 ($25 if < two days before the event) 
• Youth $0 ($0 if < two days before the event) 
• Members $5 ($10 if < two days before the event) 

Meet fees for sprint events: 

• All event prices go up 2 days prior to the event. 
• Adults $10 ($15 if < two days before the event) 
• Youth $0 ($0 if < two days before the event) 
• Members $5 ($10 if < two days before the event)

*Tame the Dragon is not included in this proposal. The registration for that 8 hour event  continue to not be included in membership discounts. The same would be true for other special  events, as designated by the board. 

Background and Rationale 

The club has had its existing membership model for several years now without any  changes. Previously, there was an annual membership fee that allow members to receive the  club publication “The Contour Line”, and there were no discounts for meets. Everyone paid a  fee at the meet, typically in cash because our on-line system was not in place. 

Once the club stopped a paper publication, the membership structure needed to change. A new  membership structure that allowed members to purchase a $50 membership which covered all  events throughout the year was introduced and passed by the board. This structure has worked  well for the club by simplifying the work for the meet directors of collecting large amounts of  payments at events and reducing overall administrative work. Since that time, online  registration has also improved, giving us more tools and options. 

So why change? There are a couple factors at play that caused the club to review our existing  structure. First, our prices have been static for some time, but our costs are going up. OUSA,  our national governing entity, is raising start fees to cover their insurance costs (they insure all  of our events). We undervalue our product, nowhere else can you participate in an organized outdoor event and such a low cost. We also regularly have map printing waste by not having  accurate counts of the number of maps that are needed for each event – having some extra is  okay, but too many extras is a problem and wastes money. 

Finally, maps. Maps are the intellectual property and central asset of our organization. Without  maps, we do not have orienteering. The boon of mapping for SLOC occurred in the 1980’s and  1990’s. The club maps are aging and need refreshing – and those costs are rising. Maps in the  past were done by hand, not the digital systems now in place. Updates to those old maps are  

not possible in the original format, requiring a start from scratch approach to update a commonly  used maps like Greensfelder, Babler, or Cliff Cave to capture significant park changes that are  required to keep the map useful for our sport.  

In recent years, maps have been created in newer parks, previously unmapped, or updated, in  one of three ways; club members volunteering their time, members contracting with SLOC to  create maps, and contracting with a nationally recognized mapper. Ensuring we have an  updated inventory of existing maps, while continuing to map new areas such as Don Robinson  State Park, requires significant investment and is important to the quality of our sport.  

In assessing how this work is going to be accomplished going forward; volunteering, while a  piece of the solution, is not a consistent or viable way keep our inventory updated regularly.  The same goes for using club members who have the skill to map. Even when compensated,  they must have interest and time to commit to this work. Finally, the national mapper is only  available for about one project per year and is very expensive. 

Given these parameters, it is important for the club to continue to have revenue coming in that  allows us to pay to have maps created and updated. The club also must be careful to not draw  down its savings and reserves to accomplish what should be a sustainable annual mapping program.  

A task force was organized to evaluate our goals, review other clubs in the country, and have  come to a proposal to be reviewed and voted on by the SLOC Board.